Is it important for individuals to build community? The new film, "Join or Die," explores the concept of connection through the eyes of social scientist Robert Putnam. It is opening at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Oct. 4.
Continuing is "Mother of All Lies," along with the Ross Fright Fest.
"Join or Die" is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it. In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… what can we do about it?
"Join or Die" is not rated and is showing through Oct. 17.
In "The Mother of all Lies," young Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir agrees to help her parents move out of the Casablanca
house they’d lived in throughout her life, and she realizes that her family’s mysteries are vast. Why do her parents have only one picture of Asmae during childhood? And why is she certain that the girl in the picture isn’t her at all? What other stories her family has told are untrue? To pry open the lies, El Moudir and her father build a handmade set that recreates their neighborhood. In an atmosphere that balances the surreal and the all-too-real, she brings the whole family to the soundstage where the miniature town is built and begins to ask questions, unraveling the story, letting her family members talk, asking probing questions. Ultimately, El Moudir confronts the fact that her grandmother, the family’s matriarch, is the reason so many dark facts and painful memories have been buried in the past.
"The Mother of all Lies" is not rated and is showing through Oct. 10.
Learn more about the films, including show times and ticket availability.
