Screen scene: Local film news

PUZZLING: The documentary How to Draw a Bunny looks at the life and art of Ray Johnson. Pictured: the artist's "Red Snakes," circa 1980s. Copyright by the Ray Johnson Estate, courtesy of Richard L. Feigen & Co.

The Sierra Club of WNC, The Orange Peel and MountainTrue join forces for a screening of the climate change documentary Merchants of Doubt on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Based on the book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, and directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Kenner (Food, Inc.), the film examines how spin doctors and media manipulators have successfully misled the public on various scientific topics for decades.

The fully seated event, open to all ages, begins at 7 p.m.. Entry is free, but a $5 donation is suggested to support the screening’s co-sponsor organizations. theorangepeel.net

 

Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center closes out its nearly three-month exhibition, Something Else Entirely: Ray Johnson, Dick Higgins and the making of The Paper Snake, with a screening of the documentary How to Draw a Bunny.

John Walter’s and Andrew Moore‘s award-winning film tells the story of collage artist Johnson, whose death was shrouded in mystery and whose life and art remain intriguing puzzles. The real-life art riddle will be shown on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for BMCM+AC members and students with a valid ID and $8 for non-members. blackmountaincollege.org

 

New Belgium Brewing’s Clips Beer & Film Tour comes to Asheville on Friday, Sept. 4, at Pack Square Park’s Roger McGuire Green. Part of a 20-city, coast-to-coast extravaganza, the tour debuted in 2010. It has raised more than $520,000 for nonprofits nationwide and attracted over 35,000 people to local parks for a night of fan-created short films and beer tasting.

Attendees are invited to bring low-sitting chairs or simply lounge on the grass for the free event, which starts at 7 p.m., with films beginning at 8:30 p.m. Seventeen beer varieties will be for sale — including brewery mainstays and some of the rarer entries from the Lips of Faith series — in 3-ounce samples, 12-ounce pours or cans. The beverages will be served by volunteers from local beneficiary, Asheville on Bikes. Food from Gypsy Queen Cuisine, Avery’s Hot Dogs and Belly Up Truck will also be available.

New Belgium is also teaming with Asheville GreenWorks, part of the brewery’s commitment to working with a local sustainability partner at each stop. This aspect of Clips Beer & Film has diverted more than 85 percent of event waste from landfills over the past five years. avl.mx/1dk

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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