UPCOMING EVENTS!

We are honored to partner with The Academy of Natural Sciences for the Opening Night of their inaugural environmental film festival—Confluence: Earthly Films for Philadelphia.

This Earth Week, the Academy of Natural Sciences debuts Confluence: Earthly Films for Philadelphia – an environmentally focused film festival in partnership with esteemed Philadelphia-area film organizations, including the BlackStar Projects, Bryn Mawr Film Institute, cinéSPEAK, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival. This year’s weekend-long festival showcases a series of feature, short and documentary films by local, national and international filmmakers whose work raises awareness of water-related environmental justice and climate change issues across the globe. Each program will feature a panel discussion with filmmakers, scientists and advocates, illuminating how community-driven resistance and advocacy efforts help us envision and enact alternatives to the climate crisis.

This festival runs Friday April 19 – Sunday April 21

Check out the full line-up here

EVENT FLOW:

5:30 PM: Happy Hour with DJ Junior & Lil Dave of Eavesdrop Radio (WKDU)

Drinks and food will be available for sale, pay-as-you-go

7 PM: Film Screening

featuring Midnight Oil (2020) & Trash & Burn (2024)

8 PM: Post-Screening Discussion

with filmmaker, Bilal Motley, Chester PA mayor, Stefan Roots and organizers whose work is featured in the films

The conversation will be moderated by Gabe Castro, cinéSPEAK’s Reel Impact: From Streets to Screens contributor.

ABOUT THE FEATURED ARTIST & FILM PROGRAM —

ABOUT BILAL MOTLEY:

Bilal Motley, an award-winning filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter from Chester, PA, specializes in projects exploring environmental issues and the intersections of class and race.

Learn More About the Featured Artist: https://www.bilalmotley.com/

THE FEATURED FILMS:

MIDNIGHT OIL

Director: Bilal Motley / 18 min / English / 2020

For nearly fifteen years, Bilal worked as a steelworker at the area’s largest oil refinery. His

documentary film, Midnight Oil, draws on this experience. The film chronicles his struggle to

reconcile his love and kinship for his distressed refinery brothers and sisters and his growing

awareness of the surrounding communities of color, fighting for environmental justice.

TRASH & BURN

Director: Bilal Motley / 18 min / English / 2024

The film highlights the 30-year struggle led by Zulene Mayfield in Chester, Pennsylvania,

against the United States’ largest trash incinerator. This facility, processing waste from as far

as Canada and Puerto Rico, has deeply affected Chester’s predominantly Black community,

illustrating a severe case of environmental racism.

ABOUT THE VENUE — Cherry Street Pier

Cherry Street Pier is a year-round, mixed-use public space on the central Delaware River waterfront. Built into the shell of a century-old municipal pier, it is a reflection of Philadelphia today—creative, diverse, historic, adaptable, and inspired.

Parking/Transportation:

—Parking: The closest parking lots are located at Market Street and Columbus Boulevard. There are other parking lots and street parking along Columbus Boulevard and in nearby Old City.

—Bike: Cherry Street Pier accommodates bike parking with bike ranks located adjacent to the Pier. With the recent completion of the multi-modal Delaware River Trail, it’s easier for riders to connect to even more places along the river.

—Public Transportation: Market Street and the Waterfront are easily accessible by SEPTA bus routes 5, 12, 17, 21, 25, 33, 38, 42, 44, and 48. These are just minutes from Cherry Street Pier. Due to the I-95 CAP construction on Penn’s Landing, select SEPTA bus routes (5, 12, 17, 21, 33, 38, 42, 44) will be rerouted to new start and end locations. The following table, which can be found on SEPTA.com, shows new start and end locations for each route, and the corresponding changes to bus stops. These changes started on January 14 and will remain in effect until further notice. More info can be found here: https://www.cherrystreetpier.com/getting-here/

Learn More: https://www.cherrystreetpier.com/space/

Follow: @CherryStPier

TICKETING:

FREE TO ATTEND

*REGISTRATION REQUESTED*

EVENT FLOW:

6:30 PM: Doors 

7 PM: Film Screening

ABOUT THE FILM: 

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS

Director: Neo Sora / 103 min / Japanese with English subtitles / 2023

A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Ryuichi Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album,12. Intimately filmed in a space he knew well and surrounded by his most trusted collaborators, including director Neo Sora, his son, Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

ABOUT THE VENUE — Lightbox Film Center at The University of The Arts

Lightbox Film Center at University of the Arts presents an unparalleled slate of repertory, nonfiction, experimental and international cinema. Beyond the traditional movie theater experience, Lightbox delivers enriching film programs with artist talks, live music and other multidisciplinary programs year-round in a dedicated venue known as a gathering place for cinephiles.

Parking/Transportation:

https://lightboxfilmcenter.org/who-we-are/directions-and-parking

Learn More: https://lightboxfilmcenter.org/

Follow: @LightboxFilmCenter

TICKETING:

$8 Students / Seniors

$10 General Admission

FREE Lightbox Members & UArts Faculty, Students & Staff

Each week, we proudly feature incredible independent films from around the world, local DJs, food trucks and much more!

All events are free and open to the public.

Registration is requested.

Bring-Your-Own Blankets and Chairs.

TICKETING:

FREE TO ATTEND

*REGISTRATION REQUESTED*