malcolmxpark.org

(With a nod to Better Off Soaked, the blog dedicated to broken umbrellas.)

This crew took off before I could inquire further about what they were shooting.

A film written, produced and directed by Ngozi Thomas and partially shot in Malcolm X Park!

The back-story is explained here, but basically, as a teenager, the character on the left faked his way into a sperm bank as a way to earn enough money to patent an action figure he had developed. Years later, he meets a child he’s sure is his and hires the character on the left right to find out for sure.

Child Support: The Movie is about choices, consequences, and how the insignificant actions of your past can significantly determine the outcome of your future.

The Philadelphia murder rate is holding steady at about a 20% decline over 2007.  That’s shy of the mayor’s 25% goal but an admirable achievement nonetheless. Still, more than 250 Philadelphians have been murdered this year.  Back in November 2007, I posted a trailer for what appeared to be a longer documentary about murder in Philadelphia.  Subsequently that documentary has been completed and has gotten some nice press for its relatively unvarnished look at the neighborhoods and circumstances that disproportionately contribute to the murder count in Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA HOMICIDE CITY Money Murder & Politics is a look into what issues really contribute to the struggle and poverty currently in America. It identifies that struggle and poverty are the most popular assumptions for the high murder rate in Philadelphia both statistically and through experience. The movie communicates possible solutions as well as some of the details seen from the situation as it exists currently.

The movie digs into the life and culture of the rougher neighborhoods and communities in Philadelphia in hopes to shed light on the issues faced there to the rest of the population.

It is now available for sale at the filmmakers’ website: www.philadelphiathemovie.com

Here’s that trailer:

You can participate in building some of Spiral Q’s extraordinary puppets right here in Malcolm X Park, under the gazebo from 3-7pm on Fridays through October 3rd.  This “community build” is open to children and adults!  This year’s Peoplehood Pageant will be October 18th.  Find out more at Spiral Q Puppet Theater:

PEOPLEHOOD COMMUNITY BUILDS
Put your creative minds in gear! Join us at our Community Peoplehood Builds around town. Peoplehood Community Builds are free and open to the public! Drop in at these sites around West Philadelphia to help build puppets, masks, flags, and banners for the big day. All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Call Spiral Q at 215.222.6979 for details on what each site is up to!

Malcolm X Park (51st and Pine)
Fridays 4-7PM

Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore)
Saturdays 12-4PM

Spiral Q Puppet Theater (3114 Spring Garden St.)
Saturdays 12-5PM

The Paul Robeson House (4951 Walnut St.)
Thurs. 9/18 from 4-7PM and Sat. 9/20, 9/27, 10/4 12-4PM

Pearl & Contestoga Community Garden (near 55th and Haverford)
Sundays from 4-7PM

PAGEANT REHEARSALS
Join us at rehearsals to be a performer in the pageant!
(No previous involvement required)

Saturday October 11th
11-4PM at Clark Park

Sunday October 12th
11-4PM at Clark Park

Next Peoplehood Team Meetings – Wed Sept. 24th and Oct. 1st at 6:30PM

Want to be part of the Peoplehood team? From collecting recycled materials to assisting at public puppet and theater workshops, from directing our Peoplehood Band to coordinating volunteers, from rallying community support to acting as pageant stage manager there are so many roles to fill. Drop production manager Liza a line at lizago@spiralq.org and let her know what you like to do and how much time you’d like to spend doing it, then join us as a member of the Peoplehood team for a meeting at Spiral Q on Wednesday September 3rd at 6:30p. Please contact us before attending the meeting so we can plan accordingly.

Don’t have any idea what they’re talking about?  This’ll give you some idea:

A nice crowd turned out last night in Malcolm X Park for Scribe’s Street Movies series! It would have been nice if we could have selectively turned off a couple of the park’s brilliant lights to make the screen brighter, but you can’t have it all…

Here’s one of the films shown, an experimental adaptation of Amiri Baraka’s “Something in the Way of Things (In Town)” with music by The Roots. If you look closely, you’ll see that a number of the scenes were shot on 52nd St. and even in Malcolm X Park (1:18):

I noticed the 48th and Spruce Fruit Truck in there as well. The filmmaker, Bryan Green, is a senior film and video major at Drexel University and used to live at 52nd and Walton. In addition to a number of fiction projects, he’s also working on a documentary about Philadelphia genre-bending musician tU pHAce. Give him a listen. You won’t regret it.