KQED cements its position as the premiere Bay Area showcase for independent film with the new season of its documentary series Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories. The five films selected to join an award–winning roster of documentaries about California and are as wildly diverse in style and content as the Golden State itself. The new season premieres on Sunday, July 29, at 6pm on KQED 9 with the broadcast premiere of Beaverbrook, the award–winning documentary by Matthew Callahan, about the legendary and now-defunct sleep away summer camp in Lake County, CA. The film is a heartwarming reminder of a time when camps like Beaverbrook dotted the mountains of California and, as told by those who attended the camp, made lasting impressions on countless lives. For more information, film descriptions and previews of Truly CA films, please visit kqed.org/trulyca.
Join KQED at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater to celebrate the launch of Truly CA’s new season with a FREE screening event on Wednesday, July 25, at 8pm. The event will give attendees a sneak peek at two documentaries from season eight featuring San Francisco stories: A Brush With the Tenderloin and Stage Left: A Story of Theater in San Francisco. RSVPs are recommended and can be made by visiting trulyca.eventbrite.com. Ticketed patrons will be guaranteed entry until 7:50pm. All unclaimed seats will be given out on a first come, first served basis. Please call (415) 553-2259 with questions.
Truly CA is a KQED production presented in association with Cal Humanities, which aims to find and promote the best documentaries about California. This season’s five films were selected from more than fifty submissions and will receive specifically tailored support packages, including post production services and editing equipment, technical support, web and promotional assistance and other professional development services. Since its launch in 2005, Truly CA has received two Northern California Emmy Awards.
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Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories Season Eight:
(All films and broadcast dates and times are subject to change.)
Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 6pm
Beaverbrook
Filmmaker: Matthew C. Callahan
The story of Camp Beaverbook, the much-loved summer camp that operated in Northern California from 1961-1985. This often humorous film offers a poignant reminder of a more innocent time. Archival footage and former campers’ life-changing stories belie the camp’s demise and the decline of the summer camp industry, in general.
Sunday, September 16, 2012 at 6 pm
A Brush With the Tenderloin
Filmmaker: Paige Bierma
This cinema vérité documentary shows what happens when a soft-spoken muralist decides to paint a fanciful mural on one of San Francisco's diciest street corners. A diverse collection of locals with colorful personalities interact with artist Mona Caron and end up playing key roles in the mural's evolution. Among the characters, we meet former heroin addict Lisa Demb, neighborhood kite-maker Jeff Marshall and homeless rocker 'Indian Joe.’
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 10 pm
It Came From Kuchar
Filmmaker: Jennifer Kroot
The twins Mike and George Kuchar became notorious for the eccentric, no-budget films they created in the 1960s and had an undeniable influence on future independent directors such as Atom Egoyan, John Waters and Buck Henry. It Came From Kuchar explores the life and work of these maverick pioneers of underground cinema.
Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 10 pm
Stage Left: A Story of Theater in San Francisco
Filmmaker: Austin Forbord
Through compelling interviews, vivid archival footage of early performances, photographs, and video of productions, Stage Left illustrates the important, intriguing and sometimes outrageous theatrical innovations of Bay Area artists.
January 2013 (exact broadcast date to be announced)
Sons of a Gun
Filmmakers: Rivkah Beth Medow and Greg O’Toole
Though not related by blood, three schizophrenic men and their alcoholic caregiver have lived together in Oakland for 20 years. Sons of a Gun follows this unique “family” as they get evicted and scramble to find a new home.
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ABOUT KQED
KQED has served Northern California for more than 50 years and is affiliated with NPR and PBS. KQED owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco/Bay Area), KQED Plus (San Jose/Bay Area) and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); KQED Public Radio (88.5 FM San Francisco and 89.3 FM Sacramento); the interactive platforms kqed.org and KQEDnews.org; and KQED Education. KQED Public Television is the producer of local and national series such as QUEST; Check, Please! Bay Area; This Week in Northern California; Truly CA; and Essential Pépin. KQED’s digital television stations include KQED 9, KQED Plus, KQED Life, KQED World, KQED Kids and KQED V-me, and are available 24/7 on Comcast. KQED Public Radio, home of Forum and The California Report, is one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service delivering more than eighteen local weekday newscasts and news features. KQED Interactive provides KQED’s cross-platform news service, KQEDnews.org, as well as several popular local blogs, video and audio podcasts, and a live radio stream at kqed.org. KQED Education brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and the general public through workshops, community screenings and multimedia resources.
ABOUT CAL HUMANITIES
Cal Humanities has been bringing people together around their history and culture for more than 30 years. Cal Humanities connects Californians to ideas and one another in order to understand our shared heritage and diverse cultures, inspire civic participation and shape our future.
Cal Humanities is a non-profit that promotes the humanities in California to help create “a state of open mind.” We produce, fund and support cultural experiences in media, literature, and discussion programs. Through our work, we inspire Californians to learn more, dig deeper, and start conversations that matter among our dramatically diverse people.
