This SLO company is screening movies online to raise money for coronavirus relief
Running out of entertainment options during the coronavirus pandemic?
On Thursday evening, local company SLOMotion Film will present a special online screening series.
The 75-minute program, titled “Being Human,” consists of five short documentaries featuring stories from around the United States. Topics range from life on an Apache reservation in southeast Arizona to viewing the moon via telescope from the heart of Los Angeles.
Community members can view the films for $7, which will benefit COVID-19 relief efforts on Apache and Navajo reservations. The films can be watched during a 24-hour window via the website www.slomotionfilm.com/being-human.
“Being Human,” which kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday, consists of the following films:
▪ “A New View Of The Moon,” about a connection to a faraway place from Los Angeles;
▪ “Katie,” about Katie Lee, a former Hollywood actress and singer turned environmental activist;
▪ “Cowtown,” about Howard “Grant” Harris, a former bull rider and rancher who hosts rodeos in Cowtown, New Jersey;
▪ “Mystery of Now,” about the San Carlos Reservation in southeast Arizona and Apache Skateboards; and
▪ “Mile 19,” about Johnnie Jameson, who use marathon running as a form of therapy to cope with the painful memories of the Vietnam War.
SLOMotion brings movies to SLO County audiences
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, SLOMotion has raised about $1,700 for community-based organization R.A.C.E. Matters SLO County through two virtual screening programs on environmental and social justice.
In May 2019, a SLOMotion screening featuring Patagonia films sold out the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, drawing 650 people.
The company, which also is producing is own movies, hopes to bring content to the area that people otherwise may not be aware of.
“We are truly trying to build some unique in SLO with an ongoing series of film programs that we will bring to the community, and continue to host them in theaters when it’s safe to resume showing,” said Hayley Nenadal, SLOMotion co-founder. “Our themes are around hope and inspiration and the indomitable human spirit. I think people are looking for that right now with everything that’s going on in the world.”
To access “Being Human” and other SLOMotion programs, people can pay to unlock the films and watch them on computers, tablets, and phones that may connect to smart TVs.
“People view films in so many ways these days, even on their phones,” Nenadal said.
SLOMotion doesn’t have a screening app for viewing content on a smart TV, but it’s working to develop one.
After covering SLOMotion’s costs, money raised by virtual movie screenings goes to relief efforts, according to the company’s founders.
“We are not a film festival,” SLOMotion co-founder Gracie Gilbert said. “We are filming screening events throughout the year with strong, meaningful films, music, art and stories that raise donations for a larger cause. With COVID, we are doing them virtually, but when you watch a screening, you’ll see music, films, Q&As — the whole package.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 3:34 PM with the headline "This SLO company is screening movies online to raise money for coronavirus relief."
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