MZUNGU - Loosely defined as ‘European Stranger’ in Swahili, was the concept that launched
this film’s production. Traveling into the forests of Rwanda and Uganda over two months
in 2006, filmmaker Bart Santello (Arivaca, Arizona) photographed inspired images of the
experience without any intention for a specific film. Using a subconscious process developed
by the filmmaker based on studies on how the mind creates complex dream stories from
random events, the film assembled itself organically, over a period of ten years. To further
provide structure for the film’s development, scenes were created based on stages-of-sleep,
which has an effect on a viewer of this film, as waking-up inside a dream. For the
filmmaker the work is a memory; more accurately, a perception of the reality experienced
while in Africa. MZUNGU has a music score from four acclaimed ambient-electronic
musicians: Robert Rich, Jeff Greinke, Richard Bone and ‘A PRODUCE’ - with additional
sound design by the filmmaker.
Arivaca Independent Filmmakers Exhibition
afternoon DOCUMENTARY program
Saturday March 4th / 12:00 Noon - 5:00pm
Arivaca Community Center
POT LUCK DINNER - 5pm
The pot luck dinner is our yearly tradition
here at the Arivaca Filmmakers Exhibition,
Where our film-going community makes it happen!
A time to relax, socialize and recharge
before our evening of independent short films!
PS: No obligation to bring food; especially if you’re
traveling long distance or attending at the last minute.
We got you covered!!
LET ME BE FRANK
An Atheist who Believes in God
Let Me Be Frank is the story of Frank
Schaeffer's journey out of religious certainty
and in the face of the historic rise of political
and Christian conservatism, the discovery of
surprising instances of tenderness, hope
and grace along the way.
Frank, the son of influential Evangelicals
Francis and Edith Schaeffer, was a
filmmaker, writer, speaker and an architect
of the religious right in the 1970s.
Underneath the exterior of aggressive
religiosity, and expected to follow in his
famous family's footsteps, his life was in
turmoil.
Described as the "Traitorous Prince" by
former confidants on the religious and
political right, Frank is now a best-selling
author, blogger, painter, speaker and regular
commentator for various news outlets.
Creatista is a full-service film/
video, multimedia and photo-
graphy production company
In the southeast corner of Arizona is a
town that exemplifies the pioneering
spirit of the old west - Bisbee. Today
this town thrives as an artist & tourist
destination while still maintaining the
look and spirit of days gone by.
Larry Springford
(Green Valley) makes
travel documentaries
that connect the past
with the present and
provides knowledge with
insight along the way.
A Digital Motion Picture by Bart Santello A Psychotropic Films
Production
MZUNGU Director
Bart Santello points
to a Silverback Gorilla
in Rwandan forest
October 2006
Filmmaker: Bart Santello
Africa Producer: Steven Ablondi
Production Company: Psychotropic Films LLC
Run Time: 39:30 min
Navajo Math Circles follows Navajo students in a lively collaboration with mathematicians.
Using a model called math circles, the students stay late after school and assemble over the
summer at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona, to study mathematics. The math circles approach
emphasizes student-centered learning by putting children in charge of exploring mathematics
to their own joy and satisfaction.
The documentary reveals the challenges in education on the Navajo Nation and looks at a new
approach for improving the mathematical skills of students. The Navajo Math Circles project
summons applications of math in Native culture to provide tools for increasing math literacy,
and highlights the special connections between Navajo culture, natural beauty, and
mathematics. The film shows how math circles help raise the hopes of parents, students, and
teachers for a brighter future.
WATCH
TRAILER
GEORGE PAUL CSICSERY, a writer and independent filmmaker since 1968, was born in Germany in 1948, the son of Hungarian parents. He immigrated to the United States in 1951. He has directed 32 films--dramatic shorts, performance films and documentaries. Much of his work since the late 1980s has been about mathematicians as well as a range of films on cultural and historical subjects in a style he calls first-world ethnography and is the author and co-author of five feature-length screenplays. He has taught film editing at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco (1982-1997), and general cinema courses to undergraduates at San Francisco State University (1996) and at UC Davis (1998). For a full bio and filmography click on the ZALA FILMS icon.
