Getting started on creative endeavors is a fantastic way to ensure young people discover their passions early. And while that most often covers things like music or painting, Anythink Huron Street library and SeriesFest is providing free opportunities to get teenagers interesting in filmmaking this summer.
“Storytelling is what sets us as humans apart,” said Luke Sorge, generalist guide at the library. “Being able to discuss and analyze this with young people is a very powerful thing.”
SeriesFest’s Mobile Cinema Lab will be at the Huron Street location, 9417 Huron St. in Thornton, from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, July 19 and 26 and Thursdays, July 14, 21 and 28. The series is only open to teens, who are encouraged to attend as many sessions as they’d like.
“Each class builds on the last, but if students can only make it to a couple, that’s great,” Sorge said. “They can learn everything about the process by attending all the classes, or do it a la cart style and learn specific parts of the process.”
SeriesFest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to championing artists at the forefront of episodic storytelling. It will help participants go through the entire filmmaking process, from writing to producing and editing their own short films and TV pilots. Instructors will use the latest film equipment and technology to help bring the stories to life.
“Starting filmmaking can be daunting because of everything you need, but SeriesFest is taking care of all that,” Sorge explained. “Attendees will spend time looking at movies, breaking down non-verbal storytelling and more. This is stuff we all know — it’s basic, human storytelling. We’ll teach them how to turn that around and employ it for their own work.”
In addition to the valuable creative skills learned, final films and pilots will be presented at a red-carpet premiere night on Aug. 3 at the Parsons Theatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway in Northglenn.
“Northglenn Arts is dedicated to creating access to the arts for all and this partnership helps to achieve just that,” says Michael Sticker, City of Northglenn Arts, Culture and Community Manager, in a provided statement.
Seeing their work up on the big screen would be an undeniable thrill, but Sorge hopes that any participant will learn valuable lessons about self-expression.
“Storytelling is such a powerful exercise, so if they just come away knowing how to express themselves, that’s great,” he said. “Even if you can only make it to one day, it’s going to be worth your while.”
Visit https://events.anythinklibraries.org/events for more information and to register.
Eat, drink and be merry for affordable housing
Killer music, delicious food and supporting a good cause at the same time? It’s no wonder the annual Blues and BBQ Festival for Better Housing has been around for a quarter century.
The 25th event will be at Citizens Park, 5560 W. 24th Ave. in Edgewater, from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 16. During the day they’ll be all manner of tribute bands performing, with legendary artists like INXS, The Allman Brothers and Bruce Springsteen all being represented. Add mouthwatering eats and you have the perfect combination.
All proceeds will benefit affordable housing projects and Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, so get your tickets at www.bluesnbbq.com.
Northglenn screens `Encanto’
There’s practically no event that isn’t made better by taking place under a summer sky, but movie screenings have to be one of the best. In that spirit, Northglenn’s Summer Movie Series is bringing some family favorites to the Festival Lawn - the grassy area between the Northglenn Recreation Center, 1 E. Memorial Parkway, and the Veterans Memorial. Movies begin at dusk.
On July 20, the series features one of Disney’s biggest hits in recent memory — “Encanto.” If you haven’t heard of it, frankly I don’t know how you pulled that off. It’s a beautiful film and there’s a reason it’s such a hit.
More information about the free event can be found at https://northglennarts.org/special-events/.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — David Gray at Red Rocks
For me, David Gray’s 2000 album, “White Ladder,” is still one of the great alt-rock albums of the century — the perfect blend of folk and electronic, wistful and anthemic and heartbroken and hopeful. Songs like “Babylon” and “This Year’s Love” still hit impossibly hard and never fail to send me down a beautiful path of memory.
Back in 2020 Gray was preparing to tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the record, but… well, you know. He’s finally returning to Red Rocks, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway in Morrison, at 8 p.m. on July 21. There’s no opener for this one — instead, he’s performing a greatest hits set and then “White Ladder” in full.
This is going to be a supremely special show, so get your tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.
