April 23, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

CinemaKC joins the Climate Council of Greater Kansas City for EarthFest 2022 on April 23. "Heart and Soil" is a tribute to our planet via film, music, and arts conversation. You can attend either onground at Temple Buddhist, 707 W 47th St, Kansas City, MO 64112 or virtually via Zoom.

THE PROGRAM IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED at climategkc.org 

THE PROGRAM

LONITA COOK will be this year's Guest Critic/Moderator.

SHORT FILMS (In order of screening)– "land and flower" by David Wayne Reed; "environmental justice, explained", a U.N. film sponsored by The United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City; "The 44th Street Project" by Stacey Rhymes; "Make the World Greta Again" by VICE Video.

GUESTS – Filmmakers David Wayne Reed and Stacey Rhymes; Environmental Activists Richard Mabion and Angelica "Jellie" Chavez-Duckworth

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Lonita Cook luxuriates in her love of movie-watching as critic for KCTV5 (CBS), IN Kansas City Magazine and blackbeebuzz.com. She joyously serves boards of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Museum Foundation as President and Avila School of Visual & Communication Arts (advisory) where she practices her enthusiasm for film and sister arts as a means to champion the enrichment of these community staples.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:

David Wayne Reed is a writer, director, and producer whose work can be found on page, on stage, and on screen. HIs works include: land and flower, Eternal Harvest, Help Yourself, Goliath, and Jolly Rancher. He is creator and host of the popular storytelling show, Shelf Life. Reed was appointed to the KC Municipal Art Commission in 2020 and serves on the Executive Committee for the 1% for Public Art at the new KCI airport terminal. He is the 2019 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Arts Fellow, and named One of the Reasons We Love KC Now by the Pitch. (www.davidwaynereed.com)

Stacey Rhymes is a local radio personality who started a his radio career at KPRS Hot 103 Jamz in 1999. His community awareness follows on the heels of activism with the Boys and Girls Club and the Clean-Up KC Recycling Campaign. He’s currently an on air personality on Gospel 1590AM/106.1 FM as well as board engineer and Gospel segment and show producer.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Richard Mabion has worked as an independent community organizer in the environmental movement in Kansas City, metropolitan region. The Pitch News organization selected Richard as their 2008-Activist of the year for Kansas.
In 2013, the National Sierra Club selected Richard as their 2013 Achiever of the Year. In 2014, the Kansas City, Kansas NAACP Branch elected Richard as the president of their Branch. He ran on an Environmental Literacy ticket. He was selected as the man of the year for the EPA Region 7.

Angelica (Jellie) Chavez-Duckworth is a Kansas City native, a community organizer, and the founder of LivZero [Liv is pronounced like ”to live and let live”] - a climate equity firm that partners with community-based and environmental organizations to develop upstream, intersectional climate solutions that genuinely reflect community experience. In 2019, she won the LISC Young Champion Award for her work in environmental justice. She is a lover of waterfalls and all things fungi.

Special thanks to Temple Buddhist Center for their help and the use of their space.