A woman looks at posters for upcoming Films on Fourth movies.
The big screen is bringing big
crowds to heart of downtown
BY T. KF.V1N WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Don't look for the latest
Hollywood shoot-'em-up to be
screened as part of the Films on
Fourth series. The movies
shown at the Stevens Center as
part of the series don't feature
Schwarzenegger, special effects
or battles between starships.
And that is just fine with
George Simmons.
"I think for the most part it
has been an excellent series."
said Simmons, who along with
Jackie Taylor has seen several
Films on Fourth movies since
the series began in January.
"(Films on Fourth) is a cut
above what you get in the other
theaters."
Simmons and Taylor were
back at the Stevens Center last
Friday and Saturday to see the
latest Films on Fourth movies,
"Nowhere in Africa." which
won the Oscar this year for best
foreign film, and "Amandla: A
Documentary in Four-Part Har
mony," which chronicles the
evolution of grassroots African
music.
Films on Fourth features
first-run independent and for
eign language films. Taylor
- admitted that at first she was
thrown for a loop by the subti
tles for the foreign-language
films, but it did not take her
long to cross that hurdle. "Hav
ing (subtitles) definitely makes
you keep your attention on what
is happening on the screen." she
said.
In a city known for its artis
tic muscle, it is not surprising
that Films on Fourth has struck
a chord with locals and devel
oped a fan base that includes
folks of all colors and walks of
life. Series coordinator Richard
Emmett said he thinks the films
are only part of the appeal. He
also credited the grandeur of the
Stevens Center, a place usually
reserved for live symphonies
0 and ballets. The fact that movies
are being offered downtown for
the first time in several decades
is appealing as well. Emmett
said.
"This is really a community
event." he said. "It is something
that adds to the revitalization of
Fourth Street. It is another step
in the right direction for Win
ston-Salem."
Films on Fourth is the result
of a union between the Winston
Salem Cinema Society and the
N.C. School of Arts School of
Filnwiaking. The 20-year cine
ma society - which aims to find
a home and audience for art
house films - used to screen
movies at the North Point Cine
ma before the theater shut down
last year. Dale Pollock, dean of
the NCSA School of Filmmak
ing and a former Hollywood
producer of such films as "Set it
Off," let members of the society
screen their films on the NCSA
campus.
But Renata Jackson,' presi
dent of the cinema society, said
the society often ran into sched
uling conflicts on the NCSA
campus. The Stevens Center
was suggested as an alternative,
but it needed some work. Pol
lock helped raise money to
upgrade the projection and'
sound systems.
Jackson is pleasantly sur
prised by the success of the
series - which has screened a
variety of films from the recent
summer sleeper hit "Bend It
Like Beckham" to critic favorite
"Far From Heaven."
"It is delightful and fun to
see so many people downtown,
and everyone seems to be pretty
happy about it," Jackson said.
Films are screened on
Thursdays, Fridays and Satur
days, and on average draw
about 500 or 600 people. On
occasion, moviegoers have sold
out the Stevens Center, which
holds about 1,200. Jackson said
the society is breaking even or
making a small profit each night
a film is screened. But no one
can put a cost on what the series
has meant for downtown vitali
iy
The Films of Fourth series
has put a whole new spin on the
dinner and a movie concept.
Many of the thousands of peo
ple who have flocked to the
Stevens Center to watch movies
also have, taken advantage of
nearby restaurants and other
attractions.
Last Saturday, shortly
before the screening of
"Amandla," employees apj
neighboring eateries set up
chairs and tables along the side
walk, preparing for the crowds
that they have grown to expect
as a result of the films.
Kent Smith, one of the own
ers of Cats Corner Cafe, said
many people have stumbled into
the cafe on their way into or out
of the Stevens Center.
"We have had a lot of people
who have never been here
before who stop by as a result
(of the films)," Smith said.
The film series will take a
break in early August so that the
National Black Theatre Festival
can use the Stevens Center. It
will resume in the middle of the
month. Organizers hope to con
tinue the series as long as movie
lovers will have it. The films
may be relocated once the the
ater at planned Unity Place (a
mammoth housing, business
and entertainment development
that is slated to be built at the
site of Modern Chevrolet)
opens.
For up-to-date schedules on
films, log onto www.cinemaso
ciety.org.
"It is delightful and
fun to see so many
downtown, and every
one seems to be pretty
happy about it."
- Renala Jackson,
president of Winston
Salem Cinema Society
Festival gala is a quick sellout
Seats still available for Lillias White kickoffshow
CHRONICLE STALE REPORT
National Black Theatre Festival officials are
already celebrating a great success arid the 14th
anniversary festival doesn't start until Aug. 4.
Officials announced this week that tickets to the
swank opening night gala had sold out. It is the
earliest sellout for the gala, which will be held at
the Benton Convention Center, in the festival's
history.
Gala tickets were $200 and included dinner
and a performance of "From Brook!) n to Broad
way II." a musical trip down memory lane with
Tony-winning talent Lillias White. The gala also
will feature an awards ceremony that will pay
tribute to some of the giants of stage, screen and
television. Scheduled to be on hand Aug. 4 to
receive accolades is Diahann Carroll, who will
receive the Sidney Poitier Lifelong Achievement
Award for her decades of work. Producer Philip
Rose also will receive that honor. "Jeffersons"
star Sherman Hemsley and Ben Vereen are among
those who will get Living Legend Awards during
the gala.
Although gala seats are no longer available,
there is still space left for White's performance,
which will be held at 9 p.m. (immediately after
the gala) at the Stevens Center.
Tickets for the performance, which will be
attended by a star-studded crowd, including many
of the gala honorees, are $75 per person. A ticket
stub from the performance also will allow people
entrance into a celebrity reception that will be
held after the performance at the Adam's Mark
Hotel.
Tickets to the Aug. 4 performance of "From
Brooklyn to Broadway II " cannot he purchased
online. To order tickets, call 723-7907.
rile Photo
Cicely Tyson addresses the crowd after
receiving the Sidney Poitier Lifelong Achieve
ment Award at last year's gala.
Police begin new speedy notification system
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
A new high-speed notifi
cation system gives the Win
ston-Salem Police Depart
ment the means of quickly
alerting residents in the event
of an emergency, such as a
hazardous spill, that could
affect them.
The system allows the
police to select an area fof
notification, li then automati
cally calls all the households
within that area and plays a
recorded message.
The system recognizes if
an answering machine picks
up and records the message
onto the machine.
In addition to emergen
cies, the system can be used
for crime prevention by alert
ing residents, for example, to
a rash of break-ins in their
area or to ask residents to be
on the look-out for a missing
person.
The system was designed
by Dialogic Communications
Corp. and works with the
city's geographic information
system to allow police to
select exactly the area that
they want to reach. It then
places calls in order of priori
ty based on their distance to a
certain location. The system
does not work with unlisted
numbers.
For now, the calls are
being placed out of the Dia
logic headquarters in
Franklin. Tenn. This is reflect
ed on caller ID units. Howev
er, the call identifies the mes
sage as being from the Win
ston-Salem Police Depart
ment. Eventually, the calls
will be placed out of the Pub
lie Safety Communications
Center, at which point caller
ID units will display
"WSPD,"
Police began using the
system at the end of May.
They have used it to alert res
idents in the Buena Vista
neighborhood of a gas leak
and in several neighborhoods
of a series of car break-ins in
their neighborhoods.
The high-speed notifica
tion system was purchased
with a grant from the Gover
nor's Crime Commission and
is improving public safety,
said Police Chief Linda
Davis, instead of assigning
personnel to place calls in the
event of an emergency, we
can now do this automatically
and concentrate on addressing
the emergency itself," she
said.
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