"The Florida Project" is shown at Abingdon Cinemall.
Virginia Highlands Community College's Arts Array Film Series continues in February. The first two movies this month are part of the Black Film Series and are shown at 7 p.m., at VHCC in ISC 130. The second two movies' show times are Monday and Tuesday evenings at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Abingdon Cinemall. Admission is free for all students and staff members of VHCC, Emory & Henry College, King University, ETSU and Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, including participants in the College of Older Adults who purchase an Arts Array pass. Community admission is $7.75. VHCC's partnering sponsors for the Arts Array Film Series include the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, King University, and Emory & Henry College.
"Detroit" is shown Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 as part of the Black Film Series. In the summer of 1967, rioting and civil unrest starts to tear apart the city of Detroit. Two days later, a report of gunshots prompts the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Army National Guard to search and seize an annex of the nearby Algiers Motel. Several policemen start to flout procedure by forcefully and viciously interrogating guests to get a confession. At the end of the night, some will live, and others will be forever traumatized. This film is shown at 7 p.m. each night, at VHCC in ISC 130. Free.
"Mudbound" is shown Feb. 12 and 13 as part of the Black Film Series. Laura McAllan is trying to raise her children on her husband's Mississippi Delta farm, a place she finds foreign and frightening. In the midst of the family's struggles, two young men return from the war to work the land. Jamie, Laura's brother-in-law, is everything her husband is not - charming and handsome, but he is haunted by his memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, eldest son of the black sharecroppers who live on the McAllan farm, now battles the prejudice in the Jim Crow South. This film is shown at 7 p.m., each night, at VHCC in ISC 130. Free.
"Battle of the Sexes" is on screen Feb. 19 and 20. This docudrama recreates the legendary 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). When the 55-year-old Riggs brags that he can beat any woman in the world on the tennis court, 29-year-old King, then the reigning champion, accepts his challenge. Their highly publicized match soon takes on a larger meaning as a milestone in the fight for gender equality. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Elisabeth Shue and Bill Pullman co-star.
"The Florida Project" is shown Feb. 26 and 27. A single mother (Bria Vinaite) lives with her 6-year-old daughter (Brooklynn Prince) in a cheap Florida motel run by a tough but kind manager (Willem Dafoe). The girl spends her time daydreaming and playing with other kids, while her mom struggles to make ends meet. Sean Baker co-wrote and directed this drama. Valeria Cotto and Christopher Rivera co-star.
