Free Angela and All Political Prisoners (2012)

WHO: If you watched Sesame Street in the 1970s, you may remember Shola Lynch as one of the kids who interacted with Muppets like Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie during segments of that show. Now Lynch is a grown woman and a director of documentaries like this one.

WHAT: I haven't seen this, but Sam Adams has a favorable review I'll quote from:

Lynch, who profiled black presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm in 2004’s Unbought And Unbossed, has slicked up her game considerably in the intervening years, deftly interweaving archival footage and new interviews. (Having Jay-Z and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith on board as executive producers doubtless bought her plenty of time in the edit room.) There’s less vintage footage of Davis addressing crowds than one might like, but in the present day, Davis remains a beguiling and charismatic speaker, even if the temperature of her rhetoric has cooled significantly.

WHERE/WHEN:  Tonight at 6:30 PM and Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the New Parkway in downtown Oakland.

WHY: There are five fewer arthouse screens in San Francisco this month than last month thanks to the current renovation of the Embarcadero Cinema. A total of ten SF screens have now gone essentially dark in the past year, after the permanent closure of the Lumiere and Bridge and the relegation of New People's screen to occasional festival rentals (like the upcoming Japan Film Festival). Under such conditions it's almost inevitable that certain documentaries and other commercially risky movies will start to get runs in Alameda County but not in San Francisco more frequently than before. Free Angela and All Political Prisoners is an example, and though its East Bay-centric subject matter makes this perhaps understandable, it's a reminder that movie lovers on this side of the Bay Bridge may need to keep closer eye on what's playing at cinemas on the other side if they want a full array of moviegoing options.

HOW: Video projection.