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18th Annual Documentary Series Begins with ‘A Place to Stand’ Apr. 3

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The Oklahoma City University Film Institute’s documentary series will begin its 18th year at 2 pm Apr. 3 with Daniel Glick’s A Place to Stand in the Kerr McGee Auditorium of Meinders School of Business.

A Place to Stand tells the story of celebrated poet and Santa Fe, New Mexico native Jimmy Santiago Baca. Baca was a petty thief and a drug dealer when he was sentenced to five years in Arizona State Prison, one of the deadliest prisons in America. He began his incarceration violent, angry and illiterate, yet taught himself how to read and write, discovering a passion for poetry that ultimately saved his life. The film is inspired by Baca’s best-selling memoir of the same name, published in 2001.

The documentary series is sponsored by OCU’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature. Harbour Winn, director of the center, explained the theme of this year’s documentary series.

The screening will begin at 2:00PM at the Kerr McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business at NW 27th Street and McKinley Ave. A discussion will follow the presentation for those who wish to stay. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

ACCOLADES FOR A PLACE TO STAND

-“A wild ride through poverty and alcoholism, abandonment and orphanage scenes… A Place to Stand is a hell of a film.” The San Diego Union-Tribune -“A Place to Stand stands as proof there is always hope in even the most desperate lives.” Ft. Worth Morning Star-Telegram

-“Jimmy Santiago Baca had little to live for when he entered Arizona State Prison, yet beyond the rage and desperation he found a new center—the quiet strength of poetry—and he blazed its trail with a fire that still burns today.” Daniel Glick -“At once brave and heartbreaking…a thunderous artifact…by a poet whose voice, brutal and tender, is unique in America.” The Nation

UPCOMING FILMS

* April 17, Steve James’ Life Itself

* May 1, Wim Wenders’ The Salt of the Earth

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