On Stage, On Screen, at the Rafael

 

 Do I Need This? is a quirky and relatable award-winning documentary film about American excess, and the stuff from which happiness is truly made. The timely, humorous, and moving film delicately interweaves the filmmaker’s complicated relationship to her family possessions, together with a journey into the homes and minds of her fellow Americans - from a woman who hoards and hides it, to a Buddhist monk, and a colorful group of characters in between.

View this email in your browser   SUNDAY, MARCH 16 4:30 PM SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER 1118 FOURTH STREET • SAN RAFAEL   SCREENING FOLLOWED BY AN ON-STAGE CONVERSATION WITH AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER KATE SCHERMERHORN Joining Kate on stage will be representatives from the Alzheimer's Association, ZeroWaste Marin, Reuse Alliance, and Local Artists featured in the film Judith Selby and Richard Lang. PLEASE RSVP BY 12:00 PM ON SUNDAY, MARCH 16 RSVP VIEW TRAILER DO I NEED THIS? is a sugar-coated environmental film which delicately interweaves Emmy-winner Kate Schermerhorn’s complicated relationship to her family's material possessions, every object seemingly imbued with meaning and memories, together with a journey into the homes and minds of her fellow Americans - from a woman who hoards to a Buddhist monk. When Kate's mother falls ill with dementia, Kate starts to search, instead, for the stuff that really matters. Unlike many other films exploring American excess, Do I Need This? focuses not on our impact on nature, but instead on our human nature to consume. On the surface, Do I Need This? is a joyride through American excessive consumption habits; at its core, it is a deep and genuine reflection on aging, legacy, and happiness. Much of Do I Need This? takes place in Marin, and features Marin residents. Director: Kate Schermerhorn (US, 2024) 94 min. KATE SCHERMERHORN is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, still photographer, and a Culinary Institute of America graduate. Kate has directed 100s of videos, including three feature length documentaries, won an Emmy and been nominated for one more. Additionally, Kate has also won multiple Tellies and other prestigious awards. Kate has tackled topics from marriage to earthquakes, published a book of photographs about things Americans do for fun, lived in four countries, and has lived in Marin County for the past 14 years. The New Yorker said of Kate’s work, ‘nothing seems wasted, and nothing is excessive.’   Presented by Luna Park Productions in partnership with The Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center is fully ADA compliant. All auditoriums, restrooms and all other public areas of the theater are accessible.  Assistive Listening and Closed Caption Devices are available. These devices can be easily requested at the box office. Copyright © 2025 California Film Institute, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email due to your interest in and support of California Film Institute Programs. Our mailing address is: California Film Institute 1001 Lootens Place Suite 220 San Rafael, CA 94901

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Climate Progress

Many thanks to the Fairfax Climate Action Committee and the San Anselmo Climate Action Commission!!!

Last evening was just the boost we needed to lift us from the despair of politics gone awry.

CA State Assemblymember Damon Connolly is a fighting champ. So glad to have him representing us in Sacramento.

 

The earnest young people with their thoughtful questions gave us real hope for the future.

And applause for Renee Goddard and her graphic exposition about the contents of our garbage can. 

We always happy to be the “plastic people” and share our One Plastic Beach movie.

We are ever delighted to watch people make art and have a hands-on experience with the problem of plastic pollution.

We are grateful to be included in the engaging and important program; 

giving us an opportunity to do what we as artists/artivists can do.

ONward…

With love…

Up and Coming

We are off to a whiz-bang start to 2025 with two important events coming up in Fairfax, CA.

On February 7, we are pleased to join with Damon Connolly our CA State Assemblymember 

for a meeting with the Climate Action Committees of San Anselmo and Fairfax.

On February 28, we will be joining in the Q&A with director/producer Kate Schermerhorn and colleague/collector Rudy Contratti. 

A few pics from the stellar evening:

Richard, Judith, Rudy, Kate

Books By Their Covers

We are avid readers. We love books.

So it is a special thrill to see photographs of our beach plastic featured on book covers. Plus, we appreciate the many features, articles, and mentions: HERE in our bibliography.

Pandian , Anand (2019) A Possible Anthropology - Methods for Uneasy Times 

Durham and London: Duke University Press 

Cover and pg 91-97

ISBN 978-1-4780-0375-5

Ghosh, Ranjan (2022) The Plastic Turn 

Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press

Cover and pg

ISBN-13. 978-1501766268

Moffett, Rosalie (2025) Making A Living

Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions

Cover

ISBN 9781571315656

In the blue bin, In the Light

Art Rogers, photographer extraordinaire, forgot his phone, so this is what happened......

Since he had to drive back to our house, 

he thought he could take advantage of the trouble 

and get us in the bin as a pic for his weekly feature Family Album in the Point Reyes Light.  

It made for an unexpected and super fun photo adventure.

Thanks to Art for his brilliant idea and the professional way 

he approached the challenges of such a zany shoot.

And thanks to Art for bringing to light the problem of plastic pollution.

It wasn't the getting in the bin that was difficult, it was the getting out.

But we did it!!!
We are far more flexible than we had imagined.

Once in we were squished and it was very hot. Plus, it was already a sweltering day.

We know that Marin is notorious for its hot tubs, we intend to make Marin famous for its hot blue bins.

Ranjan Rocks

Esteemed scholar Ranjan Ghosh, Professor in the Department of English, University of North Bengal in India presented Plastic Nature (9/23/24) at the Environmental Forum at the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard. Not only does he talk rocks (plastiglomerate), he posits a new way of talking about language itself and brings to mind a plastic way of thinking.

We are pleased that he uses our graphic chart to describe the geological age in which we now live. The age that we named The Plasticene Discontinuity in 2004 for our exhibition at the Bay Model.

THE ENVIRONMENT FORUM

THOMPSON ROOM (BARKER CENTER 110)

SPEAKER: RANJAN GHOSH

MODERATED BY ROBIN KELSEY

About the Event

What kind of a negotiation and home has nature built with plastic, a material that is a travelling and transformative genius? In a neo-materialist and an interobjective presence, plastic and nature have built a deeply entangled relationship – the problematic connection between the nature of plastic with what Ranjan Ghosh calls “plastic nature”. Within the material democracy of plastic, nature has been the object of change, but hasn’t nature through its own rounds of plasticity changed the way we see nature today? Hasn’t nature changed itself and plasticized plastic in ways that are startling and unique? The subject-object position has undergone massive revision as also the philosophy of seeing a material and nature. What, then, is this plastic nature?

NOW is the Time

With so much discord and so many catastrophes in the world, we are grateful for moments of creativity, community, and connection. 

Never again will there be a better time than NOW to take action to ensure an enduring place for humanity on this precious planet.

Hourglass with Nurdles, Kehoe Beach

Nurdles are pre-production plastic pellets, the raw plastic material that is shipped to manufacturers of bottles, car parts, toys, almost anything made of plastic. Nurdles are almost impossible to see until one learns what they are and how to differentiate them from a grain of sand or a fish egg. Once known, one sees numbers of them scattered across the sand. 

Thanks to Reiko Fujii our Hourglass has joined forces with an awesome group of activist artists in "Voices of Freedom"  October 6 - 26, 2024

Curated by Pallavi Sharma 

Artist Reception- October 6, 2024
Sunday 2 pm to 5 pm
Featuring Dance Performance by Rewire Community 

Exhibition Dates – October 6 -26, 2024,
Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm
At Lindsay Dirkx Brown Gallery,
Located inside the San Ramon Community Center
12501 Alcosta Blvd, San Ramon, CA 94583