GRAB

Albuquerque and Santa Fe are hosting a Native Cinema Showcase. Last night we went to the historic KiMo Theater to watch the documentary GRAB by Billy Luther. You can watch a trailer at www.grabthemovie.com. More about the movie to follow, but first I want to tell you a little about the KiMo Theater. 
This is copied from http://www.cabq.gov/kimo/about-the-theater

The KiMo Theatre, a Pueblo Deco picture palace, opened on September 19, 1927. Pueblo Deco was a flamboyant, short-lived architectural style that fused the spirit of the Native American cultures of the Southwest with the exuberance of Art Deco. Pueblo Deco appeared at a time when movie-mad communities were constructing film palaces based on exotic models such as Moorish mosques and Chinese pavilions.

Native American motifs appeared in only a handful of theaters; of 
those few, the KiMo is the undisputed king. 


Amen to that!! It was too dark to take photos with my cell phone, but here are a few from the Internet. You need to jump to this website to see the detail above the windows of the building. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/4985018802/
or copy this into the address bar of your browser.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/4985018802/

The interior is sumptuous and no small detail has been overlooked. It is truly the most remarkable theater I have ever been in and I grew up in a theater-loving family near Chicago! Here are a very few of the details. This one is from the proscenium around the stage. This same pattern surrounds the entire stage.

This is a view of the lobby ceiling.

Above is a cell phone photo of a detail above the exit sign. There are murals, carvings, and cut-tin lamps throughout the theater. Even the seats are custom designed. If you ever make it to Albuquerque, don't miss exploring this theater!


Now about GRAB. This is an excerpt about the movie from the Native Cinema Showcase 2011 brochure. 


"Each year, residents of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico honor individual family members by throwing food and gifts from the rooftops of their homes to community members below. A community-wide prayer of abundance, thanks, and renewal... Luther's film chronicles the lives of three families as they make preparations to participate in this ancient tradition." 


After Lee and I took our seats a large family filled the row just in front of us. We noticed that the theater was filled with folks who seemed to know each other. In fact, people (especially gorgeous men) kept coming up to greet and hug the woman in front of me, so I tapped her on the shoulder and told her "I want to know you. You have all these cute guys coming up to hug you!" She laughed! Well, little did I know that she was one of the 'stars' of the movie. She is the potter you will see if you watch the trailer. The preparations for Grab Day included this potter, Josie Seymour, making a special pot for grab day which she planned to throw from the roof during the celebration. The tradition is that if it is caught, it is a wonderful gift for someone in the community, but if it is broken, it means an abundance of rain for the coming season. After the movie, she and her family were invited onstage. She had brought a pot with her to share with the audience community who had come to see the film. To my great surprise, she motioned to me and gave me the pot. She told me that she had decided that she would give the pot to the first person who spoke to her and that was me!! What a magical moment. I felt so very honored. As a post script, we have become facebook friends!