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Film Tries to Increase Graduation Rates for Latinos

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The SIU Carbondale College of Mass Communication and Media Arts (MCMA), WSIU Public Broadcasting, and the Carbondale Public Library will kick off a third season of Community Cinema on Saturday, September 28 with a free screening and discussion of The Graduates. The screening will begin at 2:30pm at the library, 405 West Main in Carbondale.

Dan Elgin, Community Counselor and SIU alumnus, and Dr. Danielle Soto, Assistant Professor, SIU Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, will lead a discussion after the film.

The Graduates follows six teenagers ­– three girls and three boys – each with their own unique obstacles to overcome. The girls are Stephanie, a daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, who despite attending a tough public school on the South Side of Chicago, fights through the distractions and worries about becoming a good student; Chastity, a Bronx teen whose family has become homeless but uses writing as a means of escape while keeping her eyes on the prize – college; and Darlene, a Tulsa student who dropped out of school after becoming pregnant and has to play catch-up when she dives back into her studies, all while trying to make a good future for her son.

The boys are Juan, a Dominican living in Lawrence, Massachusetts who was bullied as a gay teen until finding his own identity as a performer and writer; Eduardo from San Diego, who is steered away from the gang path when introduced to a special college prep organization that changes his outlook; and Gustavo, who came to America from Mexico to live in the very different environment of Georgia and whose dreams of college are blocked by his undocumented status.

Additional details about the film are available at www.pbs.org/independentlens/graduates.

The remaining schedule is as follows: The State of Arizona (October 26), Las Marthas (February 22), The Trials of Muhammad Ali (March 29), Medora (April 26), and The New Black (May 31). Each screening will feature a facilitator and guest speakers who will participate in a discussion with the audience about the topics raised in the films. Learn more about each film and watch a preview online at http://www.wsiu.org/communitycinema.

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