3rd Annual DAYTON BLACK WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL

The theme for year three of the DAYTON BLACK WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL is "Black women educating through film," a reflection of the ways our stories teach, heal, and preserve culture across generations.  This year's festival includes three screenings at THE NEON plus a Friday late afternoon workshop at Dayton Metro Library: West Branch.
Join us for our Opening Night Shorts Program, featuring a curated selection of films from Black women filmmakers across the country - THU, MAY 21 at 7:30. (A patio party kick-off will start things off at 6:30.)
On SAT, MAY 23 at NOON, celebrate the 35th anniversary of A POWERFUL THANG alongside a special screening of Julie Dash’s THE DIARY OF AN AFRICAN NUN, brought together for a powerful tribute to Dayton’s own BarbaraO and legendary filmmaker Zeinabu Irene Davis, who will be joining us as a special guest.
The festival will close on SUN, MAY 24 at 3:00 with a 30th anniversary screening of Cheryl Dunye’s THE WATERMELON WOMAN, a film that boldly redefined narrative, authorship, and the archive for Black and queer cinema. As one of the first feature films directed by a Black lesbian filmmaker, its impact continues to resonate across generations.
(Click individual showtimes to learn more and buy tickets for each screening. Click HERE to visit the festival's official site.)

Women Rebel Voices Tour: THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE + Khrys Blank

Join us for THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE + Live music on May 28. Director Maureen Gosling will be in attendance along with a special pre-screening musical performance from Khrys Blank (starting at 6:30 on our patio). 
"For decades, Barbara Dane lent her stellar singing voice to social-justice movements in the Bay Area and beyond, garnering an impressive FBI file along the way. Deeply respected by fellow luminaries in folk, blues and jazz, Dane built a far-reaching legacy with music, activism, and love. As Maureen Gosling’s celebratory portrait reveals, early solidarity with those suffering racial and economic injustice sparked Dane’s passion to use her talent to sustain marginalized people. Bonnie Raitt, Jane Fonda and other notables attest to Dane’s unique way of shaping and being shaped by tumultuous social revolutions from the 1950s on..." (filmmaker's synopsis)
Thursday, May 28.  Music starts on the patio at 6:30...film starts at 7:30. Tickets are $16.50 each.

SEEDS

Winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, we're excited to bring SEEDS back to our big screen - with special guest Brittany Shyne - a graduate of WSU's Motion Picture Department.
"SEEDS is a portrait of centennial farmers in the geographical south. Using lyrical black and white imagery, this meditative film examines the decline of generational black farmers and the significance of owning land."
Saturday, May 30 at Noon.  Tickets are $12.50 each.

ENCORE!
BILLY PRESTON:THAT'S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT

We had a wonderfully successful screening of this fantastic documentary a couple weeks ago, and we're now hearing from several people who were sorry to have missed it...so we're bringing it back for a special encore!
"Billy Preston was 5 years old when he backed gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Over the following six-decade career, Billy contributed his signature sound to the greatest artists of his time, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Rufus, Eric Clapton, and others, while establishing himself as a Grammy-winning solo artist. Despite his success, Billy struggled to reconcile his deep relationship with the Black church with his sexuality, setting off a lifelong quest to find love and acceptance."
Tickets are $12.50 each.

1-800-ON-HER-OWN

Join us for a special one-time screening of 1-800-ON-HER-OWN - presented in conjunction with University of Dayton's Feminist Theory and Music Conference. 
"Ani DiFranco was an unmistakable talent that shook the ‘90s alternative music scene. In this vulnerable look at her life today, she struggles to balance artistry with the demands of family."
For more information about UD's conference, you can visit their official site.
Tickets are $12.50 each - available now.  More details coming soon!

STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!

"Fiercely independent journalist Amy Goodman has spent three decades holding the powerful to account, reporting from war zones and the Democracy Now! newsroom. In Steal This Story, Please!, Oscar-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin craft a riveting portrait of journalism’s power – and peril – in an era of corporate control and political attacks on truth." After the screening, we'll be joined by director Carl Deal via Zoom for a special Q&A. Join us for this one-time screening on Sunday, June 7 at 3:00. Tickets are $12.50 each.

DAYTON JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST

The 26th Annual Dayton Jewish International Film Fest is gearing up with an awesome slate of films this June.  Click the "official site" link below to read up on all of this year's selections and purchase your tickets or festival pass. (As a reminder, not all films screen at THE NEON...so be sure to make note of a film's location before heading out to the festival.)
The first selection for this year's festival to play at THE NEON will be on Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30 - A NIGHT OF SHORT FILMS.

FAMILY SUMMER FILM FEST

SAVE THE DATES AND SPREAD THE WORD! We're so delighted that we can bring back what has become a summer tradition - FREE programming for kids for six weeks during the summer in partnership with our friends from ThinkTV, Dayton Metro Library and PBS Kids! 
Click the poster to visit our site for all the details.
We couldn't do this without the generosity of our sponsors - Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz and FLOC (For Love of Children).
Starting Saturday, June 13 at 11:00am, each week includes free books, free programming from PBS Kids, and an activity on our patio.
Let's fill the house each week...  Please let folks with little ones know about this engaging programming that helps reduce the "summer slide."

GREGG ALLMAN: 
THE MUSIC OF MY SOUL

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Join us for a special, one night only screening of GREGG ALLMAN: THE MUSIC OF MY SOUL  Tickets will be $12.50 - available now!
"This visionary music documentary traces the turbulent, transcendent life of Gregg Allman — from a childhood ruptured by his father’s murder to the soulful emergence that reshaped American music. Through archival recordings, candid interviews, and electric performances, the film follows Gregg’s musical awakening amid the blues he worshipped, the creation of the Allman Brothers Band with his brother."