Road Show Summer Series from Full Frame: free screenings in Durham Central Park

Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story
Monday, August 1st, 2022
8 p.m.
Free

For three decades, bandleader and master trumpeter Doc Severinsen was a mainstay of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Treasured for his exceptional talent, he is equally remembered for his eccentric outfits and charismatic banter with the show’s beloved host. Now in his nineties and still performing and teaching, Severinsen lights up this radiant film about his life and career. Severinsen works out three days a week to maintain the strength and stamina that performing demands. His precision and commitment are exhilarating whether he’s headlining a live performance or speaking to a roomful of aspiring young performers. Combining archival footage; recollections from friends, family, and fans; and intimate conversations with the musician himself, Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story celebrates a man whose passion for music remains evergreen and considers the demands of a life devoted to performance.

Storm Lake
Monday, August 15th, 2022
8 p.m.
Free

Over the past 15 years, with more Americans getting their news from Facebook one in four newspapers have closed in the U.S. With a circulation of almost 3,000 readers, the Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, Iowa, is one of the last of its kind. Through the insightful observations of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Art Cullen and the on-the-ground actions of his family and the Times’s staff, Storm Lake reveals what is lost by the proliferation of “news deserts,” defined as counties with only one local newspaper or none at all. Filmed against a shifting backdrop of newsworthy events—from a Mexican immigrant’s bid for fame on the TV show Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento (I Have Talent, Lots of Talent) to the lead-up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election—we follow Cullen and the Times as they fight for what turn out to be interconnected issues: the continued survival of their biweekly small-town newspaper, an informed electorate, and a functioning democracy.

Mama Bears
Monday, August 29th, 2022
8 p.m.
Free

“Once you know how important fighting for your kid is, you can’t do anything else but fight for them,” is the statement that begins Daresha Kyi’s poignant documentary about a group of conservative Christian women that call themselves the “Mama Bears.” In seeking to avoid the ostracization, homelessness, conversion therapy, or suicide that often befall queer youth from conservative families, these Mama Bears chose to affirm their LGBTQ+ children. They became fierce advocates for this community—from offering “mom hugs” to gay kids at Pride parades to speaking out publicly against homophobia. We follow the stories of three Christian individuals: Kimberly, whose young trans daughter, Kai, knew she was a girl at three; Sara, whose adult son Parker has struggled with his sexuality his whole life because of his Christian upbringing; and finally Tammi, who is still trying to heal her relationship with God and her mother after finally accepting that she is gay. This hopeful film hints at a more loving future.