Arkansas Cinema Society (ACS) is teaming up with the Arts & Science Center of Southeast Arkansas (ASC) and Explore Pine Bluff to host a screening of the Academy Award winning film Soul at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 4 at The ARTSpace on Main, located at 623 S. Main Street in Pine Bluff. 

The screening will follow ASC’s monthly music event LIVE@5 featuring jazz musician Damen Tolbert, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in The ART Yard, behind The ARTSpace. The Q+A with Tolbert, Explore Pine Bluff’s Jimmy Cunnningham and ACS Director of Outreach and Education Kody Ford will occur before the film begins.

“Augmenting ASC’s Live@5 event through a partnership with the Arkansas Cinema Society is a perfect opportunity to introduce ASC’s new project, The ARTSpace on Main and bring diverse programming to the community.  We hope to offer the community similar ACS collaborations in the future,” said Dr. Rachel Miller, executive director of ASC.

Pine Bluff served an integral role on the Chitlin Circuit for Black blues and jazz musicians during the era of segregation.

“Explore Pine Bluff is excited to be a sponsor of this event,” said Explore Pine Bluff  Director Sheri Storie. “Pine Bluff's rich Delta dirt served as the training ground for legends in every music genre. It is our mission to share Pine Bluff's untold stories about how the mosaic of cotton fields, catfish farms, juke joints and foot-stomping churches came together to create sounds and artists unlike any the world had seen before.”

The Soul screening is part of ACS’s Dreamland Film Series, which is a celebration of Black voices in cinema. 

“Part of our mission at ACS is to offer audiences a deeper understanding of the stories behind the films,” said ACS Executive Director Kathryn Tucker. “Sometimes this involves chatting with the director, a writer or another member of the crew, but other times, such as this one, we get to help highlight a cultural part of a region. We’re excited to show a fun family film while letting the crowd hear more about Pine Bluff’s jazz legacy.”

Soul won Best Animated Feature during the 2020 Academy Awards. ACS co-founder Jeff Nichols spoke with Kemp Powers, co-director of Soul, at Filmland 2020. Their Q+A can be found at https://www.arkansascinemasociety.org/educational/acs-talks.

Live@5 and the free screening of Soul are generously sponsored by MK Distributors and the Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission. 

About Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff, is accredited with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). ASC presents programming in the visual arts, performing arts, and the sciences through exhibits, performances, classes and local partnerships. Gallery admission is free. ASC is open Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Support for ASC is provided in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the National Endowment for the Arts, City of Pine Bluff and the Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission, and the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas Endowment Fund. For more information, visit asc701.org or call 870-536-3375. 

About Explore Pine Bluff

Explore Pine Bluff, governed by the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission, is a destination marketing agency that promotes Pine Bluff as a year-round destination for leisure, business, group, and individual travel. For more information, visit ExplorePineBluff.com.