Features / Longer Works

"Can We Talk?" - Live On Stage Conversation Show

Christopher Lydon in conversation with Bina Venkataraman

Manship Artists Residency + Studios (MARS) presents "Can We Talk?,” a live interview with public radio host Christopher Lydon and author Bina Venkataraman at the Shalin Liu Performance Theater in Rockport, MA. Filmed on February 28, 2020, this 30-minute excerpt from their hour-long conversation highlights the discussion between Bina and Chris about Venkataraman’s new book entitled, The Optimist’s Telescope, Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age and her role as Editorial Page Editor at The Boston Globe.

Named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR, The Optimist’s Telescope asks the question - “How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness?” Bina Venkataraman, a former journalist and adviser to the Obama administration, sees the way forward. Venkataraman urges us to make decisions that will benefit us overtime and which will serve not only those alive today, but generations to come. Their discussion and the theme of the book collided in relevance during the 2020 coronavirus crisis.

Manship Artists Residency + Studios produced and created this event as part of its artist residency program. Bina Venkataraman and her husband, painter Andrew Fish, were artists in residence during the inaugural season of the Manship Artists Residency in Spring 2019.

ORDERING BINA’S BOOK
Share this insightful book with your friends and neighbors -- ask your local library to purchase it for your community! The Optimist’s Telescope also can be ordered through your local independent book store and online from Penguin Random House.

Praise for The Optimist’s Telescope:

“How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness? Bina Venkataraman, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration, brings a storyteller’s eye to this question. . . . She is also deeply informed . . . heed Venkataraman’s impassioned call for making a commitment to future change.” —The New York Times Book

Massachusetts Innovation Economy, Creating a Makerspace - TV Version - 30min

This film was inspired by Alec and Brianna from the Orange, MA Innovation Center in their quest to create a “makerspace” to support the creative/innovation economy, called LaunchSpace. On this journey we meet some of the interesting self-powered people of Orange and Western Massachusetts and how they are redefining life and livelihood. We also see some great makers in the region including from the cities of Greenfield (Shared Kitchen), North Hampton (East Works), East Hampton, Holyoke... During this filming we also discover this topic is front of mind for our state representatives looking to support innovation and job growth which brings us to meet Helena Frusico, Massachusetts Deputy Secretary for Innovation... Stan Rosenberg, State Senate President, and Jay Ash, Secretary of Economic Development for MA all discuss state financing and encouragement for “makers” and the creative innovation economy blooming in Massachusetts. This program is produced by Interlock Media (Jonathan Schwartz), Cambridge and B-Roll Films (Ken Kinna) Boston, with The North Central Incubator for Green Economics. Thank you to all the contributors and special thank special music selections: Trevor Hall (Chapter of the Forest album, Walk Quietly and Green Mountain State) and Lux De Lux (Its a Girl Album, What you need, Last Volunteer) and everyone at free FMA.

Ripple Effect: Sons of the Killing Fields

Boston International Film Festival - Special Achievement Award

Two Cambodian-American members of rival gangs in small city America take a journey of transformation to try and change their reality by going back to Cambodia together to learn about their history. Breaking the cycle of violence that dominates their lives proves difficult, but they get a chance to begin the process of change that may take years to fully realize. This is a new documentary produced and directed by Ken Kinna with editing and sound design by Pete Jahn. Created in partnership with Straight Ahead Ministries in the City of Lynn, Massachusetts. This film is now being submitted for distribution.

See film On Demand:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/rippleeffect/62810812

Last Night at Jacques - Performance

Last Night at Jacques! Vice V’Ersatile and B-Roll Films, Inc. present a film addition of Vice V’Ersatile’s, "Vice Never Dies/Persona" cabaret show. This is a 5 minute sample piece. The full length film is directed and edited by Joseph Hennessy and Ken Kinna who also shot the piece with Samuel Sacks. The cycle of life and love and death transpire during the cabaret show. We laugh, we cry and we are a little rude. It is a metaphor for a dream of reality which we must all let go or re-live in the endless closing show... To be released as full length feature, converted into a TV series and presented as a re-occurring live performances because its always our Last Night at Jacques!

Gray Memorial

FILMSTOCK Film Festival in Luton, England

This film was accepted into the FILMSTOCK Film Festival in Luton, England. It is a short film about Spalding Gray's Memorial in Sag Harbor, NY. Thank you to family and friends who supported the creation of this film. Filmed and edited by Ken Kinna and others.