Pariah, a critically acclaimed film about a 17-year-old African-American woman embracing her lesbian identity, will screen at UAA on Friday, November 2, with a discussion to follow in honor of Mya Dale. The event is free and open to the public.

The Family at UAA and the UAA Multicultural Center will present a screening of writer/director Dee Rees’ critically acclaimed feature film Pariah at University of Alaska Anchorage. The film will be followed by a discussion. Poet Shelby “Mahogany” Wilson will share a poem about acceptance. The event is free and open to the public, and food and refreshments will be provided.

The screening and discussion are being held in remembrance of Mya Dale, a UAA student and member of The Family who tragically died this past summer.  In life, Mya struggled with acceptance for herself, and persistently sought to create conversations to bridge differences and bring understanding and acceptance between people, including a workshop on disability during the 2011 Anchorage Pride Conference, and two discussion panels at UAA inviting students of various backgrounds to intellectually consider specific African American experience, contributions, and thought. The screening and discussion of Pariah is one of several events since her death organized by friends who wish to honor her memory by carrying on the work of creating acceptance.

This is Pariah‘s second appearance in Anchorage; it screened this past March at the Bear Tooth. Bent Alaska wrote about it at the time:

In Pariah, Adepero Oduye portrays Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister Sharonda (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school.

Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents’ marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike’s development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague’s daughter, Bina (Aasha Davis), Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with.

Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity – sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.

A world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the contemporary drama Pariah is the feature-length expansion of writer/director Dee Rees’ award-winning 2007 short film of the same title. Spike Lee is among the feature’s executive producers. At Sundance, cinematographer Bradford Young was honored with the [U.S. Dramatic Competition] Excellence in Cinematography Award.

“The year’s best coming-of-age film…. Writer/director Dee Rees’ voice is already powerful and gracefully confident… Actress Adepero Oduye is wonderful, the movie inspiring.” — Mary Pols, Time

Rated for sexual content and language.

• Date/time: Friday, November 2, 5:30 PM
• Location: Room 110, Rasmuson Hall, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3416 Seawolf Drive, Anchorage (see map)
• Cost: This will be a FREE event, open to the public, food and drinks provided.
• Parking: There is no fee for parking on campus on Fridays, so parking is also FREE.
• Further info: Official Pariah website, Pariah Facebook page; Bent Alaska’s posts about Mya Dale.

Watch the trailer: