On June 11, 2022 The Metro Film and Arts Foundation, with support from the J & J Arts Initiative, is presenting an evening of music, dance, theatre, poetry, comedy and animation arts with Breaking Down Walls: Celebrating Our Shared Humanity Through the Arts at The Cowell Theater in Fort Mason, San Francisco. The Breaking Down Walls project showcases how the performing arts can create common ground for recognition and celebration of our shared humanity. This event will also be offered online on June 26.
The diverse cast of performers will each debut new works created especially for this project, including Broadcast Music Award and Emmy nominee singer/songwriter Will Hammond, Jr.; Chris Hellman Dance Honor and Princess Grace Award winning choreographer Mia J. Chong in collaboration with Post:ballet, Emmy Award winner musician Vân-Ánh Võ; innovative and educational theatre group Teatro Nagual (TeNa); artistic poets Aileen Cassinetto, Tureeda Mikell, Kim Shuck, Maw Shein Win; and prolific animation director Jaroslav Baran. The evening’s emcee is Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, a San Francisco comedian and writer whose storytelling livens NPR’s Snap Judgment, The Moth Radio Hour and more.
The Breaking Down Walls project was conceived and is being produced by Ron Merk, Founder/Director of Film and Cultural Programs at The Metro Film and Arts Foundation. “The Breaking Down Walls project is a unique example of how we can find common ground to unite us, and allow us to see how much that person on the other side of the wall is more like us than different,” said Merk. “This kind of realization can lead to healing and solidarity, and to a better world for future generations.”
Refreshments will be available for purchase. General admission tickets are $25 in advance at eventbrite.
A documentary produced and directed by Ron Merk and Derrick Scocchera, which chronicles creation of the Breaking Down Walls project, will be available for streaming in 2023.
About J & J Arts Initiative
Funding from J & J Arts Initiative has made it possible for The Metro Film and Arts Foundation to support the work of more than 75 artists and theatrical production team members involved in the development and realization of the Breaking Down Walls project.
About The Metro Film and Arts
The Metro Film and Arts Foundation supports a wide range of arts and social issues through its programs. This includes filmmaking, theatre, film preservation, and individual grants to artists. This is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in San Francisco, California, that relies on donations and grants to sustain the important work of preserving films and supporting the arts and artists.
About House of Ukraine
Founded in 1960, the House of Ukraine, Inc., a non-profit community organization, fosters a spirit of understanding and cooperation among the various national groups represented in the House of Pacific Relation, International Cottages in Balboa Park, San Diego CA. In addition to providing information to the public about art, history, customs, language and traditions of Ukraine, since the Russian invasion, members and San Diego community volunteers have successfully solicited, received and delivered much-needed humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
