From the Oscars to Earth House

Scott Kennedy Hamilton's "The Garden" (Credit: Submitted photo)

On Oscar Sunday, Scott Kennedy Hamilton was at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, mingling with the muckety-mucks of Hollywood; he got there on the best documentary feature nomination for his movie, "The Garden."

The scene won't be nearly as glamorous at his July 2 screening at Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church and Earth House Collective, where people will be squeezing into folding chairs in the upper sanctuary to hear what Hamilton has to say.

"(Oscar night) is a surreal, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience," Hamilton said. "But in terms of emotional satisfaction... you can't get any better than the community screening."

Hamilton comes at the invitation of Mike Oles, Lockerbie Methodist lay leader and founder of the Earth House Collective Film Series -- which is quickly becoming the city's premiere showcase for screenings and discussions of socially conscious films.

Three years ago, the group started as the Reel World Film Forum with a documentary about the Congo. Oles invited Congolese people living in Indianapolis to participate in discussions of the film.

"It just showed us right there, in the very beginning, you can spark conversation," Oles said. "That was the first act of outreach the church had done. The film series was what kind of opened up our minds a little about what we could do in the community."

"The Garden" screening will kick off the film series' fourth year. Hamilton's documentary follows a 14-acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles, started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992.

It was the film forum, Oles said, that paved the way for the Earth House Collective. The collective, which includes a cafe, is a clutch of activists and artists who work within the community to bring social awareness to Indianapolis.

On June 25, about 170 people came to watch "Let Us Not Forget," a documentary about Central Indiana residents living with HIV/AIDS.

While he won't be hosting a screening every week, Oles plans to present 45 to 50 movies a year. The collective is asking for a $5 donation per person -- "but if people can't pay we can work with that too," he said.