Delta Sculling Center Presents "A MOST BEAUTIFUL THING" to Our Stockton Community

DSC is committed to making the sport of rowing accessible to all of our community.

EVENT DETAILS

We are honored to share with you a private screening of the documentary, A Most Beautiful Thing (scroll down to view the trailer), narrated by Common, executive produced by Grant Hill, Dwayne Wade, and 9th Wonder, and directed by Mary Mazzio. The film was set to debut at South by Southwest and open theatrically nationwide in March, but due to COVID-19 that did not happen.

In his review at rogerebert.com, Brian Tallerico notes that " 'A Most Beautiful Thing' is the story of the Manley High rowing team, a group of young Black men from the West Side of Chicago who became unexpected best friends on the water. Coming almost entirely from broken homes, including multiple cases in which mothers were addicted to drugs and fathers were absent, these men were prime candidates for gang life. More than once, they mention how easy and expected it is to join a gang on the West Side of Chicago. You’ll die if you don’t. They were led by the charismatic Arshay Cooper. Inspired by the new family he found on the team, he became an entrepreneur, a mentor, and a community leader. Mazzio weaves a lot of stories through her film, but Cooper is really the throughline, the man who wrote a book about his experience on the team and reunited it after the death of one of their coaches, leading to the event that saw men who grew up harassed by the police rowing with white officers.

"Mazzio places the story of the Manley rowing team in the context of their backgrounds, with brief stories about their lives and even broader details about how people growing up in gang-influenced communities have worse PTSD rates than soldiers that serve in combat, a number that has to have risen in 2020. Think about the last four months. What will 2020 do to our youth? It’s a haunting question that isn’t being asked enough. When one of the rowers said, “When they shut down the YMCAs, I went to the streets,” it reminded me how under-reported the story is regarding how the pandemic, and its resulting closures of safe spaces, is one of the main reasons for the increase in violence this summer."

You can view this powerful documentary virtually and/or live at our local drive-in movie theater. Everyone, regardless of type of screening chosen, is invited to the VIRTUAL Q&A PANEL! You won't want to miss this exciting opportunity to converse with people from the film and others! We'll join together on Sunday, Sept 13th, 4:00 to 5:00 pm.

Arshay Cooper, author of "A Most Beautiful Thing," inspirational speaker, & Manley Crew teammate
Alvin Ross, Manley Crew teammate and entrepreneur
Tai Anthony McMillan, Stanford University student and rower
Jorlui Sillau, MPA, LMSW, Social Worker
Julia Bantimba, MS, OTR/L, Child-Caregiver Occupational Therapist

Virtual Screening: Purchase a ticket to the virtual screening. You will be sent an online link to view the film at your leisure between Friday, September 11th and Sunday September 13th and you are also invited to the LIVE Q&A Panel on Sunday September 13th.

Live Drive-In Showing: Purchase a ticket for you and your passengers to the live showing. Each ticket allows entrance for one car and the individuals in it, and includes a virtual screening link and access to the LIVE Q&A Panel on Sunday September 13th. Note: only 100 vehicles can be accommodated.

• Gates open at 6:30 PM. Movie will begin around 8:00 PM. The film’s run time is 95 minutes.
• You may bring your own food and beverage. NO Alcohol on property!
• PLEASE remember, pack in - pack out applies for all your belongings, including trash!
• AND, NO chairs outside vehicle. We will provide you with a radio station to listen to the film, but all bodies must remain inside the vehicle at all times.
• Due to COVID-19 procedures, please READ IN FULL the post-purchase email you will receive after you buy your tickets, so we can ensure a safe and fun event for all! It is also available on our website. Contact information is listed on the document. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have further questions!

A HUGE thank you to our supporters:
Amy Scriven, DDS
Discovery ChalleNGe Academy
Housing Authority County of San Joaquin
Stockton Scholars

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit Stockton area students, in particular youth who participate in the Pocock Rowing Foundation's ErgEd Program with physical education teachers in the Stockton Unified School District, Aspire Public Schools and the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

50% of the film screening profits from A Most Beautiful Thing are pledged to be donated to support the work of Arshay Cooper and rowing inclusion efforts, trauma research and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Note: In event of cancellation of live movie due to air quality, you will have the option of being refunded the portion of your payment above the $20 cost of the regular admission ticket for the virtual screening.