The Fall of the Queens will have a digital release starting June 9, 2022. Photo: Uncork’d Entertainment, used with permission.
Uncork’d Entertainmenthas picked up Aleph Cine-directed Spanish thriller The Fall of the Queens, which will have a June 7 digital release. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)
The Fall of the Queens– Two teenage sisters, Juana and Mara, live in an isolated beekeeping country house with their aunt. When their cousin Lucio bursts into their lives, the perfect symbiosis that is their relationship is endangered: seduction, jealousy, rivalry, and the need to destroy whatever gets in the way begins to grow. The hive is preparing for the arrival of a new queen bee.
Malena Filmus, Lola Abraldes, Franco Rizzaro, Umbra Colombo, and Giovanni Ciccia star in the Wicker Man-style spooker.
“A sibling of The Wicker Man and Dare Me, THE FALL OF THE QUEENS has one heck of a killer concept and it’s been executed magnificently,” said Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment. “The direction, cast and, most importantly, scares are superb.”
Khadega in Nausheen Dadabhoy’s An Act of Worship. Photo: Capital K Pictures, used with permission.
In other film festival news, ‘An Act of Worship’ will have its WORLD PREMIERE in Documentary Competition at the forthcoming Tribeca Film Festival 2022. The festival will take place in New York City from June 8 through June 19, 2022. (An Act of Worship, 2022)
‘An Act of Worship’ is a polyphonic portrait of the last 30 years of Muslim life in America. Told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States, the film offers a counter-narrative of pivotal moments in U.S. history and explores the impact of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy on young Muslims who came of age after 9/11. Due to their first-hand knowledge and intimate access to the Muslim community, the filmmaking team is able to take charge of the account, which has previously been shaped by outsiders. ABER’s father was deported when she was 16. Now, she is a community organizer leading a sanctuary city initiative in New York. KHADEGA is an 18-year-old Sudanese immigrant living in Michigan. While she feels compelled to advocate for her community, she struggles to overcome society’s expectations of her and find her own way. AMEENA is a civil rights lawyer in California, but as a mother, she is conflicted between caring for her three young children or sacrificing her time with them to fight for change. Weaving together observational footage of these three women with community home videos, and evocative recollections from individuals impacted by incidents of Islamophobia,’ An Act of Worship’ opens a window into the world of Muslim Americans through collective memory.
NAUSHEEN DADABHOY is a director and cinematographer whose work spans fiction and documentary. She lensed an Oscar nominated film, an Emmy winning documentary, and films that have played at Sundance, TIFF, Locarno and on Al Jazeera, HBO and PBS. Her directorial debut THE GROUND BENEATH THEIR FEET premiered at IDFA.
Running Time: 83 Minutes Language: English, Arabic Country: USA
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2022 An Act of Worship (Section: Documentary Competition) WORLD PREMIERE Directors: Nausheen Dadabhoy Producer: Sofian Khan, Kristi Jacobson, Heba Elorbany
Public screening schedule: Thursday, June 9 at 5p.m. at Village East – WORLD PREMIERE Friday, June 10 at 6p.m. at Cinepolis – 2nd Public Screening Sunday, June 12 at 8:15p.m. at Tribeca Film Center – 3rd Public Screening
Film participant and illustrator Daxiong. “Eternal Spring (長春)”will make its West coast premiere on June 15 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters. Photo: Lofty Sky Pictures, used with permission.
Lofty Sky Pictures groundbreaking filmmaker Jason Loftus’ (“Ask No Questions”) latest film, the powerful animated documentary “Eternal Spring (長春)”will make its West coast premiere at this year’s Dances With Films (June 9 – 19, 2022), on Wednesday, June 15 with a 7p.m. premiere at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters (in the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles). “Eternal Spring (長春)” is a multiple award winner, most recently having won the Hot Docs Audience Award for best film and the Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian film, and both the audience and jury awards for International Documentary Feature Film at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival. (Loft Sky Pictures, 2022)
This extraordinary harmony of animation and documentary has been awarded and acclaimed across Europe in its Film Festival run thus far for its groundbreaking animation – and of particular note, has been its incredible comic-book-style animation that transports the viewer into the brave and heroic world of a group of Falun Gong practitioners. “Eternal Spring (長春)” with its story of survival at all costs & battle for human rights continues to draw powerful comparisons to beloved Oscar nominee “Flee.”
This Canadian film was made for theatrical (it is in 2.39 Cinema 4K and audiences are loving it on the big screen thus far from its international film festival run), most recently to sold out audiences at the New York Human Rights Film Festival on May 23 at Lincoln Center & May 24 at IFC Center (one of 10 official selections and the US premiere), and again on May 31 and June 2 at Krakow Film Festival (Oscar qualifying International Documentary Competition, Polish Premiere).
“Eternal Spring (長春)” – Confronted with government denunciations and human rights violations against their spiritual practice, a group of Chinese activists executes a bold and perilous plan to hack into state television.
“Eternal Spring (長春)”– In March 2002, a state TV signal in China is hijacked by members of banned spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government narrative about their practice. In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City and comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. His views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.
Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the event on its 20th anniversary, and brings to life an unprecedented story of defiance, harrowing eyewitness accounts of persecution, and an exhilarating tale of determination to speak up for political and religious freedoms, no matter the cost.
Taco Cabana’s all new street tacos, along with the cherry margarita and smothered burritos will be available at all Taco Cabana locations starting Wednesday June 8, 2022. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.
Quality, unique flavors and culinary innovation are center stage at Taco Cabanathis summer. TC is introducing their all-new Carne Asada Street Tacos, new options for Smothered Burritos, a new dessert and a new, limited-time seasonal margarita. (Taco Cabana, 2022)
Launching June 8, 2022, TC lovers can visit any Texas location and try the new Carne Asada Street Tacos in a three-pack for $4.29, as a plate with rice and beans for $7.59 or as a combo, with chips & queso and a drink for $8.99. The all-new TC Carne Asada is USDA Choice beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, then seared on a flat top to deliver a delicious traditional charred flavor. The charred carne asada is then placed on corn tortillas, topped with chopped onions and cilantro and served with a wedge of lime on the side.
Taco Cabana is also expanding its burrito offerings with 16 new smothered burrito combinations this summer. Guests first choose their protein including Chicken Fajita for $8.29, Steak Fajita for $9.89, Ground Beef for $8.09 or Shredded Chicken for $7.49, then select one of four homemade sauces to smother their burrito with – choosing from Queso, Queso Blanco, Tex-Mex, or Green Sauce.
The new and never-before-served-at-TC Cherry Margarita is a refreshing taste of summer pairing perfectly with any TC meal for those 21 years of age or older and is available for just $4. Guests of legal drinking age can also indulge in TC’s variety of classic frozen margarita offerings all day, every day to help quench the Texas summer heat
“TC guests have been asking for a cherry margarita since we expanded our margarita line three years ago,” said Taco Cabana Chief Operating Officer, Ulyses Camacho. “We’re excited to bring cherry margaritas to TC.”
To complement any TC meal, guests can indulge in an expanded dessert line including signature TC sopapillas, churros, Tres Leches cake or TC’s new chocolate chip cookie, available starting June 18, 2022.
“We are very proud of our industry-leading stature when it comes to great Tex-Mex flavor, the use of quality ingredients and ongoing culinary innovation,” continued Camacho. “As a brand, first and foremost, we are committed to always listening to what our guests want from us, innovating, then delivering great menu variety against those asks.”
All new menu items can be ordered in-restaurant, via online ordering for front counter and curbside pick-up, in the drive-thru or by mobile order when using the MY TC!® App or online.
Taco Cabana, a subsidiary of YTC Enterprises, LLC, was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, burritos, tacos, freshly-made flour tortillas and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Restaurants feature open-display cooking, a selection of bottled beer and signature tequila margaritas, patio dining, drive-thru windows, curbside pick-up and delivery. As of June 1, 2022, Taco Cabana operates 143 company-owned restaurants in Texas
Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk is hosting the first of a one-of-a-kind quarterly dinner series with partner Soular Therapy on Thursday, June 9, 2022. The special, six-course Sensory Dinner will be led by the hotel’s fantastic executive chef, Robert Cantu, and each course will be paired with a scent from Soular Therapy, a San Antonio based luxury fragrance company. Engaging all five senses, this immersive dinner will be creative, abstract, and executed beautifully. (Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk, 2022)
The cocktail hour will begin at 7:30p.m. and then guests will be seated in a square format on the terrace of The Moon’s Daughters and will be welcomed by avant-garde music of instrumental drums and chimes at 8p.m. Between each of the six courses, guests will be given a specialty washcloth saturated in a different scent to set the stage for the next dish. This multisensory experience of smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste will occur outside during sunset, and guests will be guided through the dinner by a spiritual escort, promising an unforgettable night.
Tickets are $380 and can be purchased here. Menu highlights include Scallop Crudo, Garlic Gnudi with Lobster, Black Squid Ink Poached Octopus, Crispy Braised Venison Shank, and more.
Bakery Lorraine launches specialty cookie in observance of Pride Month with a portion of all proceeds contributing to LGBTQ organization Thrive Youth Center. Photo: Bakery Lorraine, used with permission.
Bakery Lorraine, a local favorite and nationally recognized pastry shop, will offer a rainbow-colored cookie in celebration of Pride Month. They will be joining forces with San Antonio-based LGBTQ+ organization, Thrive Youth Center. (Bakery Lorraine, 2022)
A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the organization whose mission is to help homeless LGBTQ+ youth in San Antonio. The cookies will be available throughout the month of June starting on June 1 and will be sold in packs of three cookies for $6.50. Cookies can be purchased at all Bakery Lorraine locations in San Antonio and Austin for dine-in or to go. This June Thrive Youth Center aims to raise over $20,000 for its organization. Meeting this goal will allow the organization to accommodate the growing numbers of youth entering their shelter, assist with housing programs, provide funding for increased staffing needs and supply necessary items for LGBTQ+ youth.
Bakery Lorraine is a local favorite and nationally recognized pastry shop famous for its colorful macarons and exquisite French pastries. Owned by chefs Anne Ng, Jeremy Mandrell, and operator Charlie Biedenharn, Bakery Lorraine was named one of the best new bakeries in the U.S. by Food & Wine and CNN’s Eatocracy blog, as well as one of the “13 Destination Bakeries” by Conde Nast Traveler. Bakery Lorraine serves handmade French pastries and macarons using the finest ingredients. The bakery also serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, including items like its breakfast parfait, the quiche Lorraine, an assortment of salads and soups, and artisan sandwiches. Bakery Lorraine has three locations in San Antonio including one in the Historic Pearl district, one in San Antonio’s Medical Center, and one in San Antonio’s RIM shopping center, including now an Austin location at Domain NORTHSIDE.
Thrive Youth Center’s mission is to provide a safe, effective, and supportive center for homeless LGBTQ youth in San Antonio and Austin, so they may become productive, skilled, educated, and successful adults with the ability, opportunity, and possibility of achieving their dreams. Thrive has 10 beds at our emergency shelter located on Haven for Hope’s campus, and we are now in our third year of housing young adults in their own apartments for up to a year through a federal government grant. Thrive Youth Center has served over 200 young adults in 2019 alone.
The Red Clay Strays’ debut album Moment of Truth is available now. Photo: Macie Bowden, used with permission.
After cutting their teeth in the Gulf Coast scene touring for five years, The Red Clay Straysreleased their debut album Moment of Truth in April. The album is available now worldwide. This 12-track album blends its unique individualities and influences to create a project that breathes raw honesty. Band members Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), and John Hall (drums) collaborated to create Moment of Truth. Each member, including the band’s videographer, Matthew Coleman, had a hand in writing this project, which strives to bring the public songs with a purpose that embody real-life experiences. (The Red Clay Strays, 2022)
“Moment of Truth strives to bring audiences something real to experience,” the band continues. “The music and lyrics have a purpose to them. These songs have more purpose to them – a mission if you will. They usher in love and deeper thoughts about the situations we humans find ourselves in. ‘Ghosts’ has a clear message about not hanging on to baggage from your past and moving on with life. ‘Forgive’ is about not being able to move on until you let go of that baggage. ‘Sunshine’ is about walking that line and staying within God’s grace and light. The album is loaded with tunes that we hope evoke people’s thoughts and guide them to a better way of thinking.”
Moment of Truth is a collection of songs formed into a tangible album because of the band’s hard work and dedicated fanbase. On February 25, the band started a crowdfunding campaign on their Strays & Friends Facebook group page to see if fans would graciously donate money to go towards the album in exchange for merchandise and the opportunity to receive exclusive content. Over a weekend, that small group of Facebook fans donated a total of $17,000.
On February 27, the Red Clay Strays made their campaign public and raised over $48,000 within the next week, confirming that crowds love the Strays music and believe in their cause to bring their career to the next level. The campaign ended with a total of $57,715 raised – well exceeding their goal of $40,000.
With a sound both modern and reminiscent of a Sun Records vinyl, The Red Clay Strays are forging a new path with their spellbinding genre-bending brand of tunes. Inspired by the vibrant heyday of southern music, the band finds its origins in the styles of classic country, rockabilly, and gospel-fed soul, all the while ushering in a new era of rock-and-roll that is as distinctive as the men who form it.
Born and bred in the red dirt clay of south Alabama, Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), and John Hall (drums), blended their unique individualities and influences to create a band with a rare sincerity that is not often seen in today’s industry. The band is following their album release with a Moment of Truth tour.
Moment of Truth track list:
1. “Stone’s Throw” (Drew Nix and Eric Erdman) 2. “Moment of Truth” (Matthew Coleman) 3. “Do Me Wrong” (Drew Nix) 4. “Wondering Why” (Brandon Coleman, Drew Nix, and Dan Couch) 5. “Forgive” (Matthew Coleman) 6. “Heavy Heart” (Matthew Coleman) 7. “Ghosts” (Drew Nix) 8. “She’s No Good” (Drew Nix and John Hall) 9. “Don’t Care” (Brandon Coleman) 10. “Killers” (Matthew Coleman) 11. “Sunshine” (Matthew Coleman) 12. “Doin’ Time” (Drew Nix)
Eclectic quartet Corner House brings musical levity to the breakup song segment with the first single ‘South of the City’ from their new full length album How Beautiful It’s Been. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Emerging from varied genre backgrounds, Boston-formed quartet Corner House’sunique strength is their desire to learn from one another—not only in musical skill and style, but in life experience—such that every challenge overcome by one band member becomes part of the group’s shared musical and personal DNA. On their new full-length debut, How Beautiful It’s Been, the band—songwriter and guitarist Ethan Hawkins, Scottish fiddle player Louise Bichan, bluegrass mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, and cellist Casey Murray—reveals the sublime result of that growth mindset, with a singular sound that incorporates old time, Scottish, progressive bluegrass, and folk music, with the help of their collective mentor and the album’s producer, Scottish harp virtuoso Maeve Gilchrist. Americana Highways premiered Corner House’s first single from How Beautiful It’s Been, “South of the City.” Leaning well toward the upbeat end of the break-up song spectrum, this waltzing number showcases not only Hawkins’s songwriting but the band’s stellar, accurate-yet-soulful musicianship as well. Fans can hear “South of the City” now at this link. (Corner House, 2022)
Corner House’s first full-length offering features five lyrical songs and four instrumentals, which serve as soundscape meditations between each lyrical offering. Several of the instrumentals, such as “Two Rights Make a Chicken,” showcase the Celtic influence in the band, with gorgeous cello and fiddle melodies calling Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas recordings to mind. In this context, however, they are also accompanied by rhythmic and arpeggiated mandolin and guitar, emerging into improvised solos before returning to the melodic backbone of the tune. Although Hawkins is the sole lyric writer, the subject matter of the group’s songs is a reflection of their collective experience. One such song is “Angel Falls,” one of the album’s standout tracks which Hawkins wrote after a long discussion with Murray about her experiences with religion as a queer person. “I am human / I have choices / To love who I want to love / I have a right.”
In many ways, Corner House is the band we all wish we could be a part of. Mutually inspired, learning from one another, and open to any and all ideas, the group is a beautiful representation of their generation; not only tolerating but embracing diversity in every aspect of their music making. If we listen closely enough, we may be able to learn just as much from them as they have from one another.
Catch Corner House on tour: June 11 – Pamet Harbor Club – Truro, MA June 23 – House concert – Baltimore, MD June 24 – Red Wing Roots Music Festival – Mt. Solon, VA June 26 – Stone Room Concerts – Arlington, VA
Originally hailing from Boston, MA, Corner House takes their name from the place where the four young band members found a musical family in one another—their shared home in Brighton, as students at Berklee College of Music. Made up of songwriter and guitarist Ethan Hawkins, Scottish fiddle player Louise Bichan, cellist Casey Murray, and bluegrass mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, Corner House are students of a wide variety of musical traditions. For their debut full-length record, they enlisted harp virtuoso Maeve Gilchrist, a past mentor to all four band members, to produce.
Hiatus Spa + Retreat is having Father’s Day spa specials perfect for Father’s Day gifts. Photo: Molly Culver, used with permission.
Award-winning Texas day spa, Hiatus Spa + Retreat will be offering Father’s Day spa specials. During Father’s Day weekend from June 18-19, Hiatus’ relaxation lounges will also be transformed into a “Man Cave” with individual goodie bags of snack mix ready for all dads to sit back and relax. As an added bonus for the special guy, Hiatus will be steaming the US Open Golf Tournament (this will be muted). (Hiatus Spa + Retreat, 2022)
Father’s Day specials include: The Dad Bod Package: Available now – June 30 Dad can choose his choice of any two Hiatus Essential Services: The Signature Massage, The Tailor-Made Facial, The Body Wrap, or The One & Only Mani-Pedi. 2-3 HOURS, $198
DIY Dad Retail Bundle (Online or in-spa available now – June 30) Gift Dad a CBD Cream, CBD Serum + Knot Bot for $148 ($197 value)
Father’s Day Weekend – Free Local Beer + Add-Ons: June 17 – 19 If a gentleman receives The Well-Groomed Man facial, The Knockout massage, or The One & Only Mani-Pedi, he will receive a complimentary CBD and Hot Stones add-ons, along with a beer from a local brewery after the service.
Retail Promo (Online or in-spa available June 17-19) 20%-off discount on CBD products (Active Muscle Cream & Soothing Joint Serum)
The television adaptation of ‘Pachinko’ is available to stream on Apple TV +. Photo: Amazon
Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American author and journalist. Her work frequently deals with Korean and Korean-American topics. She is the author of the novels “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko.” “Pachinko” is an epic historical fiction novel following a Korean family who immigrate to Japan. The character-driven story features an ensemble of characters who encounter discrimination, stereotyping, and other aspects of the 20th century Korean experience of Japan. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction. Apple TV + produced a television adaptation of the novel and it was released starting in March 2022. It consists of eight episodes and was renewed for a second season. (Amazon/Wikipedia, 2022)
“Pachinko” – In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant–and that her lover is married–she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. Her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son’s powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters–strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis–survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.
SA Examiner 