Pirate Radio USA kicks off ArgusFest events at the Concoctory on Tuesdays

Starting this week the ArgusFest will add a second night for its screenings, at a new location: The Concoctory, a DIY creative space on South Broadway. ArgusFest, which started in 2001, has held over a thousand awareness-raising events focusing on human rights, social justice, media, the environmental and other important...

By Noah Reynolds

July 15, 2013

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Starting this week the ArgusFest will add a second night for its screenings, at a new location: The Concoctory, a DIY creative space on South Broadway. ArgusFest, which started in 2001, has held over a thousand awareness-raising events focusing on human rights, social justice, media, the environmental and other important issues, mostly through documentaries. Lately, those films have screened every Thursday at the Mercury Cafe.

ArgusFest has a simple goal: to raise awareness about social issues through the power of film. Founder Jason Bosch believes the films he presents do an important job of informing people about the world. "There's a lot of harm being done to people, and to the health and sustainability to the ecosystem. In order to alleviate this, we must first be aware of it," he says. "The documentaries I screen expose us to the areas where we as humanity need to improve and often offer up solutions. It's a stage in a larger process, which desperately needs to happen."

Over the past dozen years, ArgusFest has screened hundreds of thought-provoking documentary films. And after each one, there's a discussion of the issues presented in that film.

Though Bosch is working on many different projects, he's very excited about adding a new venue for ArgusFest. "ArgusFest isn't going away," he says. "I'm fortunate to have a great volunteer by the name of David Runco who keeps it going when I'm away. So over the years, I've collected well over a thousand documentaries and I would like to eventually have them all catalogued online and allow people to vote for what film they would like to see each week. But mostly, I just want people to come out and participate in the discussions. All points of view are welcome."

And the Concoctory is a perfect place to air those viewpoints. "My friend Mar opened the Concoctory several months ago and I thought it was a great idea," he says. "A DIY creativity shop focused on teaching people how to make things! I want us to learn how to make a better world, so it seemed like a perfect fit."

ArgusFest at the Concoctory will start every Tuesday at 7 p.m.; there's a suggested $5 donation. On Tuesday, July 16, the film will be Pirate Radio USA.

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