MOVIE NOTES: Preview set for Disney film

'Sea' sneak

The Arkansas Cinema Society offers a free preview of Disney’s “Young Woman and the Sea”, Wednesday, 7 p.m. at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. The screening is part of the society's Sneak Series. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free; pre-registration is required – reserve tickets at arkansascinemasociety.org/programs/young-woman-and-the-sea.

Directed by Joachim Ronning and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Daisy Ridley plays competitive swimmer Trudy Ederle, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. Watch the trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=7tNvrYzPUrk.

Anniversary of the “Valley Inn”

The Society also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the publication of “Talgasthof” with a screening on June 7 at 8 p.m. at Walker Park in Fayetteville, 10 W. 15th St. Admission is free. The film was shot on location in northwest Arkansas and stars Joey Lauren Adams, David Lansbury, Natalie Canerday and Jordan Scott. “American Idol” winner Kris Allen and Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen also make guest appearances. The film was directed by Arkansas natives Kim Swink and Chris Spencer. The screening is co-sponsored by the City of Fayetteville's Department of Parks, Natural Resources and Cultural Affairs.

Charles B. Pierce's “The Legend of Boggy Creek” opens the Arkansas Cinema Society's Arkansas Classics series at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock on June 2. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Arkansas Classic

And as part of its Arkansas Classics Series, the society will screen five films shot partially or entirely in Arkansas every Sunday in June at 2:30 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts:

◼️ June 2: “The Legend of Boggy Creek”, Director Charles B. Pierce's horror docudrama about the Fouke Monster, a Bigfoot-like creature that has been sighted in and around Fouke, Arkansas since the 1950s.

◼️ June 9: “A face in the crowd”, partly shot on location in Piggott. Andy Griffith plays Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, a folk-singing drifter who rises to become first a powerful media star and then a political demagogue. Co-stars Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Lee Remick and Anthony Franciosa; directed by Elia Kazan.

◼️ June 16: “White flash”, starring Burt Reynolds as an ex-convict who teams up with federal agents to help take down a moonshine ring.

◼️ 23 June: “One wrong move” Bill Paxton plays a small-town police chief who awaits the arrival of a gang of killers led by Billy Bob Thornton. Screenplay: Thornton, Tom Epperson; Director: Carl Franklin.

◼️ June 30: “Dirt.” Two young boys make a pact to help a fugitive escape the vigilantes pursuing him and reunite him with his true love. Matthew McConaughey stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and Tye Sheridan; the film is written and directed by Cinema Society co-founder Jeff Nichols.

Admission to each screening is $15, $10 for children and seniors. Visit arkansascinemasociety.org.

The sinking of the HMT Rohna, in which 1,015 US soldiers lost their lives in 1943, is the subject of the documentary “Rohna Classified”, which is available to stream until June 1. (Specially for the Democrat-Gazette)

“Rohna Classification”

The documentary about the Second World War “Rohna Classification” will be shown for one week, from today until June 1, on the website watch.showandtell.film/preview/rohna-memorial-day.

The 60-minute documentary examines the sinking of the British transport ship HMT Rohna (equipped with non-functioning lifeboats and inadequate life preservers) by the German Luftwaffe on November 26, 1943, using radio-controlled bombs. The bombing resulted in the deaths of 1,015 Americans – the greatest loss of life at sea in the history of a U.S. war.

Producers Jack Ballo and Michael Walsh spent five years researching the sinking of the ship and uncovered secret documents showing that negligence and oversight contributed to the high number of casualties. The US government declared the disaster secret and ordered all survivors to remain silent.

The filmmakers are trying to find the families of the soldiers, who came from 47 states, including 15 from Arkansas. Most of them are members of the 853rd Engineer Aviation Battalion. (For a list of Rohna's victims, sorted by state and hometown, visit rohnaclassified.com/rohna-casualties.)

On some nights, the screening will include panel discussions with survivors and historians. Viewers can watch the film for free or make a donation to the film's awareness and distribution campaign. Visit RohnaClassified.com.