By My Side - Film Screening

As a part of Veterans Artist Residency Program, Kala is excited to host a film screening of By My Side at The Pearson Theatre at Meyer Sound followed by a Q&A Panel Discussion with Vicki Topaz, film director/producer, Emilio Gallegos, Kala's Veterans Residency artist, Luis A. Hernandez, Director/ Veterans Academic Achievement Counselor at University of California, Berkeley, and more. A reception in the Kala Gallery will follow.

*5:30pm Doors open, 6 - 7:15pm Film Screening and Panel Discussion, 7:20 - 8:15pm Kala Gallery Reception

BY MY SIDE, celebrates our veterans and their love of country and family. The film shows how and why service dogs – who match their loyalty and commitment – can heal broken hearts and quiet the wars within. That is the message our veterans and their families want others to know. There is hope and it can be found on the end of a leash.

Limited seating capacity, please RSVP.

Bios:

Emilio Gallegos is a poet and writer from San Jose, California, and a Purple Heart recipient, and a single father of two adult children. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing from San Jose State University, and an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Emilio adopted writing as a constructive coping mechanism, and as a road to recovery, following reintegration into society after driving over an improvised explosive device in 2008. His work seeks to progressively pursue healing, while pushing to continuously build bridges that help connect people with words.

Vicki Topaz is a filmmaker and photographer with a 25-year career. She is the daughter of a U.S. Army veteran who flew missions as a tail-gunner during World War II. He returned home with PTSD, then unidentified. Her struggle to understand her father's demons helped her recognize the same suffering in the veterans and their families amongst us. Inspired by her father, she began her 2010 multimedia project, "HEAL," that shone an early light on these untold tales. Her short film, "Veterans Speak About PTSD," gained national attention, being screened at 17 film festivals. Topaz has completed the documentary "BY MY SIDE" that follows three veteran families and their healing journeys with service dogs that have saved their lives. Since its release in 2023, the film has been featured in 42 film festivals, earning 14 awards, along with numerous community screenings.

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