<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Sunflower Theatre screened \u201cThe Mask You Live In,\u201d which explores how America\u2019s definition of masculinity can harm men and boys.<\/p>\n
The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, has won numerous awards at regional film festivals, including the Side by Side LGBT festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. The local screening is part of an ongoing partnership between the Cortez Public Library and the theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeptember marks our third year of doing films with the Sunflower,\u201d Eric Ikenouye, library director, said. \u201cWe do not have a good place to show films in the library, and they have a good space and were interested in letting us use the space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ikenouye, who usually chooses the films, said he was inspired to expose the community to unconventional films.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started doing this once-per-month documentary thing partially just because I like documentaries,\u201d Ikenouye said. \u201cI had heard people talk about how it is hard to see a film that is not a cartoon or a big blockbuster film if you live in Cortez.\u201d<\/p>\n
The film was followed by a discussion led by Geoff Byerly, of the Pi\u00f1on Project.<\/p>\n
The discussion was open and honest. A range of topics were discussed from how to tackle the issue of not allowing boys to feel, to why there are not a lot of male teachers in earlier grades.<\/p>\n
The film cites that without early-life male role models, boys are more likely to fall into the same \u201ctraps\u201d of masculinity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rates of engagement of men in early childhood development is an abysmal representation,\u201d Geof Byerly, fatherhood coordinator at the Pi\u00f1on Project said. \u201cThere is a lot of stigma that goes along with male engagement. Typically there is a cut-off at fourth grade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Byerly wasn\u2019t sure of the reason, but cited data showing that the number of male teachers beyond the fourth grade greatly increased.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in early childhood for years as a lead teacher and coach in different areas, and I ran into that opposition for a variety of reasons \u2013 opposition to men being in that environment for safety reasons \u2013 so I know firsthand that culture isn\u2019t always embracing of that shift,\u201d Byerly said.<\/p>\n
Ikenouye likes to show a little bit of everything, but this month\u2019s film was a new topic entirely.<\/p>\n
Byerly asked the audience, \u201cWhat do we do with this information?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason Howell, who participated in the discussion, said that the film had made an impact on how he will interact with his son, who was also present.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can say that it is going to take a generation before this gets introduced in schools, but it starts right here. It starts here in this room opening my heart to my son, it starts when we walk out this door,\u201d Howell said. \u201cIt starts with we as a community coming together and not leaving it in the hands of something larger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it is something to do for the community that wants to talk about different subject matters and for them to have a way to do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n