Reel and Meal at the New Deal

Reel and Meal is a monthly film series at the New Deal Cafe exploring vital environmental, animal rights, and social justice issues. Admission to the film is always free, sponsored by several Greenbelt community organizations. Contributions are gladly accepted to cover each month’s donation to a non-profit organization.

Reel and Meal events are in-person (limited seating) and online via Zoom.  Each month registration links will be posted here.  You can also reach out to Reel and Meal at

Date: Third Monday of every month
Time: The free film starts at 7pm.
Dinner: Dinners are available at the café after 4pm with several plant-based options.
Carryout: The Co-Op Supermarket Meatless Monday meals can be picked up from the “grab and go” for Zoom at-home viewing after 11am.
Location: Online or at the New Deal Cafe – 113 Centerway in historic Greenbelt, MD
Public transportation: The cafe is accessible by Metro Buses G12, 13, 14 and 16 from the Greenbelt Metro station.

November 20, 2017

Immigrants, Refugees, and Life in the Old Country

Take a world tour starting in Italy, then to El Paso, Texas, and finally arriving in Africa’s largest slum, in Kenya. These three films, from our recent Utopia Film Festival, show the conditions people emigrate from, the risks they take to find safety, and the welcome some receive.

We are reminded that Thanksgiving is about caring for pilgrims and gratitude for our fortune that we all, the children of immigrants or immigrants ourselves, found when we left danger or hardship for a better life.

Remember Everything: to not Forget Anyone is a poignant three-minute short from Italy about immigrants who drown trying to reach safety in Europe, told by a person who remembers all of their names.

An American House welcomes illegal immigrants from Central America to the US and gives them shelter and safety, 22 minutes.

We are the Nation is set in a slum in Kenya and portrays orphaned and traumatized children coming together through music and a remarkable benefactor as a way to build positive lives, 52 minutes- see more on its Facebook page.

These timely films show what conditions people emigrate from, the risks they take to find a safe life, and the welcome some receive. Their stories are a bit like our family stories, those of the children of immigrants who left danger or hardship for a better life. Thanksgiving week, they may remind us we are all pilgrims. Discussion will follow.

Discussion with speakers will follow the films. Come learn what we can do to help support our local immigrant and international community.

Frank Gervasi of the Utopia Film Festival has planned this program; for more information, call 301-474 7680 or .