- ‘Home Field Advantage’
ROOT CAFE’S DINNER AND A MOVIE
6:30 p.m., Christ Episcopal Church. $15.
The Root Cafe, the long-in-development local and organic foods restaurant, still doesn’t have a permanent space, but that hasn’t stopped its creators from regularly hosting canning classes, dinners and parties. On Friday, Root offers a sit-down dinner paired with two short films by local filmmakers. In other cities that latter element might serve as code for “avoid at all cost,” but Little Rock is home to two big-time filmmakers who’re passionate about shorts: Graham Gordy and Ray McKinnon. Gordy, a bi-weekly Times columnist, wrote “War Eagle, Arkansas” and co-wrote “The Love Guru,” has another feature film in pre-production, is writing the pilot for a series for AMC and collaborating with McKinnon on a script for a TV comedy set in Arkansas. His directorial debut, “Home Field Advantage,” screens Friday. Co-written by Clay and Nick Rogers, the film centers on a drunken interruption of a wedding. McKinnon, known for his supporting roles in “Deadwood” and “The Blind Side” and his direction in “Chrystal” and “Randy and the Mob,” won an Academy Award in 2001 for “The Accountant,” a hilarious polemic against the enemies — both real and imagined — of the South and the small Southern farmer. It also shows on Friday. Gordy, McKinnon and Nick Rogers will all be on hand for a Q&A following the film. The menu, comprised of ingredients from local farms, includes smoked turkey mole chili, vegetarian white bean chili, an organic field green salad, homemade biscuits and cornbread and blackstrap gingerbread with whipped cream. RSVP to therootcafe@yahoo.com.