Better Cities Film Festival a bright blast of positivity

Described as “an evening of short documentary films that tell inspiring stories about how people have made their cities, towns and neighborhoods better,” the Better Cities Film Festival is coming to Petulama two times this month.The 90-minute-long shorts collection is presented by Petaluma Urban Chat, a local nonprofit advocating for sustainable solutions of city planning problems. The program runs on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Boulevard 14 Cinemas, and then on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Petaluma Campus of the Santa Rosa Junior College.

Each presentation of the Better Cities Film Festival begins with a pre-show social event at 5 p.m., followed by a 5:45 p.m. introduction and the the 6 p.m. show. The evening concludes with a Q&A session.

The thought-provoking films employ an array of styles, delving into issues, problems and possibilities relevant to life in Petaluma today. The shorts are all between 3 and 10 minutes long, telling optimistic stories in which real people take on problem solving and community planning to tackle matters of housing and transportation, climate adaptation, parks and public art.

For more information visit UrbanChat.org.