Directions for Living’s #NoShame anti-bullying campaign dedicates its efforts to celebrating self-expression and encouraging positive community engagement. Their latest foray into achieving this mission statement is by having pop-up cinemas every Sunday the entire month of October.

Each movie features the stories of misfits trying to find their way in the world, all without having to lose what makes them unique. The month kicked off with the documentary “Bully” (October 5th), and after Sunday’s “Hairspray” (October 12th), will go on to “Mean Girls” (October 19th), and “Edward Scissorhands” (October 26th).

Each show is absolutely free to the public, with a tiny suggested donation of $10. While I did donate, I’m sure that they wouldn’t mind if you showed up empty handed. After all, free community engagement is better than none at all. Just ask the homeless man who slowly crept into the show, inched towards my chair, and asked if the movie had won a Tony Award. He loved it! I loved it! It was magical…almost as magical as those sickening, young 20-somethings that danced along as they watched from the streets. Ah. C’est l’amour.

100% of the proceeds go to the nonprofit Directions for Living, aimed at being a “welcoming and compassionate provider, advocate, and partner to children, adults, and families in need of integrated healthcare, social support, safety, and hope for the future.”

So, make your way to Central Avenue’s Amsterdam, grab a pinot grigrio, some Orville Redenbacher’s Naturals Simply Salt popcorn, take in that St. Pete breeze, and enjoy a classic on the cheap. It’s all the fun without all the guilt, or something. Look, it’s for a good cause, and the movies are awesome.

The Amsterdam is located at 1049 Central Ave, St Petersburg, FL 33705, and can be reached at (727) 623-4950.
#NoShame can be found online at https://www.avant-guardian.org/NOSHAME & on Facebook.