Phil Thomas (right) and The ‘G’ Word crew with their prize. (Photos courtesy of Phil Thomas)

The Sloppy Film Fest (Facebook page), a neighborhood festival of short DIY films, took place at the Beaumont Warehouse on Saturday and we hear it was a great success. Today, we present a film that won the Audience Prize for best film. The film is called The ‘G’ Word (“G” for “Gentrification”) and is mostly set in West Philly (Clark Park and Baltimore Avenue).

Phil Thomas wrote and directed the film (thanks, Phil, for sending us the info). The cast and crew are all West Philly folks: Phil, Andy Holman, John H Dukes, and Heidi M. Smithee. Phil hopes that you’ll enjoy the film and says that his crew will be shooting more movies in West Philly.

Here it is:

Homestead Exemption Map created by Aaron Kreider. Source: http://www.campusactivism.org/

Have you applied for the Homestead Exemption yet? Just a reminder that this exemption can save homeowners up to $400 on their annual taxes and the deadline for application is on Saturday, Sept 13.

Aaron Kreider, the West Philly based activist and programmer who built JusticeMap.org, has recently created a Homestead Exemption Map. The map is an estimate of qualified properties in the city that haven’t applied for the homestead exemption. The map is based on Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment data from April 2014.

“A while ago I read a NewsWorks story that an estimated 30% of homeowners haven’t applied for the homestead exemption,” Kreider wrote in an email. “So I decided to do a small project to encourage people to apply.”

Kreider, who is working with the West Philly Socialists (the West Philly branch of the Philly Socialists) who are committed to economic equality, points out that you can see on the map how low-income areas have a lower application rate (red shows eligible households who haven’t applied for the exemption; green indicates households who applied and received full homestead exemption).

Check out the map and more information at: http://www.campusactivism.org/blog/node/423

To apply for the homestead exemption online, visit this page. You call also apply over the phone: 215-686-9200.

So, the summer is officially over for kids who attend public schools in the city as the new school year begins on Monday, Sept. 8. As we reported a few days ago, starting this Fall all School District of Philadelphia (SDP) students are eligible for free meals. As the menu is the same for all SDP schools and it’s often difficult to find it (you have to search for it on the SDP website) we will be publishing this information.

So here’s the full-service menu (breakfast and lunch) for the first week, Sept. 8 – 12, 2014. Come back every Sunday evening for the coming week’s menu. If your school is a Satellite menu school, click here. Continue Reading

A friendly, brown dog (pictured) was found today at around 4:30-5 p.m. roaming around St. Bernard, Warrington, Florence and 51st. The dog was taken to ACCT at 111 W. Hunting Park Ave.

If this is your dog or if you have any information about the dog’s owner please contact ACCT at 267-385-3800.

Pieter Mostert’s Vessel.

University City Arts League, a community non-profit organization that has been serving the community for 45 years, is presenting a two-person ceramics show, “West Philly Ceramics: Ken Beidler and Pieter Mostert.” The opening reception is tonight, 6-8 p.m., at 4226 Spruce Street.

Beidler’s forms combine wheel and hand-built elements. He is a largely self-taught artist, according to the UCAL press release, who has been influenced by the original Arts and Crafts movement, urban life and his life experience in Indonesia. He has a studio at the Cedar Works and teaches at UCAL. Mostert is South African who spen the last five years in Philadelphia. He makes sculptural vessels using a combination of coiling, pinching and paddling.

The works by Beidler and Mostert will be on display at the UCAL gallery until September 26. For more information about classes offered at UCAL, visit: www.ucartsleague.org/classes.

(Photos courtesy of UCAL)

Ken Beidler’s Baskets.

HotBox Yoga’s new location at 3527 Lancaster Ave. (Photo from Hotboxyoga.com)

Manayunk-based Hotbox Yoga is set to open their new studio at 3527 Lancaster Ave this Fall and the owners are “beyond excited,” according to information on their Facebook page. Hotbox Yoga will take over the space in the two-story building previously occupied by Power Yoga Works. Power Yoga Works closed operations at this location on Sept. 1, according to Philadelphia Magazine.

The opening date for the new studio is not known yet but the owner, Brad Young, told Philly Mag he’s aiming for early October. Currently, the space is being renovated and upgraded, according to Young.

Just a reminder that West Philly is home to a couple of other yoga studios. Studio 34 is operating at 4522 Baltimore Avenue and Bikram Yoga University City opened two years ago at 42nd and Chestnut. In case you missed it, Dhyana Yoga moved from 40th and Chestnut to Rittenhouse Square earlier this year.