The plight of deported veterans, non-U.S. citizens who’ve served their country only to be victims of oppressive immigration laws, is personal to Robert “Rob Young” Walker, even though he’s not one of them.
Hector Barajas is, and when Walker and Andre “Drei Ros” Rosca met that vet who was deported to Mexico, a song (“Excuse My Accent”) came out of that encounter.
So has a short documentary film, “Bring Them Home,” produced by Walker, executive produced by Rosca and Elaine Carmody, and directed by Tamara Jay and Rike Boomgaarden. Its subject is those deported veterans. Its goals: to channel anger into emotion, to create awareness, to spark change.
“Bring Them Home” is one of the 16 films being screened at the GI Film Festival San Diego, which runs May 7-9 at the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park.
“I felt like this was something that we could contribute toward a solution,” said Walker. “It’s baffling to me as a citizen how this is happening, how we have a problem honoring our service as much as we should.”
Walker said there are even other U.S. veterans who aren’t aware of these deportations and in general “a lot of confusion. “Even though the film details it, you still watch it and wonder ‘How can this happen?’”
But Walker believes the problem can be solved. “People need to care enough,” he said, “which is why we did the film.”
“Bring Them Home” will screen on Thursday, May 8. For tickets, visit https://gifilmfestivalsd.org/2025/.
More film
“Le cinema” will be celebrated Sunday through Wednesday when the San Diego French Film Festival returns for its fifth year. Presented by Alliance Francaise San Diego, the festival of film, culture and food will take place at The Lot in La Jolla.
For those whose French is rusty (or nonexistent), each of the films being screened will be subtitled: “Neuilly-Poissy” from ; “Moto Taxi (Bendskins) from Cameroon, “Quelques Jours Pas Plus (Just a Couple of Days)” from and “Ru” from Canada. A short film will be shown before each of these features.
Two other films will screen at Sunday’s opening ceremony, the short “Nous Les Singes (We, the Monkeys)” and “En Fanfare — The Marching Band” both from . Tickets at afsandiego.org.
Funk music
What began at a barbershop in Plainfield, N.J. would one day go Funkadelic. That’s the very quick story of the great George Clinton, whose influence on the rise of funk music is like few others.
The singer, songwriter producer and funk-fashionable dresser onstage is 83 now but still at it. His group Parliament Funkadelic is on what’s being called its “Final Tour?!” — don’t bet on it. Clinton and company come to Pechanga Resort Casino on Sunday night in Temecula. If you’ve never seen Clinton in concert, wow, are you missing a show.
Showtime Sunday is 7:30 p.m. Tickets at pechanga.com/entertain.
Classical music
In a La Jolla Music Society presentation, the renowned German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter comes to the Balboa Theatre downtown on Saturday for a performance of works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The Mutter Bronfman Ferrandez Trio is completed by pianist Yefim Bronfman and cellist Pablo Ferrández.
As for the program: Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Opus 97 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor, Opus 50. This will be Mutter’s first La Jolla Music Society performance in nearly 30 years.
Tickets start at $49. Find tickets at theconrad.org/events/bronfman-mutter-fernandez.
Last chance
Things are cooking in Old Town, but not for long. Friday brings a close to Cygnet Theatre’s entertaining and often moving production of Katori Hall’s “The Hot Wing King.” Cordell (Rondrell McCormick) and Dwayne (Tristan J Shuler) are partners in love and on a quest to win Memphis’ “Hot Wang Festival.” Their complications around both are realized onstage in a mixture of high comedy and moments of pain and longing.
There’s also actual cooking of wings going on, which if you’re into them may send you out of the theater with a craving. “The Hot Wing King” may be closing, but another Katori Hall play — a very different one — “The Mountaintop,” set on the night before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, is opening later this month at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad.
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
“When anchors fail, people die.” For author, speaker and expert climber Manley Feinberg, this phrase resonates both on the mountain and in life. In this Osher Author Talk, Feinberg recounts a dramatic 2022 climb on Yosemite’s El Capitan, where a high-stakes adventure with his son became a life-or-death rescue. Suspended thousands of feet above the ground, they relied on trust, training, and teamwork to save a hypothermic companion. Drawing from this experience and his career in leadership, Feinberg shares how climbing serves as a powerful metaphor for building resilience, clear communication, and deep systems — what he calls “belaytionships”— to help others lead with courage and reach their next summit.
“Forging a New Political System, 2024 and Beyond”
Historian and political commentator Heather Cox Richardson s UC Berkeley professor Dylan Penningroth for a timely discussion on the evolution of the United States’ two major political parties and what it reveals about the state of American democracy. Richardson, a professor of 19th-century American history at Boston College, is known for her widely read newsletter “Letters from an American” and her best-selling book “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. “Penningroth, author of the award-winning “Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights,” brings a deep historical lens to the conversation, offering insights into how the past informs today’s political and civil rights struggles.
“Stem Cells, Space and Liver Metabolism”
Explore the cutting-edge intersection of space travel, biology, and human health in this engaging discussion. Experts examine how microgravity and space radiation impact mitochondrial function, DNA repair and liver regeneration — critical challenges for long-duration space missions. The conversation also delves into metabolic health, spotlighting the potential of diet and pharmaceutical advances, including GLP-1 agonists, to address chronic conditions on Earth. By studying the extreme environment of space, researchers are uncovering insights that could transform our understanding of aging, disease, and recovery. Whether you’re fascinated by space or breakthroughs in medicine, this talk offers a compelling look at science shaping the future of health.
