Little Birds' Elgin James’s personal appearance benefits Digital Gym

Join Reader film-critic Scott Marks at the Digital Gym, Friday, October 9, at 9 p.m. for a screening of Little Birds, followed by a Q&A with writer-director Elgin James.

The autobiographical tale, James’s debut, stars Juno Temple and Kay Panabaker as a pair of teenage runaways lured from the Salton Sea to L.A. — and an uncertain fate — by a gang of unprincipled sk8er punks.

The film screens as a fundraiser for the Media Arts Center’s Youth Programs. Admission is $11. James and his distributor, Millennium Entertainment, have graciously agreed to donate the box-office receipts to the cause.

If you can’t make it on Friday, the Digital Gym’s Miguel Rodriguez will host a screening the following afternoon at 3 p.m.