Community Mixer and Matinee Showing of Ghost in the Machine and The Mirage

Desert Dispatch Media hosts a community mixer and matinee examining human values behind AI development, screening a feature documentary plus a regional short film.

— During day four of the Music Against the Machine arts and music fest
— Sunday October 25, 2026
— The Loft Cinema, 3233 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson AZ
— 1pm community mixer, 2pm screenings

Ghost in the Machine (2026) (95 min) is an investigative documentary directed by Valerie Veatch, exposing AI not as an unbiased system of algorithms but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched structures of power.

The Mirage: Inhumane Tech in the Silicon Desert (2026) (15 min) is a short film
produced by Desert Dispatch Media, edited by Jodi Darby, with an original score by Sage Bond and Kevin Van Winkle — to catalyze public knowledge and discussion on incentives behind desert regional threats in the rush for AI.

— 1pm until 1:45pm, movie-goers are invited to a meet and greet in the The Loft Cinema Concessions Lounge with Desert Dispatch Media co-facilitators Jodi Darby and Melinda Matson Spina, plus a HIP4 Spark Youth Media interview booth gathering community comments.

— Screenings will begin at 2pm, with brief remarks before and after each film.

Media artist, activist and educator Jodi Darby co-directed the 2015 award-winning documentary Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregon.

Composer and vocal artist Sage Bond (Diné and Ndeh) from the Four Corners region has performed with acclaimed groups across genres and at Carnegie Hall. She collaborates with her partner, the composer, orchestrator, and professional audio engineer, Kevin Vanwinkle (Diné).

Desert Dispatch Media is a grassroots production group led by women, based in the desert region, and a project of the Desert Advocacy Media Network, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Desert Dispatch Media is collaborating with artists, community members, and supporting organizations to document the rapid expansion of regional mining, militarization, data centers, surveillance, and other harms for AI.