Following up his successful Peruvian-inspired art exhibit and film presentations this past January at the Arts Council of Moore County, David Hewson will present a series of lectures and films that will look at the beauty and plight of the Amazon rainforest.

Each will be presented at Weymouth Center (555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines) and is free and open to the public.

n Sunday, May 10, 3 p.m. "A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash" -- Produced by award-winning filmmakers Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack, this documentary examines the world's dependency on oil and the impending chaos that's sure to follow when the resource is depleted.

Straight from the headlines, this hot-button topic may represent the world's most dire crisis. Through expert interviews, the film spells out in startling detail the challenge we all face and underscores our desperate need for alternative energy. (2006, Unrated, 83 minutes).

n Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m. Hometown Hope -- Featured speakers, Bo Bryan and Robert Shelley of Project Amazonas, will take the audience on a

one-hour journey into the heart of a humanitarian adventure, how to get there, whom to travel with, and when to be ready. Project Amazonas is a joint USA and Peruvian nonprofit organization that operates in the upper Amazon River region in the Republic of Peru. It implements health, education, rainforest conservation and community development programs in remote indigenous and mestizo communities of the Amazon Basin. It strives to provide people living in remote areas of Peru with a system of medical care and health education that combines modern medicine with effective traditional practices. For additional information on Project Amazonas, visit www.projectamazonas. org.

To reserve a seat, call the Arts Council at (910) 692-4356 or e-mail acmc@mooreart.org.?