The Gospel According to André at Real Art Ways

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The Gospel According to André

André Leon Tally has been a fixture in the world of fashion for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a time when he wasn’t defining the boundaries of great style. Kate Novack’s intimate portrait, The Gospel According to André takes viewers on an emotional journey from André’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to become one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.

Novack’s film draws fascinating, heretofore unexplored connections, between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the Black Church of his youth and his later iconic, barrier-breaking work at publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W and Vogue. Weaving together a wealth of archival footage from the most glamorous moments in fashion history with André’s poignant reflections on his life and career, The Gospel According to André is a cinematic monument to one of the most unique figures of 20th Century American culture.

Produced by the team who brought viewers The First Monday in May and Page One: Inside The New York Times and featuring commentary from fashion luminaries including Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford, The Gospel According to André is an indispensable addition to the growing canon of fashion documentary.

Becoming Who I Was

In northern India’s sparsely populated and mountainous Ladakh region, an impoverished young boy is discovered to be the reincarnation of an esteemed, high-ranking Tibetan monk. Born displaced from his original monastery in Tibet, the boy is denied his rightful place.

Amid growing doubts and mounting expectations in the community, the boy and his elderly godfather embark on a gruelling, improbable trek across India to return the young monk-to-be to his rightful monastery before it becomes too late.  

Filmed over eight years, we witness an incredibly intimate bond of friendship between a future religious leader and his godfather, whose devotion and selflessness in care for the boy is truly touching. The film has a stirring and awe-inspiring air of serenity that befits its subject. Striking drone shots use the powerful magnitude of the natural landscape, particularly in the final moments in the snowy mountains.

The film is an evocative exploration of culture, tradition and identity, Becoming Who I Was artfully captures the universal truths of unconditional love, family bonds and sacrifice.

This is Our Land (Chez nous)

A fictionalized story of an attractive working-class single mother in the North of France who naively agrees to run for mayor, representing the right-wing Patriotic Bloc.

Lucas Belvaux, who previously directed RAPT, a thriller about a French politician’s kidnapping, deals with another type of kidnapping here: With the help of a charming André Dussollier as the town’s esteemed physician, the Populists’ rhetoric seizes control of the minds of the electorate.

With Catherine Jacob as the blonde-bobbed leader who never met an angry crowd she couldn’t make angrier.

Science on Screen: Fast, Cheap and Out of Control

Kent Dunlap Ph.D.Speaker: Kent D. Dunlap, Ph.D., Charles A. Dana Research Professor of Biology, Trinity College
Topic: “The Scientific Method and Everyday Life–Like Lion Taming”
Professor Dunlap will discuss what motivates scientists; individual vs. group efforts in science; and the roles of control and play in science.

In his teaching, Professor Dunlap spans several levels of biology in the hope of demonstrating how physiological processes are, in part, products of molecular and ecological processes, but also have particular (emergent) properties at the organismal level. In addition, he tries to show how biology fits into the liberal arts by discussing the possibilities and limitations of science as a way of knowing and by examining ways that scientists have uniquely approached phenomena in the humanities, such as music, art and religion. In his research, Professor Dunlap pursues questions at the cellular, physiological, behavioral and evolutionary levels. While his current research is on fish, he has conducted research on lizards, frogs and rodents in the past.

The Film: Fast, Cheap and Out of Control
In this classic 1997 documentary by Errol Morris, four eccentrics talk about their seemingly diverse lives, interests, and offbeat occupations: Lion tamer Dave Hoover offers theories about wild animal thought processes; topiary gardener George Mendo clips hedges to various creatures; mole-rat specialist Ray Mendez researches the animals’ behavior; robotics scientist Rodney Brooks assembles autonomous robots.

Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series.

Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE.
With major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

Science on Screen

Science on Screen: Chocolat

The most tempting of all sweets becomes the key weapon in a battle of sensual pleasure versus disciplined self-denial in this comedy. In 1959, a mysterious woman named Vianne (Juliette Binoche) moves with her young daughter into a small French village, where much of the community’s activities are dominated by the local Catholic church. A few days after settling into town, Vianne opens up a confectionery shop across the street from the house of worship — shortly after the beginning of Lent.

While the townspeople are supposed to be abstaining from worldly pleasures, Vianne tempts them with unusual and delicious chocolate creations, using her expert touch to create just the right candy to break down each customer’s resistance. With every passing day, more and more of Vianne’s neighbors are succumbing to her sinfully delicious treats, but the Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), the town’s mayor, is not the least bit amused; he is eager to see Vianne run out of town before she leads the town into a deeper level of temptation.

Vianne, however, is not to be swayed, and with the help of another new arrival in town, a handsome Irish Gypsy named Roux (Johnny Depp), she plans a “Grand Festival of Chocolate,” to be held on Easter Sunday. Based on the novel by Joanne Harris, Chocolat features a distinguished supporting cast, including Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Carrie-Anne Moss, Peter Stormare, Hugh O’Conor, and Leslie Caron.

Mike JF Robinson, Ph.D.

Michael Robinson, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Behavior at Wesleyan University. (Photo by Olivia Drake/Wesleyan University)

Pre-Film Speaker: Mike J.F. Robinson, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Psychology Professor, Wesleyan University
Topic: The Effects of Sugar on the Brain
How our brains control our behaviors in our dynamic and changing world and how we eat – like junk food – also affect our brain. How do modern day diets (full of soft drinks and junk foods) change our brains besides just making us overweight. Our brains not only make us want to eat more of these foods, but these foods are damaging areas critical for forming memories and behavioral control.

Dr. Robinson’s research focuses on conditions and brain structures that exacerbate reward and the motivational value attributed to a cue, particularly in the context of addiction, craving and relapse. He also focuses on how excessive desire may impact risky decision-making. His approach combines optogenetics with behavioral techniques to uncover the mechanisms underlying excessive attribution of incentive value for drug addiction, gambling and diet-induced obesity. You can find out more information about the lab and the research by visiting their website and viewing their publications.

Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series.

Science on Screen is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Science on Screen

Science on Screen: Evolution of Organic
Real Art Ways begins this year’s series on the National Evening of Science on Screen.

Evolution of Organic is the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to-the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers’ sons and daughters reject chemical farming and set out to explore organic alternatives. It’s a heartfelt journey of change, from a small band of rebels to a cultural transformation in the way we grow and eat food. By now organic has gone mainstream, split into an industry oriented toward bringing organic to all people and a movement that has realized a vision of sustainable agriculture. It’s the most popular and successful outgrowth of the environmental impulse of the last fifty years. The film is narrated by Frances McDormand, and is funny and engaging as well as informative.

Speaker: Jeff Cordulack, Executive Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA)
Topic: “How Organic’s Ways Will Create A Bright, Clean Future” – how organic farming and organic land management practices are the best solutions for feeding this and future generations, while also having the convenient side effect of contributing to the solution of the climate crisis.

The organic revolution has grown from a fanciful idea to our best choice for addressing global challenges. Meet CT NOFA Executive Director Jeff Cordulack when he explains how organic ways are the backbone of modern agriculture’s most promising projects and how it through Soil Carbon Restoration, organic farms can be managed to build topsoil and also be a carbon sink that has an ability to sequester giga-tons of carbon dioxide that is now wreaking havoc in atmosphere.

About the Speaker
Jeff Cordulack is a Connecticut native interested in wildlife conservation, watershed protection, organic farming, and sustainable living. He has a BS Degree in Natural Resources Management and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University. Prior to joining CT NOFA in July 2015, Jeff worked with the National Audubon Society in Greenwich, CT for ten years; with SoundWaters, Inc. in Stamford for eight years; and has collaborated with many conservation organizations over the last two decades. In 2013, Jeff was presented the Paul Keough Award by the Northeast Water Environment Association in recognition of his communications leadership to increase public awareness, understanding, and personal actions to protect water quality and the environment.

The mission of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA) is to ensure the growth and viability of organic agriculture, organic food, and organic land care in Connecticut. We envision a healthy, organic Connecticut founded on ecologically, socially and economically just principles. In addition to our food-based initiatives, CT NOFA also runs the NOFA Organic Land Care program to train the next generation of organic landscapers, land managers, and conservationists.

Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series.

Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE.
With major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

Science on Screen

Film 101: Blood Simple (1984)
Film 101: Shadows & Gunpowder, a study of Film Noir

In the first film of brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, M. Emmett Walsh plays Visser, an unscrupulous private eye hired by Texas bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) to murder Marty’s faithless wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her paramour, Ray (John Getz), one of Marty’s employees.

But Visser is no more up-front with Marty than with anyone else; he makes some slight modifications of the original plan so that it better serves his own best interests. After a surprise double-cross and the murder of one of the important players, matters spiral out of control, and the plot gyrates through a complicated string of darkly humorous events.

False assumptions, guilt, and fear all lead to a frantic attempt to conceal evidence and the heart-pounding, irony-filled denouement.

About Film 101
Modeled after an Introduction to Film Studies course, the series features lively and engaging post-film discussions with fellow film buffs. Participants learn how to view classic and/or contemporary films with a critical eye and engage with the screen on a deeper level.

The films are shown in our cinema and the post-film discussions take place in our galleries.

In this Film 101 series Ian Ally-Seals will give viewers a tour through the dark and desperate world of Film Noir. The series will focus on four key films: Murder, My Sweet; The Killing; Bob le Flambeur; and Blood Simple. Through viewing these films and post-screening talks, viewers will gain insight into this versatile genre.

Murder My Sweet (1944)
Film 101: Shadows & Gunpowder, a study of Film Noir

Gumshoe Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is hired by the oafish Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to track down his former girlfriend.

He’s also hired to accompany an effeminate playboy buy back some jewels. When the exchange results in the playboy’s murder, Marlowe can’t leave the case alone, and soon discovers it’s related to Malloy’s.

As he gets drawn deeper into a complex web of intrigue by a mysterious blonde (Claire Trevor), the detective finds his own life in increasing jeopardy.

About Film 101
Modeled after an Introduction to Film Studies course, the series features lively and engaging post-film discussions with fellow film buffs. Participants learn how to view classic and/or contemporary films with a critical eye and engage with the screen on a deeper level.

The films are shown in our cinema and the post-film discussions take place in our galleries.

In this Film 101 series Ian Ally-Seals will give viewers a tour through the dark and desperate world of Film Noir. The series will focus on four key films: Murder, My Sweet; The Killing; Bob le Flambeur; and Blood Simple. Through viewing these films and post-screening talks, viewers will gain insight into this versatile genre.

Water Warriors: Film + Community Discussion
Water Warriors is the story of a community’s successful fight to protect their water from the oil and natural gas industry.

In 2013, Texas-based SWN Resources arrived in New Brunswick, Canada to explore for natural gas. The region is known for its forestry, farming and fishing industries, which are both commercial and small-scale subsistence operations that rural communities depend on.

In response, a multicultural group of unlikely warriors–including members of the Mi’kmaq Elsipogtog First Nation, French-speaking Acadians and white, English-speaking families–set up a series of road blockades, preventing exploration.

After months of resistance, their efforts not only halted drilling; they elected a new government and won an indefinite moratorium on fracking in the province.

Join us at 2:45 PM for a short pre-film reception. The film begins at 3 PM.

After the film, participate in a discussion with filmmaker Michael Premo and Jennifer Siskind, Local Coordinator from Food & Water Watch.

About Michael Premo
Michael Premo is a multi-disciplinary artist, journalist and documentary storyteller.
He is co-founder and Executive Producer at Storyline.

Michael has created, produced and presented original work with numerous companies including Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Foundry Theater, The Civilians, and the Peabody Award winning StoryCorps. Michael’s photography has appeared in publications like The Village Voice, The New York Times, and Het Parool (Holland), among others. He is an affiliate consultant/trainer for the Interaction Institute for Social Change and most recently he is working with Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, helping design and implement a global outreach and engagement campaign for their book and film project, This Changes Everything.

About Jennifer Siskind
Jen Siskind has been a Local Coordinator for Food & Water Watch for 5 years. She partners with elected leaders and citizens to champion laws that will keep Connecticut communities protected.

About Food & Water Watch
Food & Water Watch has been privileged to support and partner with nations and tribes from Oregon to North Dakota to Maine. Collaborative and local efforts are key strategies for wins. Here in Connecticut, they are working to prevent toxic, radioactive fracking waste from contaminating CT communities. 36 towns and cities have passed local ordinances, with more pending. Their work to change state law, which now requires future regulations (meaning future permits for bringing hazardous fracking waste in from other states), continues this legislative session.

2018 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action

Every year Real Art Ways brings the Oscar Nominated Short Films to our Cinema. We’re the only place you can go in central Connecticut to experience some of the most celebrated short films in the world.

All three categories are offered – Animation, Live Action and Documentary (Programs A & B). This is your annual chance to see all of these nominees before the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4.

Live Action Shorts:

DeKalb Elementary
Director: Reed Van Dyk, USA, 20 minutes
Steven, a mentally unstable twenty something, enters an elementary school with a semi-automatic rifle. After he orders the school receptionist, Cassandra, to have the building evacuated, he holds her hostage and instructs her to call 911. With Cassandra as his go-between, Steven tries to navigate the troubled waters he has entered.

The Silent Child (The Winner!)
Directors: Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, UK, 30 minutes
Libby, a profoundly deaf four-year-old, is the youngest child in a family who are all hearing. Unable to communicate but about to start school, Libby is assigned a social worker who teaches her sign language. Libby’s skeptical parents are reluctant to be involved, however, and pose a potential block to Libby’s education.

My Nephew Emmett
Director: Kevin Wilson, Jr., USA, 20 minutes
In 1955, two white men invade the home of Mose Wright, an African-American preacher in Mississippi, to abduct his 14-year-old nephew, Emmett Till, who is visiting from Chicago. Emmett has been accused of whistling at a white woman, and Mose knows that his fate will be sealed if the men succeed in taking him.

The Eleven O’Clock
Directors: Derin Seale and Josh Lawson, Australia, 13 minutes
A psychiatrist earnestly tries to help his delusional patient, but his efforts are complicated by the fact that the patient believes himself to be the doctor. With each trying to out-analyze the other, their session spirals out of control.

Watu Wote/All of Us
Directors: Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen, Germany, 22 minutes
Jua, a Christian living in Kenya, boards a chartered bus to visit a relative and is uncomfortable being surrounded by Muslim passengers. The bus is stopped by the violent terrorist group Al-Shabaab, whose members demand that the Muslims identify the Christian passengers.

Film synopses by deadline.com

 

2018 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary B

Every year Real Art Ways brings the Oscar Nominated Short Films to our Cinema. We’re the only place you can go in central Connecticut to experience some of the most celebrated short films in the world.

All three categories are offered – Animation, Live Action and Documentary (Programs A & B). This is your annual chance to see all of these nominees before the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4.

Documentary Shorts Program B

Heroin(e)
Directors: Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon, USA, 39 minutes
Huntington, West Virginia, known as the overdose capital of America, sees an average of five to seven deaths from drug overdoses every day. Three women — a fire chief, a drug court judge and the head of an outreach ministry — are attempting to take back their community by using compassion to break the cycle of despair and addiction.

Knife Skills
Director: Thomas Lennon, USA, 40 minutes
In 2013, restaurateur Brandon Chrostowski is about to launch Edwins Leadership & Restaurant Institute in Cleveland. Aiming to become the best traditional French restaurant in America, the Edwins eatery is staffed primarily with men and women recently released from prison, who have only six weeks to learn the skills that will better their lives and propel the new venture to success.

Film synopses by deadline.com

2018 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary A

Every year Real Art Ways brings the Oscar Nominated Short Films to our Cinema. We’re the only place you can go in central Connecticut to experience some of the most celebrated short films in the world.

All three categories are offered – Animation, Live Action and Documentary (Programs A & B). This is your annual chance to see all of these nominees before the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4.

Documentary Shorts Program A

Traffic Stop
Directors: Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, USA, 30 minutes
In June 2015, a 26-year-old African-American elementary school teacher named Breaion King was pulled over by a white police officer for a routine traffic stop. The incident escalated into a violent arrest, followed by a conversation about race in America between King and another white officer while he drove her to the station.

Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
Director: Frank Stiefel, USA, 40 minutes
Artist Mindy Alper has spent almost all of her 56 years combating severe depression and anxiety, using medication, electroconvulsive therapy and psychiatry to help her. Art has always been her most effective outlet, with drawing and sculpture offering her the tools to give voice to her fears and mental battles.

Edith + Eddie
Directors: Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wrights, USA, 29 minutes
In 2014, 96-year-old Edith Hill and 95-year-old Eddie Harrison are married, unconcerned that one is African American and the other is white. The newlyweds are forced apart, however, when one of Edith’s daughters, unhappy about the relationship, forces her mother to leave her Virginia home and move to Florida.

2018 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation

Every year Real Art Ways brings the Oscar Nominated Short Films to our Cinema. We’re the only place you can go in central Connecticut to experience some of the most celebrated short films in the world.

All three categories are offered – Animation, Live Action and Documentary (Programs A & B). This is your annual chance to see all of these nominees before the Academy Awards on Sunday March 4.

Animated Shorts:

Dear Basketball (The Winner!)
Director: Glen Keane, USA, 5 minutes
On the eve of his retirement from basketball, NBA legend Kobe Bryant describes his love for the game, which began when he was a young child. From his youthful dreams of glory to his 20-year career, Bryant describes how he and basketball have given each other all they have.

Negative Space
Directors: Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, France, 5 minutes
Even though Sam’s father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase.

Lou
Directors: Dave Mullins and Dana Murray, USA, 7 minutes
Lou, the guardian of the lost and found box at an elementary school, tries to teach young bully J.J. that giving to the other kids will make him feel better than stealing from them.

Revolting Rhymes
Directors: Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, UK, 29 minutes
The Wolf from the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” reveals the true and twisted story of his adventures and those of other characters in his world, including Snow White, Cinderella and Jack, the climber of beanstalks. The film is based on the much-loved rhymes written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake.

Garden Party
Directors: Victor Claire and Gabriel Grapperon, France, 7 minutes
A luxurious villa and its grounds have become home to amorous, hungry and accident-prone frogs and toads. While they enjoy the bounties on offer, including caviar and macaroons, the amphibians uncover the whereabouts of the villa’s owner.

Film synopses by deadline.com

Lost Property Office (additional film)

Weeds (additional film)

Achoo (additional film) 

Faces Places (Visages, Villages)
Academy Award Nominee: Documentary Feature

Agnès Varda and JR have things in common: a passion for and the exploration of images in general, and more precisely, for places and for ways of showing, sharing, and exhibiting them. Agnès chose cinema. JR chose to create open air photography galleries.

When Agnès and JR met in 2015, they immediately wanted to work together, to shoot a film in France, far from cities, during a trip in JR’s photographic (and magical) truck. Through chance encounters and prepared projects, they reached out to others, listening to them, photographing them, and sometimes putting them on posters.

This film also tells the story of Agnès and JR’s friendship, which grew stronger throughout the film shoot, between surprises and teasing, and while laughing about their differences.

I Am Evidence – Documentary + Discussion

 

Join the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence for a special screening of the new HBO documentary, I AM EVIDENCE.

This event is FREE but does require registration since space is limited. Register here: http://conta.cc/2qdA9ex

I AM EVIDENCE, produced by actor, director, and Joyful Heart Foundation Founder & President, Mariska Hargitay, exposes the alarming number of untested rape kits in the United States, bringing much-needed attention to the disturbing pattern of how the criminal justice system has historically treated sexual assault survivors. The film will be followed by a panel discussion about the state of the backlog across the country and what is being done to end it here in Connecticut.

British Arrows Awards
Straight from our friends at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where their annual showings attract sold-out audiences.

The British Arrows is a celebration of the best work the UK advertising industry has to offer, honoring the best ideas, best craftsmanship, and best commercials of the year. Watching the commercials in a cinematic setting provides a unique communal screening experience.

From high-tech extravaganzas to wacky British comedy—including outstanding performances by children, animals, and A-listers—this celebration of commercial creativity presents the UK’s most innovative and daring pieces of advertising. The 2017 program includes content made for the web and television, as well as public service announcements intended to raise social awareness.

The program can be a unique cross cultural experience, as audiences try to figure out brands and products that are not available in the U.S., but are cleverly conveyed. It’s a unique experience for American audiences to view ads that are not invested in the hard sell; rather, generating interest in products and services through humor, pathos and dynamic cinematography.

Above & Beyond: Giving Up the Day Job
One-Time Screening
Monday, February 5 – 7:30 PM

In 2016, GRAMMY-nominated trio Above & Beyond left the electronic world behind, risking it all to go acoustic.  Their new film Above & Beyond Acoustic – Giving Up The Day Job, follows the group’s unlikely journey from the DJ booth to the Hollywood Bowl.

From the re-imagining of songs in Abbey Road Studios to their presentation in iconic global venues from the Sydney Opera House to New York’s Beacon Theater, San Francisco’s Greek Theater and finally the Hollywood Bowl.  With a traveling party of 17 musicians, and an additional 34 of Los Angeles’ finest classical players, the new film is an intimate behind the scenes look at one of the world’s biggest electronic dance groups as they separate the song from the beats and try something new.

Paul Dugdale with Scheme Engine (Ed Sheeran: Jumpers For Goalposts, The Rolling Stones Olé, Olé, Olé!:  A Trip Across Latin America) directed the live concert at The Hollywood Bowl, and Myles Desenberg of BAFTA-nominated production company Archer’s Mark, directed the behind-the-scenes documentary of the act on tour.

Above & Beyond: Giving Up The Day Job is a beautiful and lush concert film with documentary footage giving fans an inside look at the band.

A Ghost Story (Afternoon Movie)

With A Ghost Story, acclaimed director David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Pete’s Dragon) returns with a singular exploration of legacy, loss, and the essential human longing for meaning and connection.

Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost (Academy Award-winner Casey Affleck) returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife (Academy Award-nominee Rooney Mara), only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, forced to watch passively as the life he knew and the woman he loves slowly slip away.

Increasingly unmoored, the ghost embarks on a cosmic journey through memory and history, confronting life’s ineffable questions and the enormity of existence.

An unforgettable meditation on love and grief, A Ghost Story emerges ecstatic and surreal—a wholly-unique experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

Birthright: A War Story

One Time Only – Film + Discussion

Panel Discussion

On Tuesday, September 19, after the film, stay for a panel discussion moderated by Sarah Croucher, Executive Director, NARAL Pro-Choice CT who will speak about the effects of the anti-choice movement in Connecticut.

BIRTHRIGHT: A WAR STORY is a feature length documentary that examines how women are being jailed, physically violated and even put at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across America.

The film tells the story of women who have become collateral damage in the aggressive campaign to take control of reproductive health care and to allow states, courts and religious doctrine to govern whether, when and how women will bear children.

The documentary explores the accelerating gains of the crusade to control pregnant women and the fallout that is creating a public health crisis, turning pregnant women into criminals and challenging the constitutional protections of every woman in America.

Post-Film Panel Discussion on Tuesday, September 19

MODERATOR:

Sarah Croucher
Executive Director, NARAL Pro-Choice CT

PANELISTS:

Luchina Fisher
Co-Executive Producer and Writer of Birthright: A War Story

OB-GYN
Hartford GYN Center

Samantha R.
Volunteer Clinic Escort from Hartford GYN Center. Clinic escorts help walk patients in and out of the clinic and ensure that they feel safe on the sidewalk when anti-choice protestors are present.

The Wedding Plan

A Movie in the Afternoon. Every Day.

At 32, Michal (Noa Kooler), an Orthodox Jewish woman, is finally looking forward to the comfort and security of marriage, when she is blindsided by her fiancé’s decision to call off the wedding with only a month’s notice.

Unwilling to return to lonely single life, Michal decides to put her trust in fate and continue with her wedding plans, believing Mr. Right will appear by her chosen date.

Confident she will find a match made in heaven, she books a venue, sends out invitations and buys a wedding dress, as her skeptical mother and sister look on with trepidation.

During Michal’s month-long search for a spouse, she enlists the help of two different matchmakers, goes on a series of disastrous blind dates and finds an unexpected connection with a charming but utterly unsuitable pop star (Oz Zehavi) – all while dismissing pleas by concerned friends and family members that she reconsider her risky plan.

As the day of the ceremony grows closer and no suitor appears, Michal puts everything on the line to find happiness.