Monday, February 25
Behind Forgotten Eyes

A film by Anthony Gilmore

Guest Speaker: Ryan Seales - Editor and Cinematographer

Charles B. Wang Center
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook

There are moments in history that are so heartbreaking, the entire world prefers to forget; events so painful, those involved choose to remain silent. BEHIND FORGOTTEN EYES presents the story of the Korean “comfort women,” forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops. Now these brave women break the silence protecting a past that some want to stay buried.

Monday, March 3
Yiddish Theatre: A Love Story

Special Guest Speaker: David Romeo
Producer of National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene & appears in the film

Theatre Three
412 Main Street
Port Jefferson

Enter the funny, larger-than-life world of today’s Yiddish Theater through this documentary film about the amazing woman who kept the oldest running Yiddish Theater in America alive This heartwarming story of a unique, eighty-four year-old woman’s struggle breathes life into an old art form’s fight to stay relevant as well as an aging actress’ struggle to find meaning, and a stage, in a society that worships youth. Zypora Spaisman is a Holocaust survivor who conquers all hearts with her passion for art, life and Yiddish.

This film is co-sponsored by
Temple Isaiah, Stony Brook &
North Shore Jewish Center, Port Jefferson Station

Monday, March 10
China Blue

Special Guest Speaker: Ludmilla Melchoir-Yahil

Theatre Three
412 Main Street
Port Jefferson
 
China Blue is a powerful and poignant journey into the harsh world of sweatshop workers. Shot clandestinely, this is a deep-access account of what both China and the international retailers don't want us to see: how the clothes we buy are actually made.
Following a pair of denim jeans from birth to sale, China Blue links the power of the U.S. consumer market to the daily lives of a Chinese factory owner and two teenaged female factory workers. Filmed both in the factory and in the workers' faraway village, this documentary provides a rare, human glimpse at China's rapid transformation into a free market society.

Monday, March 17
Tootie's Last Suit

Special Guest Speaker: Isabel Sadurni, film editor

Theatre Three
412 Main Street
Port Jefferson

Lisa Katzman, in her first documentary, presents an insightful portrait of a man, Allison “Tootie” Montana that not only highlights a noted community leader, but also sheds light on the unique cultural landscape that had been created in New Orleans in the shadows of racism and economic segregation. The art and life’s work of Tootie, one of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans, pays tribute to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Monday, March 31
Terror's Advocate

Special Guest Speaker: Gallya Lahav, Associate Professor of Political Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook (bio)

Charles B. Wang Center
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook

What makes an educated, thinking lawyer defend inexcusable acts of terrorism and barbarism? Filmmaker Barbet Schroeder explores that question in his probing documentary, Terror’s Advocate. This acclaimed film introduces us to Jacques Vergès, a notorious defense attorney and friend to some of history’s most monstrous terrorists, from Carlos the Jackal to Nazi lieutenant Klaus Barbie. In a series of personal interviews, Schroeder examines not only the convictions that guide the moral mind of this enigmatic lawyer, but also history’s long, winding trail of blind terrorism. Looking into the political history of 20th century terrorism, through the perspective of some of its advocates, reveals shocking historical links to the ongoing legacy of present-day terrorism and violence.

Monday, April 7
A Walk to Beautiful

Special Guest Speaker: Mary Olive Smith
Director, Producer & Cinematographer

Theatre Three
412 Main Street
Port Jefferson

A Walk to Beautiful tells the story of five Ethopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and make the journey to reclaim their lost dignity. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women were left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame. The trials they endured-- and their attempts to rebuild their lives-- tells a universal story of hope, courage and transformation.

Monday, April 14
Sacco and Vanzetti

Guest Speakers: Peter Miller - Producer and Director of Sacco and Vanzetti & MaryAnne Trasciatti - Historian featured in the film

Theatre Three
412 Main Street
Port Jefferson

In 1920, two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were arrested for a shoe factory robbery and the murder of two employees. Both men were anarchists who many felt were falsely convicted because of their political opinions. The letters they wrote throughout their two trials, and during the years of protests and appeals leading up to their 1927 execution are read by John Turturro (Vanzetti) and Tony Shalboub (Sacco). This heartbreaking story, directed by Peter Miller also uses film clips, songs, and commentary by historians.