Fall 2022 Season
The Port Jefferson Documentary Series is sponsored by:
Maggio Environmental, Maia Salon Spa and Wellness and Covati and Janhsen, CPAS PC
see information below…
Please visit the TICKET PAGE to purchase tickets for individual films
1. KAEPERNICK & AMERICA
Monday, September 19, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Screening at Theatre Three
412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker: Tommy Walker, Co-Director
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film
at WUSB Radio
Directed by Tommy Walker and Ross Hockrow
It was the summer of 2016, an election year with unrest rumbling through America. There were countless triggers—the murder videos of Philando Castille and Alton Sterling, the counterpunch of Alt- Right and Fake News, Black Lives Matter, Russian meddling—a discordant national cauldron ready to boil over. It was the birth of Trumpism, but nobody knew it yet. Then, Colin Kaepernick took a knee and America lost its mind. Kaep’s knee touched down on the divide between America’s Black and white tectonic plates, creating an earthquake in the eternal race debate. The aftershocks of his singular gesture have already rippled through our country for years. Kaepernick himself answered any and all thoughtful questions for a time, then stopped talking. And the resulting quiet has allowed for a thoughtful examination of the man and his story. It reveals layer upon layer of surprises and contradictions. Raised in a white family, he became a Black quarterback, while in fact, he is an adopted, biracial man. Inherently shy, he became the center of attention. The man everyone was talking about was mostly silent. He took a stand by taking a knee. Kaepernick & America examines the man and his protest, exploring the remarkable conflict stirred by such a symbolic gesture.
Running Time: 82 minutes
2. AN ACT OF WORSHIP
Monday, October 3, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Screening at Theatre Three
412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speakers:
Nausheen Dadabhoy, Director and Sofian Khan, Producer
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film
at WUSB Radio
Directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy
In AN ACT OF WORSHIP Pakistani-American filmmaker Nausheen Dadabhoy weaves a glorious tapestry of personal stories, verité, archival footage, and home movies together, to open a window into the world of Muslim Americans. Due to their first-hand knowledge and intimate access to the Muslim community, the filmmaking team is able to take charge of the account, which has previously been shaped by outsiders.
The film follows three women activists who have come of age since 9/11 and who are part of a new generation of Muslims in America. One is a community organizer of a sanctuary city initiative in New York, another is a young hijab-wearing activist in Michigan learning how to overcome society’s expectations of her, and the third is a California lawyer advocating for her community while balancing motherhood. Interwoven with each woman’s tale is a historical timeline that takes a look back at pivotal moments affecting Muslim community, From the Boston Bombing to the Muslim Ban, the film’s chronicle explores the collective memory of the community through a lyrical combination of home videos and re-told stories. The portrait the film creates shows a community that has undergone enormous change as it emerges from the shadows to shape its own narrative and resist further marginalization.
Running Time: 82 minutes
3. THE CAVE OF ADULLAM
Monday, October 10, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Screening at Theatre Three
412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker: Laura Checkoway, Director
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film
at WUSB radio
Directed by Laura Checkoway
Directed by Academy-Award and Emmy nominated filmmaker Laura Checkoway and produced by internationally renowned actor Laurence Fishburne, THE CAVE OF ADULLAM focuses on martial arts sensei, Jason Wilson and his efforts to help often-troubled black youths from Detroit at the Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy that he founded in 2008. Borrowing its name from the fortified stronghold referenced in the Old Testament where David and his followers hid from King Saul, the metaphorical cave becomes the setting for the journey of these male youths who inevitably emerge better for their time in refuge together. Wilson proves to be a compelling figure, a soft-spoken man devoted to helping black male youths at risk. At his martial arts academy, the student’s emotional well-being is prioritized over athletic prowess. Here, these young black boys are given the rare and individual experience of being seen and cared for as the vulnerable beings they are, as they engage in the discipline of martial arts and meditation. Over several months the film follows Tamarkus, Gabe, Daniel and Kevin as they courageously confront their inner demons. Wilson is more than a martial arts sensei to these fragile tween boys and as their “sherpa”, he guides them on a correct course at a crucial juncture where trauma might otherwise lead to darker behavior. Living out his mantra “ it’s easier to raise boys than repair broken men,” Wilson says, “It was imperative to me to create a space where boys could feel safe, where they can express what’s going on, their toxic thoughts, and emotional wounds before they do something detrimental.”
Winner of the Best Documentary Award, Audience Award and Best Editing Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, 2022, THE CAVE OF ADULLAM offers its viewers a rare glimpse into the power that guidance and mentorship can have on our youth. This film is a heartwarming testament to the healing power of love with hope at its core.
Running Time: 94 minutes
4. REBELLION
Monday, October 24, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Screening at John F. Kennedy Middle School
200 Jayne Blvd., Port Jefferson Station, New York, 11776
Guest Speaker via Live Zoom: Maia Kenworthy, Co-director
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film
at WUSB Radio
Directed by Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot
REBELLION gives us an in-depth look into the global environmental movement, Extinction Rebellion (XR), established in the United Kingdom, from its beginnings in 2018. The film follows co-founder Roger Hallam, a vegetable farmer from Wales, his passionate daughter Savannah Lovelock, and environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin, who had years of experience at the United Nations, as they come together with other motivated activists to fight climate change. Their main goal is to create economic disruption and to force the United Kingdom’s government into meeting their demand to declare a climate emergency. After successful protests and many arrests later, Roger’s laser focus on disruption through shutting down Heathrow Airport creates tensions with other activists, including Savannah. Now XR must contend with a new bill looking to outlaw their free speech, their right to protest and which will subject them to harsh prison sentences.
Executive produced by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald, this thrilling documentary by first- time filmmakers Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot captures one of the most important social movements of our time. Inspiring thousands across the globe and influencing policy change in multiple countries, XR becomes the number one influencer on climate awareness.
Running Time: 82 minutes
5. HEART & SOUL – PREVIEW SCREENING!
Plus a Vocal Harmony Performance by
Kenny Vance & the Planotones!
Monday, November 7, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
John F. Kennedy Middle School
200 Jayne Blvd., Port Jeff. Sta., New York, 11776
Guest Speaker: Kenny Vance, Director, Founding Member of Jay and the Americans and 2008 Inductee into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio. ***The Q&A will be followed by a vocal harmony performance by Kenny Vance and the Planotones.***
Directed by Kenny Vance
DECEMBER 1956. The first-ever Rock & Roll Show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater electrified the teenagers who waited for hours to see their new idols – Chuck Berry; the Chantels; Frankie Lymon; and a roster of some of the greatest talent of the time. Fourteen-year-old Kenny Vance sat in the balcony mesmerized by a unique style of music that still resonates for him -and many of us- half a century later. The film seeks to solve the question that may never be answered, because, like all art, it is about feelings: What was that particular magic that grabs a heart and never lets it go?
NOW. Music legend Kenny Vance sits down with members of the Chantels, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Heartbeats, the Dubs and the Jive Five. They were some of the first teenaged Black Rhythm & Blues artists who crossed over, had mainstream hits, toured the north and south, appeared on national television, never made much money and influenced popular music to this day. Through intimate conversations and insights curated from eighty hours of verite footage, these seminal artists become our confidantes too, and we become intimately involved as they bring their triumphs and tragedies to life. Perhaps the mysteries of music can never be fully understood but, for an instant, we can live in that moment, and share in the brilliance and the bittersweet that is the Heart & Soul of this music and its makers. The film is chock full of your favorite Vocal Harmony songs and includes a special performance by Phoebe Snow.
Running Time: 91 minutes
This screening is graciously sponsored by The Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame, whose new home will be open to the public at the end of November.
https://www.limusichalloffame.org
6. AMERICAN PAIN
Monday, November 14, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Screening at Theatre Three
412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker: Carolyn Hepburn, Producer
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film
at WUSB Radio
Directed by Darren Foster
A jaw-dropping true crime documentary, American Pain tells the story of twin brothers and bodybuilders Chris and Jeff George, who operated a franchise of pain clinics in Florida where they handed out pain pills like candy. The brothers haul in trash bags full of cash each day as their business grows, to the point that lines of people wrap around the block and busloads of new patients arrive from surrounding states daily.
Director Darren Foster offers an incredibly compelling and shocking story that exposes the tower of corruption that made the George’s enterprise so massively successful, from the drug manufacturers, to the investigators, to lack of other resources made available to any of their clients. Drawing on hundreds of hours of wiretap recordings, undercover videos and exclusive interviews with key players and rivals in Florida’s pill mill boom, American Pain captures the shocking arrogance of the twin brothers, and their complete lack of remorse for destroying so many lives makes it easy to root against them in this well-crafted tale of greed and cold-hearted capitalism
Running Time: 106 minutes
7. THE YOUTUBE EFFECT
Monday, November 21, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Screening at Theatre Three
412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker via Live Zoom: Alex Winter, Director
Q&A moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film
at WUSB Radio
Directed by Alex Winter
Alex Winter’s newest documentary, THE YOUTUBE EFFECT, takes viewers on a timely and gripping journey inside the cloistered world of YouTube and parent Google. It investigates YouTube’s rise from humble beginnings in the attic of a pizzeria to its explosion onto the world stage, becoming the largest media platform in history and sparking a cultural revolution, while creating massive controversy in the age of disinformation. Launched in 2005 with a video of a trip to the zoo, YouTube has built itself into an empire worth up to $300 billion dollars. In order to incentivize its creators and keep users engaged, it has created an algorithm that tries to predict what users will be most interested in. The basic idea is simple: make your content just the right way, and it will be promoted to users all over the world. However, the algorithm has created unforeseen privacy and ethical problems that could be the website’s downfall.
YouTubers, reporters, and experts alike join Winter in interrogating the effects these problems can have. With sharp editing and an anxiety-inducing message about the way social media controls our lives, THE YOUTUBE EFFECT is a startling but necessary look at a website that has become so intertwined with our daily lives.
Running Time: 99 minutes
Please visit the TICKET PAGE to purchase a Season Pass or tickets for individual films
Thank you to our sponsors:
Maggio Environmental
88 Old Dock Rd., Yaphank, NY 11980
https://www.maggioenvironmental.com
Maia Salon Spa and Wellness
725 Smithtown Bypass, Smithtown, NY 11787
Covati & Janhsen CPAS PC
12 Walnut Street
Port Jefferson, NY 11777
631-928-6300
