Celebrate Part 2 “PJDS Arts in the Park”!
Part 2 features outdoor screenings in Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson.Remember it can get chilly in Harborfront Park. Dress warmly and bring your own chairs. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
Port Jefferson Documentary Series 2021 Spring Series
Part 1: PJDS VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOM
***SPECIAL EVENT*** ***SPECIAL EVENT***
HOWIE MANDEL: BUT, ENOUGH ABOUT ME
Monday, April 26, 2021
Harborfront Park, off of E. Broadway
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Barry Avrich, Director.
Moderated by Tom Needham,
Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
HOWIE MANDEL: BUT, ENOUGH ABOUT ME is raw, funny and touching! An intimate and provocative documentary, the film explores the life and career of Howie Mandel, a veteran comedian, actor and producer, arguably most known for his battle with OCD and for being a judge on America’s Got Talent rather than for his considerable comedic genius. The film delves into his early years in the comedy industry and how he became a star on one of the most beloved television series ever, St. Elsewhere. We follow Howie on the road while he performs over 200 stand up performances each year, going behind-the-scenes at AGT, and enjoying personal time with his family. The film also explores his personal struggles with OCD. Through powerful on-stage moments, interviews and archival footage of his early performances – we discover how Howie emerged from being a carpet salesman to become one of the most famous and paradoxically approachable performers in the world.
Running Time: 88 Minutes
END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK
Monday, April 5, 2021 Virtual Screening Online @ 7PM with 48 hrs. to view
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Shannon Kring, Director, moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
Directed by Shannon Kring
END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK is the incredible story of a small group of indigenous women who risk their lives to stop the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline construction that desecrated their ancient burial and prayer sites and threatens their land, water, and very existence. When the population of their peaceful protest camp exceeds 10,000, the women unwittingly find themselves the leaders of a global movement. Featuring exclusive footage including never-beforeseen evidence of police brutality surrendered to the filmmakers by a disgraced law enforcement officer, END OF THE LINE is both an exploration of the rise of indigenous and feminine power in the areas of social and environmental justice, and a searing and deeply personal story of four brave women. Together, they must face the personal costs of leadership, even as their own lives and identities are left transformed by one of the great political and cultural events of the early 21st century.
Running Time: 87 Minutes
ME TO PLAY
Monday, April 12, 2021
Virtual Screening Online @ 7PM with 48 hrs. to view
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Jim Bernfield, Director, moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
Directed by Jim Bernfield
ME TO PLAY follows two veteran actors as they pursue a one-night-only performance of a lifetime. Dan Moran and Chris Jones, who first met while performing in A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY with Helen Mirren in 1995, are united by a mission to present Samuel Beckett’s absurdist tragicomedy Endgame if it’s the last performance they do. Coincidentally diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the same time, the actors find purpose in illuminating Beckett’s prose (which Beckett wrote after his mother died of Parkinson’s), with Moran taking on the role of the blind, paralyzed, and malicious Hamm, and Jones his put-upon servant, Clov. Under the collaborative direction of Joe Grifasi and producer Ruth Kreska, Moran and Jones bring their impeccable comic timing, decades of experience, and the driving need to infuse Beckett’s blithely nihilistic words with an authentic emotional and physical turmoil to the Off-Broadway stage.
Running Time: 71 Minutes
THE JUMP
Monday, April 19, 2021 Virtual Screening Online @ 7PM with 48 hours to view
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Director Giedre Žickyte, moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
Directed by Giedre Žickyte
In 1970, off the coast of Cape Cod, Lithuanian sailor Simas Kudirka jumped from his Soviet ship onto a US Coast Guard vessel seeking asylum. Denied refuge by the American crew, Simas was sentenced to a Soviet labor camp for treason, sparking an international cause célèbre. As his dramatic case played out in the media and up through the highest levels of the US government, this ordinary man became a symbol for freedom-seeking refugees everywhere. It was later discovered and verified that his mother had been born in Brooklyn and gone to Lithuania at a young age, which meant she was a U. S. citizen. As a result, Kudirka was declared a U. S. citizen and in 1974 released by the Soviets. His story was told in a 1978 made-for-TV movie, THE DEFECTION OF SIMAS KURDIRKA, starring Alan Arkin as Kudirka.
Running Time: 85 Minutes
Part 2: PJDS ARTS IN THE PARK
TRUMAN AND TENNESSEE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION
*Tuesday, May 4, 2021 (Raindate: Next Day) “Doors” open @ 7:30PM & movie starts at sundown Harborfront Park off of E. Broadway Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Director, moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
Directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland
TRUMAN AND TENNESSEE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION is a story of two of the greatest writers of the past century examined in a dialogue that stretches from their early days of friendship to their final, unsparing critiques of each other. Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams lived parallel lives and struggled with a lifelong pursuit of creativity, self-doubt, addiction, and success. Giving life to the dialogue and a physicality to their relationship, Jim Parsons is the voice of Capote and Zachary Quinto is the voice of Williams.
Running Time: 86 Minutes
*Please be aware that due to a conflict with Port Jeff Village scheduling, this
screening will take place on Tuesday night.
RONNIE’S
NOTE: Rescheduled for Tuesday, May 11, 2021
“Doors” open @ 6:45, *Jazz Concert begins @ 7:15pm & movie starts at sundown in Harborfront Park off of E. Broadway Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Oliver Murray, Director, moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
*Before the screening we will be presenting an amazing jazz concert with the Tom Manuel Quintet featuring musicians Tom Manuel on cornet, Ray Anderson on trombone, Steve Salerno on guitar, Darrell Smith on drums and Keenan Zach on bass.
Directed by Oliver Murray
RONNIE’S is a chronicle of the life of saxophonist Ronnie Scott, from poor, Jewish kid growing up in 1940s East End, London to the owner of the legendary night club, Ronnie’s. Glorious clips from performances by jazz greats spanning decades—Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone, Van Morrison, Chet Baker, and more—bring to life this story of a charming, talented man who secretly wrestled with his own inner demons. RONNIE’S is a joyous, visually stunning film that seeps through your pores, melts into your bloodstream, and will propel you back to a bygone era that is nothing short of an exhilarating and nostalgic ride.
Running Time: 104 Minutes
This event is graciously co-sponsored by The Jazz Loft, Amanda Eckhart, Celebrate Your Home and Michael Ardolino Realty.
CHASING CHILDHOOD
Monday, May 17, 2021 (Raindate: Next Day) “Doors” open @ 7:30PM & movie starts at sundown in Harborfront Park off of E. Broadway Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speaker recorded via Zoom: Margaret Munzer Loeb, CoDirector and Dr. Michael Hynes, Superintendent of Port Washington School District (who appears in the film), moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
Directed by Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld
Overprotected and over directed, American children are wilting under the weight of well-meaning parents. In the pursuit of keeping them safe and creating an impressive resumé of extracurricular activities to wow admissions boards, overparenting smothers children across socioeconomic classes. This thoughtful film follows education professionals and reformed helicopter parents who seek and offer solutions for developing more confident, independent young people while restoring some joy and freedom to childhood. The local Long Island Patchogue School District is showcased in the film, as school Superintendent, Michael Hynes struggles to add recess, meditation, and longer a lunch period in the schools!
Running Time: 80 Minutes
RED HEAVEN
Monday, May 24, 2021 (Raindate: Next Day) “Doors” open @ 7:30PM & movie starts at sundown Harborfront Park off of E. Broadway Port Jefferson, New York, 11777
Guest Speakers recorded via Zoom: Lauren DeFilippo & Katherine Gorringe, Co-Directors, moderated by Tom Needham, Host of The Sounds of Film at WUSB radio.
Directed by Lauren DeFilippo and Katherine Gorringe
A very timely film, RED HEAVEN explores what humans need to be happy, healthy, and sane. A crew of six non-astronauts from all over the world, chosen for their ability to survive isolation, embark on a one year mission in the Mars simulation station in a 1000 square foot dome on the red, rocky slope of a Hawaiian volcano in order to provide much-needed research for the future of space exploration. Survive, experiment, exercise, collect data, file surveys… repeat. How does their mood and mental health change over time in this prescient exploration of self-imposed quarantine?
Running Time: 84 Minutes
