The Lynn Music Foundation and Inc.ubate Coworking Lynn have teamed up to create the Civil Society Screenings, which will begin its free film series on the 29th with a showing of 51 Birch Street. This documentary is directed by Doug Block, the acclaimed filmmaker behind 112 Weddings, Home Page, The Kids Grow Up and other notable documentaries. 51 Birch Street is produced by Block and Lori Cheatle. The documentary has been featured in articles from The New York Times, The Independent, and IndieWire.
The indie film will be screened on Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at 25 Exchange St. at the Neal Ranntoul Vault Theatre for this public viewing. Following the film, Block will participate in a question-and-answer session.
“Documentary filmmaker Doug Block had every reason to believe his parents’ 54-year marriage was a good one. So he isn’t prepared when, just a few months after his mother’s unexpected death, his 83-year-old father, Mike, phones to announce that he’s moving to Florida to live with ‘Kitty,’ his secretary from 40 years ago. Always close to his mother and equally distant from his father, he’s stunned and suspicious,” states Block’s official website describing the film’s summary. “When Mike and Kitty marry and sell the longtime family home, Doug returns to suburban Long Island with camera in hand for one last visit. And there, among the lifetime of memories being packed away forever, he discovers three large boxes filled with his mom’s daily diaries going back 40 years. Investigating his family history, Doug finally comes to peace with two parents who are far more complex and troubled than he ever imagined.”
This free series is made possible by the support of MassDevelopment, Creative Cities, the Barr Foundation and Lynnspire Grants, as acknowledged by the Lynn Music Foundation. The Civil Society Screenings are a monthly film series intended to foster public discussion about various forms of conflict — familial, political, cultural and socioeconomic — and explore pathways toward mutual understanding and collective community action. The screenings aim to provoke thought and help participants develop a framework for engaging their communities to achieve positive change.
The following are dates for the series (door opens at 6:30 p.m. and the films start at 7 p.m.):
- May 29th: 51 Birch Street
- June 12th: Defining Us
- July 17th: Medium Cool
- August 21st: The Beautiful Country
- September 18th: Fighter
- November 13th: My Omaha
- December 11th: We Still Here
