Academy Awards Shortlist: Best Documentary Short Film. In this documentary short by Academy-Award nominee Joshua Seftel, reporter Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp embark on a cross country journey to memorialize the bedrooms of children lost to school shootings, highlighting the urgent need for action against the rising epidemic of gun violence. A Q&A with the director Joshua Seftel follows the film, moderated by Janet Maslin.
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Veselka is the story of New York City’s beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka and its father and son proprietors, Tom and Jason Birchard. When Jason graduated college without a vision for his future, Tom brings him into the family business. Jason learns that Tom’s dedication to Veselka produces delicious food that satisfies a colorful cast of neighbors and newcomers, but this leaves little time for Tom to be “dad” at work. In 2020, Jason takes ownership of Veselka from his reluctant-to-retire father. He has large shoes to fill, but Jason’s biggest challenge becomes the war in Ukraine. He is unexpectedly thrust into the role of surrogate father to support his Ukrainian staff impacted by the war. Jason must explore his past working relationship with his own dad to “feed” his war-torn team as he keeps his business afloat. For 70 years, Veselka has been the vibrant and welcoming heart of the community and now its role, and Jason’s, is more vital than ever. Narrated by Golden Globe Winner and Little Ukraine native David Duchovny. A Q&A with writer/director Michael Fiore and director of photography Bill Winters follows the film.
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Though not a household name, Paddy Chayefsky remains one of the most revered and enigmatic screenwriters in film history. The only writer to win three solo Academy Awards for Best Screenplay—Marty (1955), The Hospital (1971), and Network (1976)—Chayefsky’s legacy is defined by his sharp insight, originality, and uncompromising voice. This feature documentary explores his groundbreaking work, obsessive craftsmanship, and lasting influence on American storytelling. At its core, the film centers on Network, widely regarded as Chayefsky’s most powerful and prescient script. More than a film, it stands as a bold critique of media and culture, delivered with a prophetic urgency that still resonates today.
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Presented in partnership with the Rusticus Garden Club. A young couple battle entrenched tradition and hostile forces to bet on nature for the future of their failing, four-hundred-year-old estate. Ripping down the fences, they set the land back to the wild and entrust its recovery to a motley mix of animals both tame and wild, beginning a grand experiment.
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A panel discussion led by Shane Killoran of Hit House Film will follow the screening. HERE. IS. BETTER. is a powerful and hopeful documentary exploring the mental health crisis facing millions of Americans living with PTSD. Veterans are up to three times more likely to experience PTSD, and the film follows four of them—each with different backgrounds and service experiences—as they undergo evidence-based trauma therapies. Featured individuals include former presidential candidate Jason Kander, a Vietnam Veteran still grappling with decades-old memories, and women Veterans whose stories are too often overlooked. With unprecedented access to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the film weaves together their journeys toward healing, offering insight and hope to millions.
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VIVA VERDI! offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of celebrated opera singers and musicians living out their “third act” at Milan’s Casa Verdi—the unique retirement home built by composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. Among these remarkable residents, ages 77 to 107, are international singers, dancers, conductors, and composers whose stories are filled with music, magic, and passion. As they mentor young music students who live among them, VIVA VERDI! reveals why Verdi called this home his “best work” and how its spirit of creativity and care remains as visionary today as it was over a century ago. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the film.
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Checkpoint Zoo documents a daring rescue led by a heroic team of zookeepers and volunteers who risked their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a zoo behind enemy lines during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A Q&A with the director Josh Zeman follows the film. Presented in English, Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles.
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To Catch a Predator was a popular television show designed to hunt down child predators and lure them to a film set, where they would be interviewed and eventually arrested. PREDATORS is a thought-provoking exploration of the scintillating rise and staggering fall of the show, and the world it helped create.
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Chris Waddell, a decorated Paralympic sit-skier, wheelchair track athlete, and NBC Sports host, was a promising collegiate skier before a life-altering accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Refusing to be defined by limitation, he went on to make history on September 30, 2009, becoming the first paraplegic to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro—nearly entirely unassisted. This inspiring documentary captures not just the physical feat of summiting the 19,340-foot peak, but the heart, determination, and perspective that fuel Waddell’s mission to “see the world positively” through his One Revolution Foundation. A powerful story of perseverance and possibility. A Q&A follows the film. Presented in partnership with Thrive.
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Join us for a special film/epicurean event. First, Sommelier Sean Sperazza will present a flight of 3-5 wines for tasting inspired by classic Somm testing. Then, a screening of the documentary Somm, winner of the best documentary feature at the 2013 San Luis Obispo Film Festival. SPACE IS LIMITED. Four sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
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