During the month of January, the Cinema Arts Centre is set to show a collection of unique and thought-provoking documentary films that explore a number of topics, such as medical marijuana, the Holocaust, a former SNL cast member, the connection between Medicare and the Civil Rights Movement, the nature of democracy, and an event co-presented by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Many of the screenings feature special guests, including the films’ directors and experts on the issues examined in the films.
“What is Democracy?”: Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. with director Astra Taylor in person. From ancient Athens’ groundbreaking experiment in self-government to capitalism’s roots in medieval Italy; from modern-day Greece grappling with the financial collapse and a mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its racist past and the growing gap between rich and poor. (Canada, 2018, 107 min., NR, English | Dir. Astra Taylor)
Members $11 | Public $16
“Anne Frank Remembered”: Sunday, Jan. 6 Bagels at 10 a.m. | Film at 11 a.m., with author Gillian Walnes Perry in person, featuring a discussion and book signing after the film. “Anne Frank Remembered: is a groundbreaking documentary inspired partly by the discovery of the only brief film footage of Anne Frank that exists.
Featuring the voices of Glenn Close and Kenneth Branagh, this Academy Award-winning film combines photographs and previously undiscovered family letters, rare archival footage, along with insightful and moving interviews with people who knew the Franks best — most notably Miep Gies, who risked her own life to help shelter them. (USA, UK, Netherlands, 1995, 117 Mins., NR, English | Dir. Jon Blair)
Members $11 | Public $16
“Weed the People”: Monday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m.: “Weed the People” looks beyond propaganda and politics to reveal the legitimate science behind cannabis medicine and the compelling stories of ordinary people whose lives are inescapably caught up in the controversy. Nowhere is this phenomenon more compelling than in the treatment of children, whose parents will stop at nothing to help them. (USA, 2018, 97 Mins., NR, English | Dir. Abby Epstein)
Members $11 | Public $16
“Far From The Tree”: Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.: Co-presented by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and with author Andrew Solomon in person. The documentary adaptation of Andrew Solomon’s bestselling book, “Far From the Tree” is an intimate, profoundly human look at families raising children society deems “abnormal”: a mother and son determined to show the world that his Down syndrome does not define him; a couple learning to communicate with their bright but nonverbal autistic son; a young woman dealing with what it means to be the only little person in her family; and parents whose deep love for their son persists even after he has committed an unspeakable crime. (USA, 2018, 93 min., NR, English | Dir. Rachel Dretzin)
Members $11 | Public $16
“Generation Zapped”: Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.: With Patti Wood, Dr. Joshua Rosenthal and Dr. Lawrence Palevsky in person. Today, we encounter more than 100,000 times the levels of radio frequency exposure from wireless technologies than we did decades ago when the FCC first published its regulations designed to protect us. Generation Zapped investigates the potential dangers of this prolonged exposure to RF. (USA, 2017, 74 Mins., NR, English | Dir. Sabine El Gemayel)
Members $11 | Public $16
“Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution”: Thursday, Jan. 20; bagels at 10 a.m. | film at 11 a.m.: “Power to Heal” tells a poignant chapter in the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans. Central to the story is the tale of how a new national program, Medicare, was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in a matter of months. (USA, 2018, 56 Mins., NR, English | Dir. Charles Burnett)
Members $11 | Public $16
“The Cat Rescuers”: Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m: With Director Rob Fruchtman in person. Feral and abandoned cats prowl the streets of New York City in the tens of thousands. Because the city can’t handle this problem, hundreds of dedicated, volunteer rescuers have come to their aid. (USA, 2018, 87 min., NR, English| Dir. Rob Fruchtman & Steve Lawrence)
Members $11 | Public $16
“Love, Gilda”: Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.: With former SNL writer and producer Alan Zweibel in person. “Love, Gilda” is a touching memoir about one of the greatest comedic minds of Saturday Night Live’s original cast, Gilda Radner. (USA, 2018, 88 min., NR, English| Dir. Lisa Dapolito)
Members $11 | Public $16
