GIFF 2018- Film Highlights

We are so proud to share with you our 2018 film lineup. All of our films showcase inspiring messages that will leave viewers with a shifted perspective and newfound awareness. Learn more about some of the films below and make sure to visit our film guide to see the full lineup.

 

1985

Sponsored by Theory

Synopsis: Inspired by the award-winning short film of the same name, 1985 follows Adrian (Cory Michael Smith, GOTHAM), a closeted young man returning to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis. Burdened with an unspeakable tragedy in New York, Adrian reconnects with his brother (Aidan Langford) and estranged childhood friend (Jamie Chung), as he struggles to divulge his dire circumstances to his religious parents (Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis).

1985 will feature a star-studded Q&A with talent from the film. This beautiful film deals with some heavy topics, but it has so much heart, and the performances from the lead actors are phenomenal. I am excited to hear about how these actors got into their roles and found their characters.

A reception following the screening will be held at THEORY, 396 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT. Join us for our additional Q&A with cast and crew of the film.

 

A WOMAN CAPTURED

Sponsored by the YWCA Greenwich

Synopsis: A European woman has been kept by a family as a domestic slave for 10 years. Drawing courage from the filmmaker’s presence, she decides to escape the unbearable oppression and become a free person.

The screening will feature a Q&A with Bernadett Tuza-Ritter (Director), Louisa Daley Winthrop (LCSW, YWCA), moderated by Mary Lee A. Kiernan (President and CEO, YWCA Greenwich).

 

CONNECTICUT SHORTS

Sponsored by the Connecticut Office of Film, Television, and Digital Media.

The Connecticut Shorts Program showcases short films that were either shot in Connecticut or made by a filmmaker from Connecticut. This new category will celebrate local film talent and the beautiful state of Connecticut. Featuring: The Hammamis – L.A. Fadeway – Notes From Dunblane: Lessons From a School Shooting – UZMA The Greatest – Cats Cradle – A Train To Rockaway.

 

ONE VOTE

Presented by Berkshire Hathaway

Filmed in five locations on a single day, One Vote captures the compelling stories of diverse American voters on Election Day 2016.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Christine Woodhouse (Director) with moderator Emily Wachtel.

 

ROWDY

Presented by ESPN

Rowdy Gaines is an American former competitive swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He also accomplished all of this while overcoming a serious illness known as Guillain Barre syndrome. His inspirational journey is profiled in this not-to-miss documentary.

A Q&A with Hannah Storm (Director) and Rowdy Gaines (Three Time Olympic Gold Medalist, USA Swimming) will follow the screening.

 

SOUFRA

SOUFRA follows the unlikely and wildly inspirational story of intrepid social entrepreneur, Mariam Shaar – a generational refugee who has spent her entire life in the Burj El Barajneh refugee camp just south of Beirut, Lebanon. The film follows Mariam as she sets out against all odds to change her fate by launching a successful catering company, “Soufra”, and then expand it into a food truck business with a diverse team of fellow refugee woman who now share this camp as their home.

The film will be followed by a Q&A with Thomas A. Morgan (Director), Ann O’Brien (IRIS, Director of Community Engagement), and Chris George (IRIS, Executive Director).

SUMMERTIME

Presented by CAIS

Set in and around a Long Island beach club in the summer of 1983, SUMMERTIME is an ensemble coming-of-age romance, chronicling the lives of a group of working class 20 somethings as they fall in and out of love. The movie is set over three holidays; Memorial Day Weekend; July 4th; and the saddest day of the year…Labor Day, when summer love may come to a melancholy end, but the memories will last forever.

We are excited to welcome Aaron Lubin (Producer) to Greenwich, CT for a Q&A following the film.

 

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR

Presented by Hospital for Special Surgery

A feature documentary about the lessons, ethics and legacy of iconic children’s television host, Fred Rogers. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? looks at children’s television host Mr. Rogers’ hard-fought campaign to influence generations of kids and adults in the ways of kindness. Fred Rogers led a singular life. He was a puppeteer. A minister. A musician. An educator. A father, a husband, and a neighbor. Fred Rogers spent 50 years on children’s television beseeching us to love and to allow ourselves to be loved. With television as his pulpit, he helped transform the very concept of childhood. He used puppets and play to explore the most complicated issues of the day—race, disability, equality and tragedy. He spoke directly to children and they responded by forging a lifelong bond with him—by the millions. And yet today his impact is unclear. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? explores the question of whether or not we have lived up to Fred’s ideal. Are we all good neighbors?

 

Visit https://www.greenwichfilm.org/film-guide-2018/ to book your tickets and read about our entire film lineup!

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