This past July, the Port Jefferson Documentary Series held a special screening of Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation at Theatre Three. The community came out in droves to reminisce and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. As wonderful as it was, the sold-out event was just a prelude of what was to come.
From Sept. 9 to Oct. 28, the series will kick off its 25th season of presenting the latest award-winning documentaries to the community. Sponsored by the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council and the Suffolk County Office of Film and Cultural Affairs, the first film will be screened at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, the next five at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson and the final film at Stony Brook University’s Charles B. Wang Center.
Each screening will be followed by a Q&A session with guest speakers including directors, producers, the movies’ subjects and outside experts.
It is a labor of love for film board members Lyn Boland, Barbara Sverd, Wendy Feinberg, Honey Katz, Phyllis Ross, Lorie Rothstein andBarbara Sverd, Wendy Feinberg, Honey Katz, Phyllis Ross, Lorie Rothstein, who each choose one film out of hundreds to present to the audience. This fall’s picks were selected after the “film ladies” attended the Tribeca Film Festival, DOC NYC and the Hamptons Film Festival.
This season’s exciting lineup includes, in order of appearance, Halston, which examines the life and career of fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick; Clean Hands, the heart-breaking and eye-opening story of a Central American family living in extreme poverty; The Raft, a 1973 scientific experiment on the high seas that went horribly wrong; Cold Case Hammarskjöld, a journalistic inquiry into the 1961 plane-crash death of Dag Hammarskjöld, the secretary-general of the United Nations; Kifaru, the emotional story of Sudan, the world’s only remaining male northern white rhino; Gay Chorus, Deep South, which follows the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’s bus tour through the deep South to confront a resurgence of faith-based anti-LGBTQ laws; and Mike Wallace Is Here, which examines the 50-year career of “60 Minutes’” fearsome newsman Mike Wallace.
In terms of which films will tug at your heart strings the most, Lyn Boland says it’s a tie between Kifaru and Gay Mens Chorus, Deep South, “depending on where your sympathies lie, but they are on opposite sides of the spectrum.”
According to Boland, who serves as co-director with Sverd and Feinberg, this season’s program has been drawing rave reviews. “I have had people say ‘this is an amazing lineup.’ I think one of the reasons is that this season covers a really broad spectrum: we have fashion, we have a diplomatic mystery, the environment, a gay position, journalism (and the importance of journalism), and The Raft which is just so unusual. What’s so remarkable about this lineup is the breadth of subject matter – there is something for everyone.”
As always, the film ladies invite the community to “come for the film, stay for the talk” as the Q&As can get quite lively.
The Port Jefferson Documentary Series will be held at 7 p.m. on select Monday nights from Sept. 9 to Oct. 28. Tickets, which are sold at the door, are $8 per person. (No credit cards please.) If you would like to volunteer, please call 631-473-5200. For more information, visit www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.
Film Lineup
Halston
Monday, Sept. 9
The Long Island Museum
1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook
Guest speaker will be Frédéric Tcheng, director
Moderator will be Tom Needham, host of “The Sounds of Film” on Stony Brook University’s WUSB
*Ticket includes admission to LIM’s exhibit Gracefully Chic: The Fashions of Philip Hulitar from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
Clean Hands
Monday, Sept. 16
Theatre Three
412 Main St., Port Jefferson
Guest speaker will be Michael Dominic, director
The Raft
Monday, Sept. 23
Theatre Three
412 Main St., Port Jefferson
Guest speaker will be Mary Gidley, subject in film (via Skype)
Cold Case Hammarskjöld
Monday, Oct. 7
Theatre Three
412 Main St., Port Jefferson
Guest speaker will be Göran Björkdahl, researcher/cinematographer and subject in film (via Skype)
Kifaru
Monday, Oct. 14
Theatre Three
412 Main St., Port Jefferson
Guest speaker will be David Hambridge, director (via Skype)
Gay Chorus Deep South
Monday, Oct. 21
Theatre Three
Guest speaker will be Bradley Meek, president of the board of the Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus
Special performance by the LI Gay Men’s Chorus
Mike Wallace Is Here
Monday, Oct. 28
Charles B. Wang Center, SBU
100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook
Guest speaker will be Peggy Drexler, producer
Moderator will be Charles Haddad, School of Journalism
This week’s featured shelter pet is Melody, an 8-month-old, tortoiseshell kitten with beautiful green eyes. Melody is extremely sweet and friendly and loves to cuddle. She would be a great addition to a family with children. 
