The Rochester Public Library is proud to be a community partner with POV, the award-winning PBS documentary film series. Since 1988, POV (a cinema term for “point of view”) has sponsored over 500 independently produced non-fiction films which have aired on PBS networks across the country. Known for their intimacy, storytelling, and timeliness, POV documentaries put a human face on contemporary social issues.
Upcoming POV films presented in the Kate Gleason Auditorium by the Reynolds Media Center:
November 15 2017, 6:00pm: “From Damascus to Chicago.”
(24 minutes) Two young Syrian siblings, recently resettled in Chicago with their family, enroll in a dance class. The film depicts the family’s journey navigating in a new city and country.
After the film, Getachew Beshir, Resettlement Manager, Catholic Family Services, will give a presentation about the process of resettlement and the resources available in the Rochester area to newly arrived refugees.
December 20 2017, 6:00pm: “Presenting Princess Shaw.”
(90 minutes) Samantha Montgomery placed her dreams on YouTube. Then they became a reality. Presenting Princess Shaw is the extraordinary story of an aspiring musician, down on her luck, who inspired internationally famous musician, composer and video artist Ophir “Kutiman” Kutiel to create a magical collaboration that would introduce her talent to a whole new audience.
January 17, 2018, 6:00pm: “Joe’s Violin.”
(24 minutes) In the Oscar-nominated Joe’s Violin, a donated musical instrument forges an improbable friendship. 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Joe Feingold and 12-year-old Bronx school girl Brianna Perez show how the power of music can bring light in the darkest of times, and how a small act can have a significant impact.
The film will be introduced by Patricia Braus, the Executive Director of the Rochester Education Foundation, which sponsors a musical instrument drive to benefit public school students right here in Rochester.
