Theater Temporarily Closed —
Virtual Screening Rooms Open
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the Film Society of Summit closed its doors due to Covid-19
Until we can be together again, we have opened a virtual cinema for you, accessible through this website.
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New To Our Virtual Cinema
COLLECTIVE
Directed by Alexander Hanau
NEW! Directed by Alexander Nanau (TOTO AND HIS SISTERS), COLLECTIVE follows a heroic team of journalists as they uncover shocking, widespread corruption. After a deadly nightclub fire, the mysterious death of the owner of a powerful pharmaceutical firm, and the quiet resignation of a health minister—seemingly unrelated events, all within weeks of each other—the team of intrepid reporters exposes a much larger, much more explosive political scandal. COLLECTIVE is a fast-paceed, real-time detective story about truth, accountability, and the value of an independent press in partisan times. In Romanian with English subtitles. Official Selection: Sundance, Toronto and Venice International Film Festivals.
OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE by Ric Burns
A moving tribute to Oliver Sacks, M.D. who, for decades, captured the imagination of the public with his eloquently written case studies of cognitive disorders yet remained private for much of his own life, specifically about his struggles growing up gay in the repressive England of the 1950s.
Winner: Hamptons Audiemce Award: Official Selection: NYFF, Telluride
Join us for a virtual panel discussion of Oliver Sacks: His Own Life with Dr. Patel and Dr. Sharma, neurologists at Atlantic Health System, and Kate Edgar, Director of the Oliver Sacks Foundation, Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 pm.
Register here for our Zoom discussion, Thursday Dec. 10 at 7:30 pm (no cost)
Playing In Our Virtual Cinema
City Hall
Directed by Frederick Wiseman
In this wide-ranging tapestry of Boston city services, the main figure is Mayor Marty Walsh, filmed from fall 2018 into winter 2019. The son of Irish immigrants, Walsh rose from construction work to union leadership to Democratic politics. Now 53 years old, he leads a city where the white population has been reduced in his lifetime from 80% to 45%. The mayor champions environmentalism, immigrant rights, and gender equality. Speaking with a distinct local accent, Walsh connects to audiences by invoking his own adversities, including childhood cancer and addiction recovery.
Frederick Wiseman is known for long films, and CITY HALL is no exception — there’s a lot to cover in a city budgeted at over $3 billion.
RADIUM GIRLS
Directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher and Ginny Mohler
Based on true events, teenage sisters Bessie and Jo paint glow-in-the- dark watch dials at the American Radium Factory in 1920s New Jersey. When girls at the factory mysteriously begin to fall ill, Bessie uncovers a corporate scandal and fights back in a radical coming-of-age story.
A Chef's Voyage
Directed by Rémi Anfosso
A Chef's Voyage follows the celebrated American Chef David Kinch and his team from Manresa, their 3 Star Michelin restaurant in California, for a one-of-a-kind collaboration with three legendary French chefs at their iconic restaurants in Paris, Provence, and Marseille.
To mark the 15th anniversary of Manresa, Kinch decides to close shop for a month so he and his staff can embark on their France voyage. Planning the trip takes months and the logistics are tricky: how to sneak the food on flights; unfamiliar host kitchens; a language barrier and more.
CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN
Directed by Allen Farst
Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man is the award winning cinematic documentary that explores the world's fascination with the greatest piano and keyboardist over the last 40 years. Follow Chuck's story as he divides his talent between music, forests and family. Having played for the likes of the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and more. What many fans don't know, however, is that Leavell is also one of the biggest names in environmental forestry, going so far as to be named National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year in 1999.
Featuring interviews with Billy Bob Thornton, President Jimmy Carter, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Dickey Betts, Chris Robinson, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer, Miranda Lambert, Keith Richards, Paul Shaffer, Lee Ann Womack, Mike Mills, John Bell, Pat Monahan, Charlie Daniels, Bruce Hornsby, John Popper, Julian Lennon, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Woods, David Gilmore and a mountain of others.
HARRY CHAPIN: WHEN IN DOUBT DO SOMETHING
Directed by Rick Korn
The inspiring story of Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter/activist Harry Chapin (“Cat’s in the Cradle”). Chapin sold over 16 million albums and was one of his generation’s most beloved artist-activists who spent his fame and fortune trying to end world hunger before his tragic passing. The film features Bruce Springsteen, Peter Seeger, Sir Bob Geldof, Kenny Rogers, Graham Nash, Pat Benatar, Billie Joel, Richie Havens, and Harry Belafonte intimately reflecting on Chapin’s larger-than-life impact on music and the world.
THE DONUT KING
by Alice Gu
Everything you thought you knew about the donut begins with Ted Ngoy. This is the unlikely story of a Cambodian refugee arriving in America in 1975 and building a multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut.
Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption.
TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL by Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyun & Suzanne Hillinger
TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL chronicles Donald Trump and the White House’s failed response to the coronavirus pandemic. Filmed in secrecy over five months, this documentary examines how thousands of American lives and jobs could have been saved with better leadership.
Martin Eden
Directed by Pietro Marcello
“One of the year’s best films.”
– IndieWire
In this adaptation of a Jack London novel from Italian filmmaker Pietro Marcello, Martin Eden is a dissatisfied prole with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student. Martin Eden is an enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman.
The Gates
Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Antonio Ferrera, Matthew Prinzing
The Gates chronicles the 25-year battle by Christo (1935-2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) to get a public showcase for their work. In February 2005, New York City's Central Park was adorned with 7,503 gates made from steel frames and a saffron-colored nylon fabric. This documentary chronicles the work that went into the controversial, once-in-a-lifetime installation by world-renowned artist Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude. The pair must overcome various municipal and political hurdles. Once completed, the installation elicits a full range of reactions from the city's celebrities and non-famous residents.
Watch the film at your leisure prior to our virtual discussion of The Gates on Oct. 16 at 1 pm.
AGGIE by Catherine Gund
An exploration of the nexus of art, race, and justice through the story of art collector and philanthropist Agnes Gund who sold Roy Lichtenstein’s painting “Masterpiece” in 2017 for $165 million to start the Art for Justice Fund to end mass incarceration. This is untapped terrain, and we see Aggie leading the way. Official Selection: 2020 Sundance FF
THE KEEPER by Marcus H. Rosenmüller
The Keeper tells the extraordinary love story between a young English woman and a German PoW, who together overcome prejudice, public hostility, and personal tragedy. This films takes a look at how the German POW and a young English woman overcame prejudice, personal tragedy and public hostility as World War II came to an end.
RBG documentary
At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a lengthy legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But the unique personal journey of her rise to the nation's highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans – until now. RBG explores Ginsburg's life and career.
JIMMY CARTER: ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT (documentary)
JIMMY CARTER, ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this engaging portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history.
Selected as the Opening Night Film of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, JIMMY CARTER, ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT is filled with illuminating new interviews.
$10 per household
DESERT ONE
Dir. Barbara Kopple | USA | 2020 | 107min | NR
In English and Farsi with English subtitles
Two-time Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple (HARLAN COUNTY USA) re-examines the story of Americans taken hostage by Iranian revolutionaries in 1979. Focusing on a rescue mission, the film plays like a thriller.
“One of the most skillful, detail-oriented filmmakers in the world… the most impressive assembly of key players in a historical documentary since Ken Burns’ THE VIETNAM WAR series…a treat for history buffs and the definitive film about Operation Eagle Claw.” —Musanna Ahmed, Film Inquiry
$10 per household
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful
Dir. Gero von Boehm | Germany | 2020 | 89 min. | NR
In English, French and German with English subtitlesInterpreting the most traumatic political and cultural shift in German history, Helmut Newton established his controversial photographic legacy channeling imagery from his Jewish family’s prosperous Weimar past—and an adolescence marked by the Third Reich—into a highly subversive portfolio dominated by bold women lingering in the shadows of Helmut's motherland.
$12 per household
Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind
An exploration into the career, music and influence of the iconic musician, this intimate documentary follows Gordon Lightfoot’s evolution from choirboy in rural Canada to troubled troubadour to international star.
$10 per household
The Tobacconist
Based on the international bestseller by Robert Seethaler. A tender, heart-breaking story about one young man and his friendship with Sigmund Freud during the Nazi occupation of Vienna.
$10 per household
Salutogenic Series: Film, Food and Nutrition
To advance the health and well-being of our patrons, the Film Society of Summit is launching a Salutogenic Series that combines a featured film in our Virtual Screening Room with presentations about food and nutrition. Nutrition offers benefits to health and well-being including support for the immune system. Participants will acquire the knowledge to select health-promoting foods while experiencing the cuisine of various cultures.
Each discussion is $10, $5 for Starter Members and Free for Single and Dual Members.
Fantastic Fungi
Fantastic Fungi is all about our interconnectedness and the common issues that we face as a species. We know that our biggest defense from these viruses is our own sense of wellbeing, our own immunity and the ability to live from a place of health and wellness both individually and collectively.
Directed by Louie Schwartzberg, this is a consciousness-shifting film that takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, an underground network that can heal and save our planet’s most pressing environmental and global challenges.
Your rental helps support the Film Society of Summit.
$4.99 per household
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