For Immediate Release                                                                                   
Contact: Kristin Tutino, WXXI, (585) 258-0253

WXXI’S COMMUNITY CINEMA SCREENING SERIES RETURNS WITH COMPELLING FILMS FROM PBS’ INDEPENDENT LENS TO FOSTER DIALOGUE AND ENGAGEMENT

Rochester, New York (August 8, 2011) – WXXI continues its free Community Cinema screening series, featuring films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, beginning Sunday, August 28 from 2-4 p.m. with Peace Unveiled. The screenings are held at WXXI's Studio (280 State Street, Rochester, NY), and are followed by a lively panel discussion to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. The screenings are free, open to the public, and reservations are not required. To learn more, visit <WXXI.org/communitycinema> or call (585) 258-0200.

Kicking off the series on Sunday, August 28 is Peace Unveiled, a film by Abigail E. Disney, Pamela Hogan and Gini Reticker. When the U.S. troop surge was announced in late 2009, women in Afghanistan knew that the ground was being laid for peace talks with the Taliban. Peace Unveiled follows three women who immediately began to organize to make sure that women’s rights didn’t get traded away in the deal. One is a savvy parliamentarian, who participated in writing the Afghan constitution that guarantees equality for women; another, a former midwife who is one of the last women’s rights advocates alive in Kandahar; and the third, a young activist who lives in a traditional family in Kabul.

Additional Community Cinema film screenings and dates:

Sunday, October 16, 2-4 p.m.: Deaf Jam
Filmmaker Judy Lieff chronicles a journey of self-realization for deaf teen Aneta Brodski, as she reveals her passions, frustrations, and sense of humor through her exploration of American Sign Language Poetry.

Sunday, November 13, 2-4 p.m.: We Still Live Here
The Wampanoag nation of southeastern Massachusetts ensured the survival of the first English settlers in America, and lived to regret it. This film tells the story of the return to the Wampanoag language.

Sunday, April 15, 2012, 2-4 p.m.: Hell and Back Again
From his embed with US Marines Echo Company in Afghanistan, photojournalist and filmmaker Danfung Dennis reveals the devastating impact a Taliban machine-gun bullet has on the life of 25-year-old Sergeant Nathan Harris. The film seamlessly transitions from stunning war reportage to an intimate, visceral portrait of one man’s personal struggle at home in North Carolina, where Harris confronts the physical and emotional difficulties of re-adjusting to civilian life with the love and support of his wife, Ashley.

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 2-4 p.m.: Strong!
A formidable figure, standing at 5’8” and weighing over 300 pounds, Cheryl Haworth struggles to defend her champion status as her lifetime weightlifting career inches towards it inevitable end. Strong! chronicles her journey and the challenges this unusual elite athlete faces, exploring popular notions of power, strength, beauty and health.

Community Cinema is a groundbreaking public education and civic engagement initiative that brings together leading organizations, community members and public television stations to learn, discuss and get involved in today’s critical issues. The national project is supported in part by Independent Lens, PBS, CPB, National Endowment for the Arts, Women & Girls Lead, National Center for Media Engagement and ITVS.

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WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.