The Greenwich International Film Festival is very excited to be returning to The Avon Theatre for three events during the 2017 Festival. GIFF will be kicking off our 4 days of parties, panels and film screenings on Wednesday, May 31st with a screening of HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND FALL OF ISIS at The Avon. Next up is our exciting and educational panel, LIVE FROM CONNECTICUT: A Discussion with SNL Writers Tim Herlihy and Bryan Tucker on Thursday, June 1st. The last event at The Avon is the Sunday morning screening of A24’s new film MENAHSE, a poignant story that is a must-see for all.
We are so excited to be partnering with The Avon again for our 2017 Festival. Their gorgeous space is the perfect place to host events and we are honored to continue to grow our relationship with them each year. We hope to see you at The Avon!
HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND FALL OF ISIS
Wednesday, May 31st – 7:00 PM
Directed By: Sebastian Junger & Nick Quested
Run Time: 100 mins
Country: USA
In National Geographic Documentary Films’ HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND THE RISE OF ISIS, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and best-selling author Sebastian Junger and his Emmy-winning filmmaking partner, Nick Quested, chronicle Syria’s descent into the unbridled chaos that allowed the rise of the Islamic State, better known as ISIS. Pulling from nearly 1,000 hours of stunningly visceral footage — from that of a family living under ISIS control that finally fled to Turkey, to Kurdish fighters in Sinjar and Shia militias in Iraq and even to al-Qaida-affiliated fighters in and around Aleppo and Raqqa — Junger and Quested cover the ISIS catastrophe from multiple angles and feature interviews with top experts from around the world. Consequently, the filmmakers, who previously collaborated on a trio of films about war (Restrepo, The Last Patrol and Korengal), capture the Syrian war’s harrowing carnage, political and social consequences, and, most important, its human toll, while painting an alarming picture of the west’s role in the creation of ISIS.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Nick Quested.
Purchase tickets HERE
LIVE FROM CONNECTICUT
A Discussion with Saturday Night Live Writers
Thursday, June 1st – 7:00 PM
Sponsored by First Republic
In Partnership with Writer’s Guild of America East
NBC’s Saturday Night Live has become one of the most popular, celebrated, and longest-running programs in television history. It has been a preeminent breeding ground and launching pad for some of the best comedy writers, most talented performers, and biggest stars of the last forty years. Join us for an engaging panel with SNL head writers Tim Herlihy and Bryan Tucker to discuss the creative process of script to screen. Moderator: Lorne Manly, New York Times.
Purchase tickets HERE
MENASHE
Sunday, June 4th – 11:00 AM
In Partnership with the Stamford JCC
Directed By: Joshua Z Weinstein
Run Time: 82 mins
Country: USA
Set within the New York Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn, MENASHE follows a kind but hapless grocery store clerk trying to maintain custody of his son, Rieven, after his wife, Lea, passes away. Since they live in a tradition-bound culture that requires a mother present in every home, Rieven is supposed to be adopted by the boy’s strict, married uncle, but Menashe’s Rabbi decides to grant him one week to spend with Rieven prior to Lea’s memorial. Their time together creates an emotional moment of father/son bonding as well as offers Menashe a final chance to prove to his skeptical community that he can be a capable parent.
Shot in secret entirely within the Hasidic community depicted in the film, and one of the only movies to be performed in Yiddish in nearly 70 years, MENASHE is a warm, life-affirming look at the universal bonds between father and son that also sheds unusual light on a notoriously private community. Based largely on the real life of its Hasidic star Menashe Lustig, the film is a strikingly authentic and deeply moving portrait of family, love, connection, and community
Purchase tickets HERE
