QC Film Blog

"Scandal in Ivansk" (Lloyd M. Burstein Memorial Holocaust Film Series)

'Scandal in Ivansk' uncovers more than historic cemetery

By Linda Cook, Film Critic
Quad City Times

Except for a few bits of foul language, this is a gentle film about a sinister event.

Or perhaps I should more accurately write “series of events.” The titular “Scandal in Ivansk” didn’t unfold overnight. You will see how it happened over the course of time in this thought-provoking documentary by filmmaker David Blumenfeld.

Some years ago, Blumenfeld read testimony from a survivor from the Ivansk “shtetl” where Blumenfeld’s grandfather lived in south-central Poland.

Yitzhak Goldstein remembered how, the day before the Nazis deported the last Jews from the village in 1942, the Jews gathered to bury the Torah scrolls in the Jewish cemetery.

Blumenfeld, from Jerusalem, learned about what happened not only to the Jewish population of Ivansk, but also to the Torah scrolls and the cemetery itself, which was supposed to be restored.

Read the rest of Linda Cook's review HERE!

See "Scandal in Ivansk" on Sunday, March 31st, 2019 at 4:00 pm – 5:20 pm at the Figge Art Museum, 225 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA.  Tickets are $7; $6 ages 60 and up and military; free students. 

Mark your calendars for the final film in the series, "Who Will Write Our History", Sunday, May 12, 2019 (4 PM).

Sponsors for this film series: The Joyce and Tony Singh Family Foundation, Rauch Family Foundation II, Inc., Wheelan-Pressley Funeral Homes, Jewel Osco, Stanley and Bernice Harris Memorial Endowment Fund, Bernard and Irene Goldstein Memorial Endowment Fund, Louis & Ida-Fox Rich Fund, and Gary and Randi Segal Family.

Looking for great documentaries, independent, foreign, classic and other noteworthy films in the Quad-Cities area? Visit QCFilmBlog.com for the latest screenings and special film events.

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"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" Screens in Andover March 30

Following its two sold out weekends at the Putnam in Davenport and at the Garfield in Cincinnati, a special benefit screening of Sons & Daughters of Thunder, a new film by Mid-America Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will be held on Saturday March 30 at the Augustana Lutheran Church, 628 6th Street in Andover, Illinois.  A pre-show reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. until 7:15 p.m.   The film will screen at 7:30 p.m. in the main sanctuary.  The event includes a lobby display of costumes and props, and a Talkback with the filmmakers and several stars following the film.  A FREE WILL offering is asked to attend the event and benefits the preservation of the Jenny Lind Chapel.

In the early 19^th Century, Christianity was at a crossroads.  Fellows in the faith took up sides for or against the South’s peculiar institution based on their interpretation of the scriptures.  In 1834, if polite discussion about abolishing slavery were considered inappropriate among Americans in Northern states, then eighteen days of public student-sponsored debates on the divisive subject at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio were scandalous.

Organized by Theodore Weld (portrayed by actor Thomas Alan Taylor), one of the architects of the abolitionist movement, the shocking oratory sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher Stowe (played by actress Jessica Taylor) to the horrors of slavery.

When school trustees slapped a gag order on the "Lane Rebels," most of the students left the school in collective protest.  Inspired by the debates and her first-hand observations of slavery across the Ohio River, Harriet’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was described by President Abraham Lincoln as the book that started the Civil War.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder is based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.  The film features an original score by William Campbell, the composer behind the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Lifeboat”.  The film stars numerous actors from the Quad Cities area, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The producers note that the film is not for young children, and the film’s detailed discussions of slavery might suggest a PG-13 rating.

The film is available to PRE-ORDER on DVD by clicking HERE. The DVDs will ship in late July.

Moline Public Library features "Promise and Prejudice" Becoming American documentary series March 12

The Moline Public Library presents "Promise and Prejudice" - Becoming American: A Documentary and Discussion Series on 'Our Immigration Experience' on Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.  Free to the public. 

“Promise and Prejudice” explores the tension—historic and current—between Americans’ acceptance of immigrants, including the celebration of their own immigrant heritage, versus the periodic backlash prompted by concern about the economic and cultural effects of newcomers.

The Moline Public Library is located at 3210 41st St, Moline, IL.

Looking for great documentaries, independent, foreign, classic and other noteworthy films in the Quad-Cities area? Visit QCFilmBlog.com for the latest screenings and special film events.

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"Sex Madness" Classic Movie Screens at Village Theater March 9

The 1938 classic "Sex Madness" will screen on Saturday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Theater, 2113 E. 11th Street, Davenport, Iowa.  A panel discussion will follow the film. $5/pp.  (Rated--not for children)

Film Synopsis:

The film centers on Paul Lorenz, a "concerned citizen" alarmed at the spread of venereal diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea. However, at a New York City burlesque show, several protagonists are more intent on engagement in sexual pleasure, regardless of the subsequent costs. They include Paul's own son Tom, burlesque dancer Sheila Wayne (who has syphilis), and two secretaries, lesbian Peggy and Betty, whom she is trying to seduce. However, one figure is not amongst them- Millicent Hamilton, a reformed former burlesque dancer. Millicent won a beauty contest in her hometown, which led her to New York, but a "casting couch" sexual encounter led her to contract syphilis. Millicent is told by her physician, Dr. Hamilton, that her condition can be cured, but only after slow, and painstaking treatment, and she should reject quack pseudo-cures. Millicent consents to this, eager to return to her home town and marry her boyfriend, Wendell- but will she heed the doctor's warnings? And what will the consequences be if she does not?

Wild parties, lesbianism, and premarital sex are some of the forms of 'madness' portrayed. The educational aspect of the film allowed it to portray a taboo subject which was otherwise forbidden by the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930, and its stricter version imposed by Hollywood studios in July 1934.

Looking for great documentaries, independent, foreign, classic and other noteworthy films in the Quad-Cities area? Visit QCFilmBlog.com for the latest screenings and special film events.

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"The Century of Immigration" - Becoming American: A Documentary and Discussion Series March 5 at The Figge

The Figge Art Museum presents "The Century of Immigration" - Becoming American: A Documentary and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience on Tuesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m.  Free to the public. 

Looking for great documentaries, independent, foreign, classic and other noteworthy films in the Quad-Cities area? Visit QCFilmBlog.com for the latest screenings and special film events.

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St. Ambrose Screening of Oscar-Nominated "Lifeboat" Draws Large Crowd

Oscar-nominated "Lifeboat" director Skye Fitzgerald and composer Bill Campbell took part in a 'Talk-Back' session led by moderator Kelly Rundle.

The Oscar-nominated short documentary "Lifeboat" drew a large crowd at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center on Friday, March 1.  Following the film, the audience enjoyed hearing director Skye Fitzgerald and the film's composer Bill Campbell, St. Ambrose music professor, take part in a lively 'Talk-Back' session moderated by Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films. 

Fitzgerald, Campbell and others from the film's team attended the 91st annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on February 24th.  The 35-minute documentary was among five films nominated in the Documentary Short Subject category. "Period. End of Silence" took home the Oscar.

The theater begins to fill up prior to the screening of "Lifeboat".

From the film's website Lifeboatdocumentary.com: "In 2015 our team produced 50 Feet from Syria - focused on the civilian impact of the Syrian conflict. This was the first of a triad of films focused on one of the great humanitarian crises of our time – the plight of refugees in a global and interconnected world. 

In a political environment increasingly hostile to immigrants and refugees, documenting the real-life plight of those fleeing war and oppression is more vital and important than ever. 

LIFEBOAT bears witness to refugees desperate enough to risk their lives in rubber boats leaving Libya in the middle of the night, despite a high probability of drowning. With few resources but certain that civil society must intervene, volunteers from a German non-profit risk the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts. 

In a real-life context with dire consequences, LIFEBOAT puts a human face on one of the world’s greatest contemporary, global crises and provides a spark of hope surrounding how civil society can intervene in the refugee crisis in a meaningful way."

For more information about the documentary, visit Lifeboatdocumentary.com.

Looking for great documentaries, independent, foreign, classic and other noteworthy films in the Quad-Cities area? Visit QCFilmBlog.com for the latest screenings and special film events.

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