In the first-ever festival focused on Newton directors and producers, the West Newton Cinema will show films by an impressive group of local moviemakers to raise funds for the independent, and now nonprofit, West Newton Cinema.
Spotlight: Newton Filmmakers, running September 26-29, will showcase five short films and nine feature-length movies, all made by producers and directors who are current Newton residents (except one, a former resident). After each screening, audience members can participate in a question-and-answer session with the creators.
“People don’t realize that … Newton is kind of a hotbed of documentary filmmaking,” said Jerry Reilly, co-founder of the Newton Nomadic Theater.
Reilly and his longtime friend, Anne Marie Stein, chairwoman of the Newton Cultural Council, came up with the idea for the fundraiser as part of the ongoing efforts to maintain and improve the facility.
“All of the filmmakers are doing really interesting work,” said Stein, the former executive director of the now shuttered Boston Film/Video Foundation. “These are all people who have extraordinary resumes.”
As Fig City News previously reported, the West Newton Cinema Foundation (WNCF) completed its purchase of the cinema on August 27— a major milestone in keeping the theatre a thriving nonprofit cultural and community center. The theatre had been owned by the Bramante family for more than 40 years, until it was acquired by Mark Development in 2022. WNCF then raised $5.6 million needed to buy it from the company and is seeking additional donations to renovate the aging facility.
WNCF’s overall goal is to raise $14 million, which includes the $5.6 million already raised for the acquisition, plus $4.4 million for building renovation/restoration, and $4 million to create an endowment to support future programming and building maintenance.
Something old, something new
All of the filmmakers participating in the festival agreed to show their movies (some of which took years to produce) without compensation in order to raise the maximum amount of funds for their neighborhood cinema.
“I’m really happy to be able to help them,” said Michal Goldman, who created the Boston Jewish Film Festival in 1989. The Spotlight: Newton Filmmakers festival will mark the sneak preview of her documentary, Why We Dance.
“It blew my mind when I saw who Anne Marie was getting films from [for the festival],” said Goldman. “It’s an extraordinary roster of filmmakers.”
Goldman’s own movie is about a Newton Senior Center Zumba class that went online during the Covid pandemic and ended up being a lifeline for the dozens of (mostly) women who still join in to this day.
“It’s a joyful and antic kind of film,” said Goldman, who is looking forward to the Q&A session that will be held after the screening of her movie.
“I love hearing from the audience and interacting in that way,” she said. “That’s what makes it feel like a festival – when the filmmakers are there.”
Carma Hinton, who co-created The Gate of Heavenly Peace with her husband Richard Gordon in 1995, also is looking forward to chatting with audience members.
“The best films raise good questions,” she said.
The couple’s documentary revisits the events and “complex political process that led to the protests and eventual Beijing massacre of June 4,” in Tiananmen Square, as stated in the online movie summary.
This is the first time that Hinton and Gordon’s film will have been shown at the local theater.
“We’re very honored that we can bring our film to a Newton audience,” said Hinton. “These independent cinemas are so important for the cultural life of a community.”
Festival details
West Newton Cinema is located at 1296 Washington Street. Tickets and more information are available online. The schedule for the Spotlight: Newton Filmmakers festival is as follows:
Thursday, September 26, 6PM (five short films):
- Repetition Compulsion, by Ellie Lee
- Dog Days, by Ellie Lee
- Exit Interview, by Linda Goetz
- The Attic, by Linda Goetz
- Seduction Theory, by Steve Ascher
Thursday, September 26, 7:45PM:
- So Much So Fast, by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan
Friday, September 27, 6PM:
- Rebel, by Maria Agui Carter
Friday, September 27, 7:45PM
- Out of Sight, by David Sutherland
Saturday, September 28, 1PM:
- The Gate of Heavenly Peace, by Carma Hinton and Richard Gordon
Saturday, September 28, 7PM:
- Bonnie Blue, by Bestor Cram
Sunday, September 29, 1:30PM (double feature):
- Wild Innovators, by Maria Agui Carter
- A Reckoning in Boston, by James Rutenbeck
Sunday, September 29, 4PM (double feature):
- A Father’s Kaddish, by Jen Kaplan
- Why We Dance, by Michal Goldman
