"Land of Songs" (2015) Film Screening

NOTE CHANGE OF START AND END TIME

PROGRAM:

6:00-7:00pm Reception hosted by Consulate General of Lithuania in Los Angeles and Lithuania's Honorary Consul in San Francisco (Lathrop Library lobby)
7:00-8:00pm Screening of the film, "Land of Songs" (Bishop Auditorium)
8:00-8:30pm Q&A with the film director Aldona Watts (Bishop Auditorium)

All aspects of program are free and open to the public.

Aldona Watts is a filmmaker interested in subjects relating to gender, music, and the intersections of folklore and counterculture. After releasing her first film "Land of Songs", she is currently working on new film projects in the Bay Area and New York.  Aldona is an organizer at Her Girl Friday, a Brooklyn-based group that produces events for female-identified journalists and nonfiction storytellers. She hosted and produced a weekly radio show about punk music and culture that broadcasted in New York on WNYU FM and in Vilnius, Lithuania on Start FM, as well as from an undisclosed location in the Netherlands. She has produced audio documentaries about issues relating to gender, culture, and society in Lithuania, directed youth programs in broadcast media, and managed a youth radio station in Queens, New York. She graduated from New York University with an Interdisciplinary B.A. in Gender Studies, Art, and Media Studies.

In a region of Lithuania known as the "Land of Songs," five charming grandmothers are the bearers of their village's ancient folk singing tradition. Singing has nourished their lifelong friendships, and helped them to cope with decades of war and occupation. As the village's youth move away, the grandmothers struggle to keep their songs alive. "Land of Songs" had its World Premiere at the Vilnius International Film Festival in Vilnius, Lithuania and its U.S. Premiere with the Margaret Mead Film Festival at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it was awarded the Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award Honorable Mention. "Land of Songs" was selected for Independent Filmmaker Project's 2014 Spotlight on Documentaries at Film Week in New York and is fiscally sponsored by San Francisco Film Society.

See here for more information about "Land of Songs:"http://www.landofsongs.com 

RSVP requested.  

Reception co-sponsored by Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles (Consul General Mr. Darius Gaidys), and Honorary Consul of Lithuania in San Francisco, Mr. Dennis Garrison.