Thursday, August 20, 2020 | Doors 7:30 PM | at the Greenville Drive-In

// FREE // 
at the Greenville Drive-In
10700 NY-32, Greenville, NY 12083

With an opening short film from ALL ARTS’ The “C” Files with Maria Brito
BASILICA SCREENS THE BIFF:  Summer Series of Non-Fiction Films

Doors at 7:30 PM
Screening at 8:30 PM

Basilica Hudson returns for its second installment of the Basilica Non-Fiction Screening Series at the Greenville Drive-In with Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly (78 minutes), presented by the Berkshire International Film Festival as a part of their 2020 program.

This event is free, with a suggested donation of $15 at the box office or made online to help sustain Basilica Hudson and support filmmakers. Capacity is limited to 125 cars, first come first serve.

Directed by Cheryl Haines and co-directed by Gina Leibrecht, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly begins with the story of how Weiwei’s father received an anonymous postcard while in exile as a dissident poet in the 1950s, and how this one small act of humanity had a profoundly moving and transformational impact on both father and son. In the film, Weiwei elaborates on this meaningful event, revealing candid details about his childhood, including years of privation on the edge of the Gobi Desert.

Human rights become profoundly personal when Ai Weiwei, China’s most famous artist, transforms Alcatraz Island prison into an astonishing expression of socially-engaged art focused on the plight of the unjustly incarcerated. At the core of the installation, called @Large, were portraits of prisoners of conscience coupled with the opportunity to write letters of solidarity to the imprisoned.

In her impassioned and powerful film, director Cheryl Haines captures this monumental exhibition from conception to fruition, and as well visits current and former prisoners, including American whistleblower Chelsea Manning, to learn how these letters were vital to their survival.

“One of the great films of the year! A near-perfect look at Weiwei’s art installation that took place on Alcatraz Island. Truly magical…a must-see!“
-Steve Kopian, Unseen films

“Powerful! A moving cinematic experience and so wide-ranging a project that it is likely to appeal even to those who might not think they are interested in the famed artist.”
-Barbara Pollack, ArtNews

The film will begin with an introductory short film “For Freedoms” from ALL ARTS’ series The “C” Files with Maria Brito. Art curator and advisor Maria Brito and artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman, co-founders of the collective, For Freedoms, discuss freedom in America, voting rights and art as a medium for participatory engagement. Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, director of the Jack Shainman Gallery and an original For Freedoms member is also interviewed.

ABOUT THE BASILICA NON-FICTION SCREENING SERIES
This screening is part of Basilica Hudson’s Basilica Non-Fiction Screening Series, which explores the documentary genre through screenings and dialogue with visiting directors. Despite the fact that Basilica Hudson has closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, we remain committed to bringing independent film to the Hudson Valley. Basilica Hudson is thrilled to partner with the Greenville Drive-In to move the Basilica Non-Fiction Screening Series OUTDOORS. 

Now in its ninth year, Basilica’s film program has displayed a long-standing commitment to bringing independent and innovative voices in film to the Hudson waterfront, through new and repertory film and video art, often with filmmakers and special guests in conversation.

This free screening is made possible by Leigh and Dwight of the Greenville Drive-in and our partners at the Berkshire International Film Festival and ALL ARTS. Basilica Hudson’s Film and Media program is generously supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the Alexander & Marjorie Hover Foundation.