The Stratford AdventureUniversity of Waterloo, Stratford Campus125 St. Patrick StreetThursday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m.This 1954 Oscar-nominated film follows the founding of the Festival: how the idea grew, how a famous British director, international stars and Canadian talent were recruited, and how the Stratford Festival finally became a triumphant reality. Includes a post-screening chat with director Morten Parker. Admission: $20.Dark LullabiesUniversity of Waterloo, Stratford Campus125 St. Patrick StreetFriday, June 14, at 5:30 p.m.Canadian filmmaker Irene Lilienheim Angelico reaches for comprehension of the Holocaust through interviews with survivors and their children in Montreal and Israel – and with their contemporaries in Germany. Winner of six international awards, and selected as one of the 50 greatest documentaries of all time at the international Salute to the Documentary, the film will be followed by a chat with Angelico. Admission: $20.An Unlikely Obsession: Churchill and the JewsUniversity of Waterloo, Stratford Campus125 St. Patrick StreetWednesday, July 10, at 5:30 p.m.A powerful documentary examining a neglected aspect of one of world history’s most renowned leaders: Winston Churchill’s relationship to Jews and Jewish issues. Drawing on a treasure trove of interviews featuring Churchill family members, Lord Conrad Black, Alan Dershowitz and others, the film explores the origins, implications and results of this world leader’s commitment to his generation’s most vulnerable people. Join director Barry Avrich and producer Michael Levine for a discussion after the screening. Admission: $20.Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream University of Waterloo, Stratford Campus125 St. Patrick StreetSunday, July 14, at 8 p.m. Based on Neal Gabler’s best-selling book An Empire of Their Own, this award-winning feature-length documentary tells the story of the men who founded Hollywood. All were immigrants, or children of immigrants, who wanted to reinvent themselves as Americans. In the process, they reinvented America. Includes a post-screening chat with director Simcha Jacobovici. Admission: $20. Budrus University of Waterloo, Stratford Campus125 St. Patrick StreetWednesday, August 14, at 2 p.m. An award-winning documentary about a Palestinian community organizer who united Fatah and Hamas members with Israeli supporters to save his village from destruction. Includes a post-screening chat with producer Ronit Avni. Admission: $20.
Support for the inaugural season of The Forum is generously provided by Kelly and Michael Meighen