On Tour: Wilmington, DE

September 28, 2016 | Sweet Dreams | Wilmington, DE

Wrapping up our tour, I arrived in Wilmington Delaware, where we screened Sweet Dreams at the restored Queen Theater – a community arts venue supported by the Light Up the Queen Foundation. After the screening, audience members were invited to gather around café tables for pizza, salad and informal discussion.

Though we have been fortunate that Sweet Dreams has had both a robust festival life as well as a theatrical and semi theatrical roll-out, the On Screen/In Person series brought the film to parts of the country and types of audiences that we had not yet reached. Many thanks to the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation for hosting this remarkable series and  choosing us to be part of it!

Post submitted by On Screen/In Person filmmaker Lisa Fruchtman

On Tour: West Long Branch, NJ

September 22, 2016 | Sweet Dreams | West Long Branch, NJ

“It added a special layer to have Eugenie there in person to answer questions about her own experience both in Rwanda and in the US.”

At Monmouth University, Vaune Peck, director of Center for the Arts put a lot of effort into drawing a large and diverse audience for the film and also invited Rwandan genocide survivor Eugenie Mukeshimana to join me in the Q&A afterwards.  Eugenie was a young adult who gave birth to her first child while in hiding during the genocide. When she emigrated to the US in 2001 to pursue a degree in social work she was surprised how little most people knew of the Rwanda genocide. In 2010 she founded the Genocide Survivors Support Network (GSSN) to provide support for other survivors living in the US and to educate communities about the genocide.

The audience was moved and inspired by the film and had many questions afterwards. It added a special layer to have Eugenie there in person to answer questions about her own experience both in Rwanda and in the US. Eugenie had seen Sweet Dreams when it first showed at the United Nations – but drove all the way from Baltimore to be part of this screening and conversation.

Post submitted by On Screen/In Person filmmaker Lisa Fruchtman

On Tour: Blue Bell, PA

September 21, 2016 | Sweet Dreams | Blue Bell, PA

The next day I drove to Blue Bell PA, where Montgomery County Community College hosted the Sweet Dreams screening. Brent Woods, Director of Cultural Affairs greeted me warmly and explained that our screening was part of the “Lively Arts Series” run out of the college. While he hoped that students would attend (it was the first two weeks of semester) their mandate was to reach out into the larger community as well.  So, in fact, it was older community members who made up the majority of our audience.

The screening room was small and cozy and we had a great discussion after the  film.

 Post by On Screen/In Person touring filmmaker Lisa Fruchtman.

On Tour: Brookville, NY

September 20, 2016 | Sweet Dreams | Brookville, NY

As Rob was finishing Part 1 of the Sweet Dreams screening tour, I began Part 2.

I arrived at Long Island University Post in Brookville, NY and was astonished to find the beautiful Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. Tilles Center is a major concert hall which hosts world- renowned music, theater and dance artists as well as being home to the Long Island Philharmonic and the Eglevsky Ballet.

Though our screening was a small event by comparison, Production Manager Bob Goida took care to make sure that all was set up properly and Sweet Dreams looked and sounded fantastic. What a treat!

For the Q&A after the film I was joined by Shawn Welnak, Asst. Professor of Philosophy and Carol Boyer, Associate Professor of Finance who graciously gave time after their busy work days to attend and be part of the conversation with the audience.

 Post by On Screen/In Person touring filmmaker Lisa Fruchtman