Film Screening of Lia
Tuesday, December 6, 7:00 p.m., Wechsler Theater (MGC 315)
DC Premiere of LIA, documentary film by Israeli director Taly Goldenberg, about the life of Lia Van Leer, legendary founder of the Israel Film Archive and cinematheques in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Born in 1924 in what is now Moldovia, her parents sent her to live in Israel, where she survived the war, but never saw them again. This compelling portrait traces van Leer’s life and passion for cinema beginning in the 1950s. In 1984 Lia created the Jerusalem Film Festival and still serves as director of its board. Throughout the years, van Leer brought the glamorous world of movies to Israel, often casually entertaining famous actors and directors in her Jerusalem home while maintaining her dedication to supporting emerging filmmakers.
The screening of Lia will be preceded by a short, My Mother Was a Coast Guard Spar. The SPARS (Semper Paratus, Always Ready) were Coast Guard Women Reservists recruited during WWII so that men could go to war. One of the initial twelve recruits, the filmmaker’s mother remembers the experience including discriminatory policies of the time.
POST-FILM DISCUSSION WITH filmmaker Aviva Kempner and Fred Lazin, Schusterman, Visiting Israeli Professor at American University.
CO-SPONSORED BY the Washington Jewish Film Festival, Embassy of Israel, American University Center for Israel Studies and America Israel Cultural Foundation
Tickets free for AU students, faculty, and staff.
RSVP for tickets: Laura Cutler, 202-885-3780 or cutler@american.edu
RSVP Required
Cited from the Center For Israeli Studies website.