Films About Faith Bring Together Members Of Mixed Congregations

The Festival of Films and Faith Series will bring thought provoking films about with a central theme of faith to the Main Stage at for the eleventh year in a row. The film screenings are followed by a discussion group that brings together the various religious organizations and ideas in the area.

Volunteers from The Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, , The Little Portion Friary of Mt.Sinai, Protestant Campus Ministry at Stony Brook University, Temple Isaiah, , and B'nai Shalom Hebrew Center gathered to select very different, but equally engaging films.

“It’s a great group to work with and there’s an interesting mix of traditions, many of which are more alike than they are different,” said Winifred Pardo,  a volunteer member on the film series committee.

Every year the twelve members of the festival in the committee put together a different list of commercial, independent and foreign films that they feel casually address the issue of faith in a fun, educational and not so obvious manner. 

“We look for films that are of a good quality, that are not preachy, but more food for thought,” said Pardo. “None of the films selected are produced by religious groups of any kind.”

This spring, the committee plans on screening the Oscar nominated indie hit Little Miss Sunshine, starring Academy Award Winner Alan Arkin and the dark drama Goodbye Solo.

Each screening will be followed by a half hour long interfaith panel, led by a moderator and three different members of three of the sponsoring faith groups.

After the panel, members from the remaining groups host a pleasant reception downstairs in the Ronald F. Peierls Theater, giving attendees an extra opportunity to engage one another in more in depth and informal discussions.

“The films are highly discussable and audience participation is highly encouraged,” said Pardo. “We usually get at least 100 people to attend and so far we have had a good responses to the program.”

Admission is free to members of the congregations mentioned above, while the general public is asked to make a $5 donation. Screenings start at 7 p.m. in the Main Theater at Theatre Three. Little Miss Sunshine will be shown on Thursday, May 19 and Goodbye Solo will be showing on Thursday, May 26.