Three filmmakers with ties to Pittsburgh will show their work as part of a special series at the Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave.
The Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, formerly Pittsburgh Filmmakers, will host films by directors Harry Greenberger, Scott Balcerek and Lori Felker, beginning on May 12.
The directors will introduce their works and answer questions afterward. The line-up, with descriptions from PCAM, includes:
• “Staring at the Sun,” with Greenberger – 8 p.m. May 12
The movie follows “two teenage Hasidic schoolgirls in Brooklyn, New York. Unable to live under the strict rules of their community, the teens take the family car and run away, travelling across America to find what they assume will be a life of total freedom. They discover that life beyond their insular world – where they don’t understand the game – is more dangerous than a world with too many rules.”
• “Satan & Adam,” with Balcerek – 8 p.m. May 19
Shot over 30 years, the film “tells the story of two musicians from opposite ends of life. Against the backdrop of racial discord in the city, Adam Gussow, a young white Jewish harmonica player, and Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee, an older black Mississippi bluesman, join forces to blaze a new musical trail after the two meet on the streets of 1986 Harlem. Bi-racial blues, or “Po-mo blues” changes their lives forever and contests longstanding notions of cultural appropriation.”
• “FUTURE LANGUAGE: The Dimensions of VON LMO,” with Felker – 8 p.m. May 26
The film “explores storytelling, ego, delusion, conviction and memory. VON LMO is a musician, artist and self-proclaimed alien-hybrid who was a part of the late 70s New York No Wave music scene. Between trips to his home planet of Strazar and multi-dimensional travel, VON has also spent time in prison and ‘on the streets of Earth.’”
Butler native Greenberger is a graduate of Ithaca College in New York. Following graduation, he worked for a commercial production company there, contributing to features including “Dogma,” “Bob Roberts” and “Innocent Blood.”
Following graduation from the University of Pittsburgh, Balcerek studied at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. In 1992, he saw Satan and Adam at a local indie music venue — two years later, he secured the first grants to start the film.
Living in Pittsburgh from 2001-05, Felker studied at Pittsburgh Filmmakers and was active in the local film and music scenes. She participated in the Mr. Roboto Project and played in a band called Adam & the Blackouts.
“In addition to providing support for artists during the production process, the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media aids in the final stage of filmmaking by putting the amazing works produced by our partners on the big screen, in front of an audience,” says Joseph Morrison, Director of Programming, Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to showcase the talents of former participants in our filmmaking program.”
