The Jewish Documentary Film Series will mark its third year with three weeks' worth of films, all aligning with the theme "Contributions to America."
Presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, the series takes place the next three Wednesdays at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace. All of the film screenings begin at 7 p.m.
Cost is $7 with complimentary popcorn and a drink. For more information, call 423-493-0270 or visit www.jewishchatta nooga.com.
* Wednesday, Nov. 30: "Projections of America" and "Autobiography of a Jeep."
Narrated by John Lithgow, "Projections of America" tells the story of a team of politically engaged filmmakers, led by Academy Award winner Robert Riskin, who hoped to use the power of the movies to reshape the world during the darkest days of World War II. As Allied forces liberated Western Europe, the military campaign was accompanied by a vast propaganda effort, and at its center was the Projections of America series, 26 short documentaries idealizing American life targeted at the newly liberated populations. These gorgeously crafted films presented stories of cowboys and oilmen, farmers and window washers, immigrants and schoolchildren. Passionate letters between Riskin and actress Fay Wray, read by actors, frame the story.
"Autobiography of a Jeep," will screen as an added feature. This 1943 propaganda film, produced by the U.S. Office of War Information, is told from the perspective of a Jeep, the utilitarian military vehicle that exemplified a can-do American attitude. The film was screened around the world, but was especially popular in France, where it had its first screenings soon after the D-Day landings. According to The New York Times, whenever the film was shown in Normandy, audiences responded with cheers of "Vive la Jeep!"
The screening will be followed by a discussion and audience Q&A with the film's editor, Amy Linton.
* Wednesday, Dec. 7: "Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict."
This film highlights the life of a central figure in the modern art movement, a colorful character and heiress to a family fortune who collected both art and friendships with artists.
* Wednesday, Dec. 14: "Morgenthau."
The film chronicles the lives of three generations of an American family: Henry Morgenthau Sr., U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire; Henry Morgenthau Jr., U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and Robert M. Morgenthau, district attorney of New York County for more than 30 years.