Feed your brain this week with the following local screenings of educational films about the proactive choices some women are making regarding breast cancer, and the impact that global warming may have on this region's environment.
Almost immediately following the news of Angelina Jolie's radical decision to have a preemptive double mastectomy, the local chapter of Gilda's Club will host the Rochester premiere of "Decoding Annie Parker," a film about a woman with a story that is very similar to Ms. Jolie's. By the age of 29, Annie Parker had lost her mother, sister, and a cousin to breast cancer. Parker was diagnosed, lost faith in coincidence, and research scientist Mary-Claire King's discovery of the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes proved that as many as 5 percent to 10 percent of all cases of breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer are hereditary.
Parker's story is told in the film, "Decoding Annie Parker," which stars Helen Hunt as King and Samantha Morton as Parker, and was an official selection of numerous film festivals, including Cannes. The film will be released this fall, but you can preview it in Rochester on Monday, June 24, at the Dryden Theatre of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.). The screening takes place at 7 p.m., and tickets are $30 (or $100 for a VIP ticket, which includes reserved seating and a pre-screening reception at 5:30 p.m. with the film's director, Steven Bernstein, and the real Annie Parker). Both ticket levels include a post-screening Q&A with Jack Garner, Bernstein, and Parker. Tickets may be purchased through EventBrite, via gildasclubrochester.org.
Rochester Community TV is celebrating its 20th anniversary year with a three-part film forum and speaker series spotlighting the effects of climate change from a local perspective. The second film in the series, "Comfort Zone," will be screened at the Cinema Theater (957 S. Clinton Ave.) on Monday, June 24, at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers.
In the documentary, local filmmakers Dave Danesh, Sean P. Donnelly, and Kate Kressmann-Kehoe bring global warming home by taking an intimate look at the impact climate change will have on Upstate New York. The film explores what will become of our apples and lilacs, our lakes and forests. Seating is limited and advanced ticket purchase is recommended. General admission is $6 per person, and tickets may be purchased at RCTV15 (21 Gorham St.), or online at RCTV15.org. For more information or to reserve a spot, call 325-1238 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. for pickup at the box office prior to the screening. For more information about the series, visit rctv15.org.
