Home of the Brave at Riverview Cinemas in Southbury

SOUTHBURY FILM COUNCIL BRINGS HISTORY HOME WITH PANEL DISCUSSION AND SCREENING OF

“HOME OF THE BRAVE: WHEN SOUTHBURY SAID NO TO THE NAZIS”

AT HOMETOWN MOVIE THEATRE

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 The Southbury Film Council (SFC) will bring the historical film Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis (HOTB), to its hometown movie theater, Sunday, March 31^st. The special screening and panel discussion will take place at Riverview Cinemas, 690 Main Street South from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

 During the 1930s, the German American Bund established Nazi training camps in communities across the United States. The 36 minute documentary chronicles the events in 1937, when the Bund purchased a large tract of land in the Kettletown section of Southbury, in order to build what it hoped would be the largest such camp.

The citizens of the town, with the help of their clergy and town officials, organized a response that kept the Nazis out. Thanks to their unified efforts, Southbury became the only town in the U.S. that said no to the Nazi-aligned group.

                The movie will be followed by a panel discussion with those most responsible for bringing this story to the public’s attention. It will also be accompanied by the 15 minute companion film Honoring the Brave, which goes behind the scenes of the making of HOTB and its premiere back in 2012 with Southbury residents’ reaction to the original film.

                This will be the first time the panelists have gathered together to reflect on their involvement with the film and what the experience of the past six years has meant to each of them. Southbury’s former First Selectman Ed Edelson, became intrigued by the story when he and his wife moved to town in 2004. It was at that time that Edelson and fellow panelist Rabbi Eric Polokoff of B’nai Israel in Southbury, met and committed to making a documentary to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the events of 1937.

                “When I first heard about what happened in Southbury in 1937, I thought it was a pretty good story,” said Edelson.  “Now as I show the documentary to groups all over the world, I realize it is a significant story that has important lessons about how a community came together to stop the purveyors of hate and fear.  I am so proud to have played a part in revitalizing this story and give it the prominence it deserves.”

                Panelist Reverend Shannon Wall, the past Acting Pastor of the South Britain Congregational church where the events took place, did extensive research on the story and helped locate the daughters of Reverend Lindsay, the church’s pastor at the time of the historic events.

                The investigative reporting in the mid-1990s by panelist Chris Gardner, who was a newspaper reporter and Bureau chief in Southbury for the Republican American, helped to refocus the community’s attention to the story.

                The Southbury Historical Society (TSHS) became the trust for funds used to produce the project. Vice President of TSHS, Melinda Elliot joins the panel as a historian who had the opportunity to work with the original documents relating to the Bund incident of 1937.

                Completing the panel is Scott Sniffen, Producer and Director of HOTB, who was brought in to produce the documentary in 2012 and share the dramatic story. Sniffen worked with fellow panelists and local citizens to create the film, which includes interviews with several people close to the events, and eyewitnesses.

                Sniffen has since been nominated for an Emmy Award for HOTB which has enjoyed great success and numerous screenings across the country including airing on CPTV in CT and being entered into the Boston International Film Festival.

                “Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis not only tells an important story about a community working together to stand up to a hateful group; it also raises questions about what individuals and communities could do in modern times if faced with a similar situation,” explained Sniffen. “The documentary raises the question: What would your community or organization do today?”   

                Proceeds from the screening will benefit The Southbury Historical Society. Tickets for the screening and panel discussion are $10 each. Seating is limited to the first 65 ticket buyers. To reserve your seat, please visit Riverview Cinema’s website at https://riverviewcinemas8.com

                The SFC is a local group of residents who work to promote film centric events within the town of Southbury. For information on future events, email them at southburyfilm@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook.

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Contact:  Fran Tepperman, tepperman@earthlink.net, 203 510-1677