Friday, 10 January 2014 11:17
Film Screening On January 11 Launches Year 10 Programming For Saratoga Reads
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Saratoga Reads and SUNY Empire State College will present a screening of the film “Kandahar” on Saturday, Jan. 11, 1:30 p.m. at the Empire State College Center for Distance Learning, 113 West Ave, Saratoga Springs. The film will be followed by a moderated panel discussion.
The screening will kick off a series of events related to this year’s Saratoga Reads book of choice, “And the Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini. Saratoga Reads is celebrating it 10th year as a community-wide reading program.
The 2001 Iranian film “Kandahar” is set in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. It follows the partly true, partly fictionalized story of an Afghani-born woman living in Canada who returns to Afghanistan after her sister threatens suicide through a letter. Her harrowing journey into and through Afghanistan takes many twists and turns. The film is directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf and won him the Federico Fellini Prize from UNESCO in 2001.
Following the film, there will be a panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Himanee Gupta-Carlson, assistant professor and area coordinator for historical studies at the ESC center for distance learning. Panelists include Ryan Smithson, Empire State College graduate, US Military veteran, and author of “Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI” (2010); and Patricia A. Walsh and Arlene P. Loucks, sisters and co-authors of “The Pieces Comes Together…At Last: The Memoirs Of An Adult Adoptee and Her Sister” (2013).
The event is open to the public free of charge. Local Turkish restaurant Istanblue will provide a sampling of Mediterranean food.
Other January events centered on “And the Mountains Echoed” include a Books and Tea Book Discussion at Saratoga Springs Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 16, and a book discussion at the Moreau Community Center on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Students in grades K-12 are invited to enter the Saratoga Reads Lego contest, taking place on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Division Street School in Saratoga Springs. Entries are due to Saratoga Reads by Jan. 31.
For more information on these events, visit www.SaratogaReads.org.