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Date: Monday, March 30, 2015
Time: 7PM
Location: Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA
Details: 2014, USA, 98 min
Director: Amir Bar-Lev
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*This event is a rescheduled screening of the snowed out January 26 screening date. All passholders are welcome and advance sale tickets will be honored for those who purchased them. Please be in touch with the Brattle Theatre with any questions about using those tickets.
Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival
Official Selection of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, 2014 HotDocs Film Festival, and 2014 Full Frame Film Festival
Director Amir Bar-Lev and Producer Ken Dornstein will attend in person for Q&A with Peter Keough of the Boston Globe.
Synopsis: Amir Bar-Lev’s documentary HAPPY VALLEY takes an unflinching look at an iconic American institution in the wake of unthinkable scandal. Nestled in the idyllic area known as Happy Valley lies the town of State College and the home of Penn State University. For over 40 years, Joe Paterno was the celebrated head coach of the school’s storied football team. Lauded not only for his program’s success on the field, but also for students’ achievements in the classroom, Paterno was a revered figure in a town where team loyalty approached nationalistic fervor. Then in November 2011 everything changed when longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse, setting off a firestorm of accusations about who failed to protect the children of Happy Valley. Filmed over the course of the year after Sandusky’s arrest as key players agreed to share their stories, HAPPY VALLEY deconstructs the story we think we know to uncover a much more complicated and tragic tale. Director Bar-Lev creates an indelible portrait of a wounded community and an engrossing investigation into the role big time college football played in both the crimes and their aftermath.
“Thorough, thoughtful, and heartbreaking.” – Los Angeles Times
“Riveting…turns the tables on the national perception of the scandal.” – IndieWire
The DocYard is an award-winning film and discussion series at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, and which also sponsors special screenings and co-presentations throughout the year. Each screening is a new experience as we connect audiences directly with filmmakers exploring the documentary form through insightful post-screening discussions.
