Opalka Gallery’s Free Fall Films

Sage’s Opalka Gallery kicks off their film series this week. All films are free and open to the public.

Thursday, September 15, 6:30pm: Blue Like Me: The Art of Siona Benjamin (2015) and Next Year in Bombay (2010)

This double feature pairs two short documentaries that explore aspects of the Bene Israel Jewish community in Mumbai, India.Blue Like Me _follows artist Siona Benjamin as she travels back to her childhood home while _Next Year in Bombay explores the community’s traditions through the eyes of one family.

Thursday, September 29, 6:30pm: Shree 420 (1955)

This classic Bollywood film stars Nadira, a Baghdadi Jewish actress. In early 20th Century India, Jewish actresses were able to play roles denied Hindu and Muslim women because of religious and cultural restrictions. Shree 420 tells the story of a country boy, played by director Raj Kapoor, who comes to the big city with dreams of success but is distracted by wicked temptations.

Thursday, October 27, 6:30pm: Herman’s House (2013), discussion afterward led by Barbara Nelson, lead architect, Breathing Lights and Executive Director at TAP Inc., the Capital Region’s Community Design Center

In partnership with the award-winning documentary series POV, WMHT and the Breathing Lights project, a multi-city art installation in Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, Opalka presents Herman’s House (2013), a film about friendship between the longest-serving prisoner in solitary confinement and an artist who reached out to him and a testament to the transformative power of art.

Thursday, November 10, 6:30pm: Eva Hesse (2016)

This highly acclaimed documentary includes dozens of new interviews, high quality footage of Eva Hesse’s artwork and a wealth of newly discovered archival imagery to trace the artist’s path and engages in a lively investigation into the creative community of 1960’s New York and Germany.

Thursday, December 1, 6:30pm: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (2015)

Filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland examines the life of famed art collector, Peggy Guggenheim, and how her relationships with major figures such as Duchamp, Pollock and Rothko were entwined with her passion for contemporary art. The film is a glimpse into the world of a colorful character, who was not only ahead of her time but also helped define it.