(MADISON, NJ) -- The Film Society of Summit presents a screening of The Catskills on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at the Madison Community Arts Center. This is an audience-pleasing documentary on the rise and fall of the Borscht Belt. The screening begins at 4:30pm.
With a trove of lost-and-found archival footage and a cast of characters endowed with the gift of gab, The Catskills journeys into the storied mountain getaway north of New York City that served as refuge for Jewish immigrants fleeing poverty as well as a lavish playground for affluent Jewish families.
Stand-up comedians share their best shtick while former waiters, entertainers, and dance instructors recount tales of the family-run resorts and bungalows that inspired films like Dirty Dancing.
Tickets are $16.75 for general admission, $11.50 for students. Tickets are available for purchase online. The Madison Community Arts Center is located at 10 Kings Road in Madison, New Jersey.
Director Lex Gillespie is a three time Peabody Award-winning public radio journalist-turned-filmmaker. The Catskills is his second film. His first, The Mamboniks (2019, 90 mins), explored the mambo craze of the 1950s. His features for public radio exposed dangerous jobs in garment factories on the US-Mexico border, chronicled the return of the sacred Blue Lake to the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, and told the story of a hip hop opera set in a Korean mom-and-pop corner store.
Summit, NJ's non-profit film organization celebrates the best in American and international cinema. With a year-round program, The Film Society of Summit presents screenings of contemporary domestic and international films, many with special guests attending for post screening Q & A's.
The Film Society of Summit was founded as a community-based art cinema in 2015, with the mission to engage and entertain the community through the art of film by showcasing informative, educational, thought-provoking and inspiring films – films that enrich our lives, engage our minds, promote diversity and build community.
