Peter Davis to headline It’s All True showcase

Documentary filmmaker and journalist Peter Davis will be at the It's All True documentary film festival at Emerson College April 1-2. (Courtesy Photo)

Emerson College will hold the fourth annual It’s All True documentary film festival on Wednesday, April 1, and Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 pm in the Bright Family Screening Room of the Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street.

The two-day event is free, open to the public, and will showcase screenings of original student films as well as filmmaker and journalist Peter Davis’ documentary Hearts and Minds (35 mm print)—a powerful portrayal of the disastrous effects of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, for which he won an Oscar in 1975.

Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 pm—The School of the Arts presents filmmaker Peter Davis and Hearts and Minds (35 mm print); a question-and-answer with the filmmaker follows the screening. The event is free and open to public; seating is first come, first served. Doors open at 6:30 pm. 

Thursday April 2, 7:00 pm— Filmmaker Peter Davis hosts a screening of student documentary films. The event is free and open to the public; seating is first come, first served. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Refreshments will be served. Sponsored by Virgin Unite, Boston Avid Users Group, Boston Creative Pro User Group, Rule Boston Camera, DocYard, Emerson Graduate Student Association, and Captured Emotion. 

“We’re thrilled to host Peter Davis on campus for this year’s documentary film fest,” said Marc Fields, associate professor in Visual and Media Arts and graduate program director at Emerson College. “So many of our students venture into documentary filmmaking, exploring a range of vital topics that impact the world we live in. The enduring relevance of Peter’s award-winning film Hearts and Minds is a wonderful tribute to the power of documentary films and his roots in journalism.” 

Davis, whose credits include the PBS series Middletown and The Selling of the Pentagon (CBS) and who covered the war in Iraq for The Nation, will participate in workshops during undergraduate and graduate documentary classroom visits.

Davis will also present “Stories of War in Film and Print,” a lecture on war coverage from Vietnam to Iraq for Journalism and Liberal Arts students on Thursday, April 2, 10:00–11:30 am, in the Beard Room of the Little Building. 

Chosen by Emerson Visual and Media Arts faculty, the 10 selected student documentaries for this year’s It’s All True film festival cover a wide range of stylistic approaches, perspectives, and social concerns. Remember Us Now, Wandering evokes the memories and struggles in the Aida refugee camp in the occupied West Bank; Black Lives Matter highlights the “Black Lives Matter” protests and reminds us that we are not a post-racial society; and Finding Gino is the story of how a mysterious American Bandstand dancer from the ’70s became a beloved icon of the Boston Celtics decades after his death. 

Additional Student Documentaries to Be Screened: 

The Honey Man (5:00)—Shot on black and white film, this creative treatment displays the story of Yugoslavian World War II survivor Jakob Keller, who found salvation through farming.

Two-Stroked: A Love Story (7:22)—This story is a bumpy ride with Jacqui, Lucian, and the Uglies from vintage moped repairs and service shop Lucky 2 Strokes as they exhibit the wonderful and horrible world of mopeds.

Between Now and Forever (3:59)—Speculation on the likelihood of extraterrestrial life in parallel to human existence.

Broken Soil (9:45)—A priest, a college student, and a family man discuss the impact of the recent crisis in Ukraine on the Ukrainian community in Boston.

The Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters (5:24)—Archival footage from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reveals startling views of Mormon women.

Brattle (7:08)—A portrait of the Brattle Book Shop, where authors’ voices beckon to browsers. 

Continuous Excavation (30:00)—Archaeologists unearth a 400-year-old necropolis that provides the backdrop for new insight into history and modern life in a tiny town in Tuscany.