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Past Film/Video | Documentaries
ADMISSION $9 general public $7 members $5 students Click here to view our latest COVID-19 safety protocols.
The Wednesday, September 22 screening will feature open captions. We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please contact Accessibility Manager Helyn Marshall at accessibility@wexarts.org or via telephone at (614) 688–3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.
A powerful, insightful work of political filmmaking, John Gianvito's look at Helen Keller's engagement with progressive causes is one of the year's most essential documentaries.
Though her life generated voluminous literature, most people ignore the fact that iconic deaf-blind author Helen Keller (1880–1968) was one of the most passionate socialist advocates of her time. Continuing his work of patient and thoughtful filmmaking, director John Gianvito (Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind) resurrects Keller’s radical views, which have been largely suppressed or sanitized over the years. In Her Socialist Smile, he researches how, beginning in her early 30s, the pioneer leftist thinker fervently and eloquently spoke out on behalf of many progressive causes, from the rights of women and the disabled to international socialism and world peace. Gianvito combines on-screen text taken from her most memorable public appearances, recorded voice-over by politically engaged poet Carolyn Forché, and quiet images of nature to create another unique blend of historical analysis and poetry. Reminding us that leftist struggles are inseparable from disability advocacy, Keller’s words remain remarkably pertinent today. (93 mins., DCP)
The Wexner Center also helped support John Gianvito’s creation of an audio descriptive version of the film. That version is being presented online for a one-week run starting Monday, September 20 and will be available here.
Her Socialist Smile | Image courtesy of Grasshopper Films
FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY Cardinal Health Kaufman Development
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Rohauer Collection Foundation
WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY The Wexner Family Greater Columbus Arts Council The Columbus Foundation Ohio Arts Council American Electric Power Foundation Adam Flatto Mary and C. Robert Kidder Bill and Sheila Lambert L Brands Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services Nationwide Foundation Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease Arlene and Michael Weiss
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Past Film/Video
Her Socialist Smile
