For many years Puerto Ricans have been enduring a humanitarian crisis caused by the coalescing of the destruction caused by hurricane María and the austerity measures imposed by a Financial Oversight Board appointed by Congress. Even before the hurricane struck in 2017 Puerto Rico had the highest poverty rate of any United States jurisdiction. The stagnant economy had meant higher commercial vacancy rates, massive migration to the US, continued social unrest, stagnation of the housing and construction industry, as well as higher unemployment rates.

Join us for a screening and talkback of "Las Madres de Berks," a short documentary created by public artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. "Las Madres de Berks" shares the testimonials of four mothers who were detained for two years with their children at Berks County Residential Center, a family prison in Pennsylvania. Reception with food and beverages to follow.

Join us for a screening of "Taking Root: the Vision of Wangari Maathai" followed by a Q&A led by Maathai's daughter, Wanjira Mathai.

This event is free and open to the public.

As part of the Global 1989 series, this film screening and workshop till focus on Asia.

Lydia Chen's documentaries—Inner visions and Art in Smog—explore three artists' careers as they navigate the radical cultural and technological changes in China over the past twenty years. The films take the audience from Beijing's first experimental art exhibit in the late 80s to its growing commercial marketplace in the 21st century and explore the shifting economic and political tides as that era unfolded.

Women of the Gulag tells the compelling and tragic stories of six women as last survivors of the Gulag. Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago largely tells of the men caught in Stalin's camps and special settlements for "crimes against the state." Women of the Gulag, features six women in their eighties and nineties as they tell their stories while going about their daily lives in remote Urals villages, in break-away Sukhumi, or in Moscow suburbs. Their only hesitancy to speak out relates to sexual violence, about which they would only hint. Sadly, three died shortly after their interviews.

Join us for a screening (with English subtitles)and discussion led by film expert Stephen Brockmann (Carnegie Mellon University). Goodbye, Lenin! (2003) was directed by Wolfgang Becker. In this comedy/drama, a dedicated young man, Alex (Daniel Brühl), recreates East Germany in their 77m2 apartment to protect his socialist mother Christiane (Katrin Sass) from the shock of the fall of the Berlin Wall! Can he pull off this elaborate scheme knowing that the slightest shock could prove fatal? Alex strives to keep the fall of the GDR a secret for as long as possible.

Dr. William Tsutsui, President of Hendrix College in Arkansas, will come to campus during International Week. He will be giving a public talk on “Godzilla on My Mind” and we will follow with a screening of the original Gojira. Dr. Tsutsui is THE expert on the Godzilla movies. He is a Japanese historian (a Japanese-American ethnically).

Explore the Warhol with Donald Warhola, Andy’s nephew, and attend a screening of the film "Jan Palach" with an introduction by Jaroslav Kubera, President of the Czech Senate.

Admission is $25.00 for adults/$15.00 for children under 18. Payment by check only by May 21, 2019. Checks should be made payable to Friends of Via and mailed to:

Friends of Via
PO Box 82556
Pittsburgh, PA 15218

Entrance only with prepaid payment. No ticket sales at the door.

The Colorado has been hailed as one of the most profound documentaries in recent memory. This beautiful film explores the complex relationship between the Colorado River and the people who have inhabited its basin across history. Three key figures from The Colorado will introduce the film, including Christa Sadler, field producer and author of the accompanying book, Murat Eyuboglu, director, cinematographer, and co-writer, and Paola Prestini, composer. More information please visit: pi.tt/thecolorado.