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BEYOND THE FOLD JOURNALISM ON SCREEN

The world has changed. So has the way people get their news. But journalism's bedrock principles are constant.

"Beyond the Fold: Journalism on Screen," a six-part film series collaboration between CITY and The Little Theatre, looks at where journalism has been, where it is, and where it's going through the lens of some of the most memorable movies about the craft.

Each film will be followed by a talkback panel, moderated by CITY editor David Andreatta, featuring local experts weighing in on the state of journalism.

Join us every second Thursday through May 2022 at The Little Theatre.

Be sure to check out the updated COVID safety guidelines before joining us.

Over 50 years of bringing Rochester News, Arts & Life.

2021 marks 50 years of CITY sharing investigative and illuminating news stories that have resonated in the community, rich features that highlight the cultural diversity and importance of Rochester’s arts and music scenes, and the leaders and community organizations that make our city a better place to live in.

At CITY we've always believed in the power and responsibility of storytelling. Please consider donating so we can continue being stewards of the truth.

Thank you for your continued support as we enter into the next era of CITY.

Series Pass + Opening Reception

Purchase a SERIES PASS for access to every screening & discussion, and a reception before “The Paper”. The series pass includes admission to all “Beyond the Fold” screenings, at a discounted rate off general admission.

With the purchase of a series pass you're invited to join us for an opening reception where we'll serve light appetizers and drinks (and of course the Little's famous popcorn).

Pass pickup and reception start at 5:30pm in the lobby outside Little 1.

Thursday, December 9, 7pm

THE PAPER

Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is an editor at the New York Sun, a tabloid paper facing financial cuts. His pregnant wife, Martha (Marisa Tomei), pleads with him to get a more respectable job so he can spend more time with his family. Hackett is considering an offer from another paper, with fewer hours and higher pay, when he gets his hottest story in years. When this scoop leads to a burst of violence and a conflict with his new boss, Alicia (Glenn Close), he faces a startling moment of truth.

TALKBACK: The Golden Age of print journalism before it comes crashing down. A dead man walking without knowing it.

GUESTS:

Democrat and Chronicle investigative reporter Gary Craig

Democrat and Chronicle columnist and former editor Jim Memmott

Thursday, January 13, 7pm

PAGE ONE

By looking into the lives and daily tasks of three writers at the the New York Times, this documentary explores the ways that the Internet has changed print media. The journalists include up-and-comer Brian Stelter, established yet restless reporter Tim Arango and David Carr, an outspoken warhorse with a volatile temper. Covering 12 months of life at the Times, the film reveals the difficulties in maintaining the ways of traditional journalism in a changing news environment.

TALKBACK: Stay after the film to hear how the Digital Age disrupted journalism as we knew it, and where journalism is headed.

GUESTS:

Rachel Barnhart is a Monroe County Legislator. She spent 18 years as a broadcast journalist in Rochester. Rachel is a graduate of Cornell and received her MPA from Syracuse. Rachel joined Twitter in 2008, quickly using the platform as part of her daily news coverage. Today, she uses Twitter to share information about her work in the legislature and engage with people on important topics from Covid to police reform. Powerful politicians and everyday people pay attention to Rachel's Twitter account. City and State Magazine named her one of Western New York's most influential people because of how she uses social media to make an impact.

Norma Holland is director of public relations and engagement for the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry. She comes to the role after 23 years as anchor and reporter at the local ABC affiliate, 13WHAM. One of Holland’s top priorities in her new role at the School of Medicine and Dentistry include communicating the Medical Center’s Equity and Anti-Racism Action Plan, which was unveiled in 2020. Holland earned a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo. She currently serves on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association, Bivona Child Advocacy Center, and Causewave Community Partners. She lives in Irondequoit with her husband, two daughters and a dog, named Bear. She’s also a member of the comedy troupe, Estrofest.

Thursday, February 10, 7pm

SHATTERED GLASS

Young hotshot journalist Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) puts on a good show for his adoring editor, Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria), but admits deep insecurities to his fellow writer, Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny). When Glass begins turning in outrageous stories, his popularity skyrockets, but rival journalist Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) becomes suspicious as to their factual accuracy, and eventually discovers that Glass has been fabricating many of his sources.

TALKBACK: How plagiarism and fabulist scandals harmed the media's credibility and gave rise to the "enemy of the state" thinking.

GUESTS:

Berkeley Brean, chief investigative reporter at News 10 NBC

Kim Young, professor of journalism at SUNY Brockport.

Thursday, March 10, 7pm

Good Night, and Good Luck

When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) dedicates himself to exposing the atrocities being committed by McCarthy's Senate "investigation." Murrow is supported by a news team that includes long-time friend and producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney). The CBS team does its best to point out the senator's lies and excesses, despite pressure from CBS' corporate sponsors to desist.

TALKBACK:"What responsibility does the media have to criticize public policy and be the voice of government dissent?"

GUESTS:

Adam Chodak, Lead Anchor at WROC-TV

Scott Malouf, Social Media Attorney

Thursday, April 14

THE INSIDER

After seeking the expertise of former "Big Tobacco" executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind Wigand's reluctance to speak. As Bergman persuades Wigand to share his knowledge of industry secrets, the two must contend with the courts and the corporations that stand between them and exposing the truth. All the while, Wigand must struggle to maintain his family life amidst lawsuits and death threats.

TALKBACK:Whistleblowing, investigative reporting, corporate control, and media collaboration are on the menu. What does it take to break the big stories? Where do investigative reporters get their ideas? And how do journalists get reluctant sources with something to say to speak?

GUEST:

David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigative Journalist

David Cay Johnston is an investigative reporter and winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for uncovering loopholes and inequities in the U.S. tax code while reporting for The New York Times.

His reporting persuaded two presidents to change their tax policies, and revealed that Enron did not pay taxes, that American companies could avoid taxes by renting a Bermuda mailbox, and that the chief executive of Coca Cola Co. built a billion-dollar fortune without paying taxes.

Johnston is the author of numerous books, including "The Making of Donald Trump" and "It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America," and the editor-in-chief of dcreport.org, a nonprofit news website that bills itself as an outlet that "reports what the president and Congress DO, not what they SAY."

The Washington Monthly has called Johnston "one of America's most important journalists."

Johnston makes his home in Brighton.

Thursday, May 12, 7pm

OBIT

At The New York Times, a particular team of writers is entrusted with reflecting upon the luminaries, icons, and world leaders of our day. Here, we are introduced to those responsible for crafting these unequaled obituaries. As we are taken through their painstaking process, we learn about the pressures accompanying a career spent shaping the story of a life.

TALKBACK:While sadness often colors the borders of a person’s death, obituaries deal in the life the person lived. They emphasize her notable accomplishments, his impacts on history or culture, and the quirky traits that made them human. Obituaries are news stories in the truest sense and among news outlets’ most popular reads. In what light will death cast our lives?

GUESTS:

Eric Grode is the director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications Program at Syracuse University. He has worked since 2005 as a freelance arts critic and reporter for The New York Times, where he also spent several years as a copy editor. His articles and reviews have also appeared in The Village Voice, New York magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Time Out New York, and more than a dozen other publications. Grode has held full-time editorial jobs at TV Guide, Good Housekeeping and XXL, where he served as managing editor. He is the author of “Hair: The Story of the Show That Defined a Generation” and “The Book of Broadway: The Definitive Plays and Musicals.”

Patti Singer is a former Democrat and Chronicle reporter who started at the paper in 1986 covering the Rochester Red Wings. A cynic could say that was her foray into obituaries as she documented the death of dreams 142 nights a year. She later joined the news department, where she primarily covered health, but, like other reporters, wrote her share of obituaries. Her career came full circle in 2015 when she wrote the obituary for Fred Strauss, who was president of the Red Wings she first covered the team. Patti left the D&C in 2019 and now stays busy with various projects.

SPECIAL THANKS

The Little Theatre is the premier cultural center for the presentation of American independent and foreign films, visual arts and music for the greater Rochester community.

Through educational events, the Little Theatre provides local artists a place to share and discuss their visions with a diverse audience.

The Little Theatre engages the community in a warm and inviting atmosphere with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, promotes friendly discussion and opens cultural horizons.