Award-winning filmmaker Amy Grappell invites the Camp Kinderland community to a private work-in-progress screening of her new film KINDERLAND. The screening will be followed by a live Q&A. All proceeds from ticket sales will help support Amy’s completion of the film.
KINDERLAND tells the story of two Jewish summer camps, Kinderland and Kind Ring, founded in upstate New York in the 1920s and still in existence today. Both were established by secular working-class Jews on either side of the leftist political divide and committed to generating Mentshlekhkeit, a Yiddish word meaning ‘humaneness’ or becoming a better person so you can help the world be a better place. Many early alumni became leaders in the American labor movement and the fight for civil rights. Despite numerous commonalities, the two camps enjoyed a legendary feud from opposite ends of Sylvan Lake, where the sparring was ideological and the activities, such as re-enacting the Spanish Civil War, were mind-boggling. Present-day campers carry the mantle of their predecessors in the ongoing fight for social and economic justice and equality, offering hope in today’s disheartening political climate.
In telling this story, the film highlights not only the vital contributions of first-generation Jewish Americans, but also the act of remembering as an integral unifying force in the ongoing fight for social justice. As Leda, a counselor and former camper says in the film, “History is our greatest weapon, because the erasure of history is how power maintains itself.” It is with this in mind that Amy feels a sense of urgency to get this film out into the world and hopes you’ll consider supporting her in this endeavor.
Live Screening + Q&A on Monday, May 3rd at 7:00pm ET
Private screening window open from May 3rd – May 31st
Please view the trailer above, and share this private screening invite with friends and family. All proceeds from the screening will go to completing post-production, in hopes of premiering at film festivals in 2021/2022.
