FRIDAY JANUARY 13th, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m., Borrego Springs Library

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Psychology and Art combine!

Award-winning BSFF filmmakers (and best childhood friends) Reuben Aaronson and Steve Lerner will present their very first films, made 50 years ago. These films will be screened from the original 16mm film prints, and they address our deep human need for authenticity, belongingness, and self-respect.

A discussion with audience participation will follow the films, and will include guest panelist psychologist and author, Harriet Lerner.

Reuben is a Producer/Director/Cinematographer based in Los Angeles, whose distinctive work reflects a wide variety of experience that now totals over forty years. Reuben has traveled the world to shoot and direct award-winning films about the human experience for National Geographic, Discovery, HBO, PBS and others. From Academy Awards to Emmys, Reuben's work is consistently recognized for its beauty and sensitivity. Reuben founded NGO Films, to produce films that advance human rights and social justice. Among his many highly regarded films are River of Gold, narrated by Sissy Spacek and Herbie Hancock, which won Best Environmental film of the Year, International Environmental Film Festival, and 12 other awards. His recent film, The Cost of Silence, was nominated for Best Documentary at Sundance.

Steve, a psychologist and filmmaker, founded Menninger Video Productions at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. There he produced and directed many educational films for mental health professionals. After leaving Menninger, he founded Equal Partners Productions, producing and directing another extensive group of films. Guilford Press, a New York publishing company, purchased the Equal Partners catalogue, and hired Steve to direct three more productions. In recent years Steve has concentrated on documentaries about Kansas, co-directing the last two with Reuben, both of which screened at BSFF: When The Well Runs Dry, and Strangers In Town.

Harriet Lerner is one of our nation's most respected voices in the psychology of women, and the “how-tos” of navigating the swamps and quicksands of difficult relationships. In addition to her scholarly publications, she is the author of 12 books published in 35 languages. These include The New York Times bestseller, The Dance of Anger, and most recently, Why Won’t You Apologize?