“Among the Hemlocks: Fantastic Stories from Fredonia, NY”
The next Brown Bag Lunch will feature a screening of “Among the Hemlocks: Fantastic Stories from Fredonia, NY” and talk.
Department of Communication Professor and Chair Roslin Smith will discuss the creative process — inspiration, research, writing, filming and working with volunteers from the community and region — that she followed to produce the documentary.
The program will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Williams Center Room S204, beginning with the screening at noon. It is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be served. A question-and-answer session will follow Smith’s remarks.
Over 80 faculty members, staff, students and community members participated in research, production and postproduction on the film that totaled 520 hours and spanned over 18 months.
Beautiful landscapes of the Fredonia area are featured, as well as historical music and sounds to relive a bygone era and the people who lived “among the hemlocks.” Fredonia history is depicted through the voices of Fredonia residents. Historical photographs, newspaper clippings, re-enactments, interviews and voice-overs bring to life humorous, strange and factual stories from long ago.
Several accounts about the history of Fredonia that include Mark Twain, the Women's Temperance Movement and the Underground Railroad are also featured.
Ms. Smith has led a varied career that also includes filmmaker, media company owner and Sky News reporter. She’s won five Broadcast Education Association awards for her documentaries and educational videos and has written articles published in the Journal of Film and Video and Journal of Media Education.
An endowment from the Fredonia College Foundation helps to support the Brown Bag series, which are monthly talks by faculty and guest speakers.
