FREEDOM & UNITY: THE VERMONT MOVIE to Screen at the Town Hall, 10/7

This month, after seven years of production, Upper Valley Arts of Norwich, VT will release Freedom & Unity: Th­e Vermont Movie, the fi­rst ever documentary series about the many voices, cultural and political traditions that give the Green Mountain State its egalitarian ideals and bold, iconoclastic spirit. The six-part fi­lm, a collaboration of three dozen critically acclaimed Vermont fi­lmmakers and historians, is led by award-winning fi­lmmaker Nora Jacobson.

From 1777 to the present, Vermont has been a beacon, a haven, a refuge, an idea, a symbol, a state shaped by independent and courageous decision-makers, thinkers, political leaders, workers, artists, immigrants and innovators. It was the fi­rst state to outlaw slavery, to allow same sex civil unions, to call for the impeachmentof President Nixon, and to protect the environment with Act 250. This is a state in which conservatives and liberals are not only neighbors-they frequently depend on each other for survival. And yet, as we see in town meetings and legislative debates, the pursuit of freedom has, on occasion, threatened the state's unity.

"A state has boundaries, a central government, state laws. These factors give it unity. My challenge, as editor of the diverse pieces, was to fi­nd the common thread in all our stories, the thread that made this not only a Vermont story, but a universal story as well." - Nora Jacobson, director, Freedom & Unity: Th­e Vermont Movie

Freedom & Unity: ­The Vermont Movie Barnstorming Tour arrives in Middlebury with a reception and screening of Part1 at Town Hall Theater on Monday, October 7. A reception with director Nora Jacobson and members of the Vermont Movie Collaborative begins at 6:00 pm, with a screening of Part 1 of the documentary at 7:00 pm followed by a question and answer session. Tickets, $15 with reception, $8/$5 for movie only, are available by calling 802 382-9222, at www.townhalltheater.org, or at the box office Monday-Saturday, noon - 5:00 pm, or at the door if available.

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