Screening and Discussion of American Winter

Film offers a stark look at poverty in the US.

American Winter, a film that follows the personal stories of eight families struggling in the wake of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, will be shown on Tuesday, March 4th, at 7:30pm in the Meetinghouse of First Parish in Needham, Unitarian Universalist, 23 Dedham Avenue. A discussion will follow the film.

Seen through the eyes of families caught in a daily struggle to survive, American Winter powerfully reveals the emotional stories behind America’s alarming trend towards a disappearing middle class and a shrinking social safety net at a time of unprecedented need. The film is from Emmy award-winning filmmakers Joe and Harry Gantz (Taxicab Confessions, The Defenders).

The latest U.S. Census data shows the largest number of people living in poverty in the history of published poverty estimates, including 16.1 million children. American Winter challenges stereotypes about who turns to social services for help and why, ultimately presenting an intimate portrait of the impact of rising economic inequality and the fracturing of the American Dream.