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Aileen LeBlanc

Award-Winning Doc Part of Human Rights Discussion

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TUHUDThe University of Dayton invites the Dayton community to a special screening of a recently released documentary by local filmmaker Aileen LeBlanc, Take Us Home, this Thursday, 7:30 pm, Sears Recital Hall (Humanities Building).

Take Us Home presents a personal, human look into the journey of Ethiopian Jews to Israel and sparks deep questions about justice, race, immigration, and identity. Following the screening Aileen LeBlanc will join Theo Majka and Mark Ensalaco for a panel discussion about the film. Refreshments will be served.

This is a FREE event sponsored by ArtStreet, the Human Rights Studies Program, and FilmDayton.

ArtStreet hosts the Friday Film Series – showcasing cutting edge, contemporary and classic films that focus on universal themes and include post-screening discussions with special guests.

ArtStreet Film Series Special Edition: Take Us Home

Date: November 21, 2013

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: Sears Recital Hall, Jesse Philips Humanities Center

Sponsor: ArtStreet, Human Rights Studies Program and FilmDayton

Contact:
 Brian LaDuca

Phone number: 937-229-5101

Website: ArtStreet

Presented by ArtStreet, the UD Human Rights Studies Program and FilmDayton. Local filmmaker Aileen LeBlanc’s documentary presents a personal, human look into the journey of Ethiopian Jews to Israel – an issue which is in the news now and soon to be in the hearts of all who care about injustice, race, immigration, acceptance and identity. Hosted by director Aileen LeBlanc.

This event is free and open to the public.

Take Us Home: A Dayton Film from Israel

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If I told you there is a touching documentary that tells the story of the exodus of a family of Ethiopian Jews to Israel  – would you think it’s a Dayton film? Well – it is! TAKE US HOME is the most recent documentary by Aileen LeBlanc, known for telling the Joe Desch story through Dayton Codebreakers. Aileen worked with a Dayton-based team that included Mike King, Jim Klein, Michael and Sandy Bashaw, John Mays, Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, and many others.  Major support for this project came from The Levin Family Foundation and numerous local partnerswho helped bring the story to life.

TAKE US HOME follows Fekadu who has been waiting for ten years in Ethiopia to go to Israel to reunite with his siblings and be welcomed into a more full experience with his Jewish faith. We see the rest of his family get the go-ahead for the trip, but Fekadu, his wife and their six children must stay behind. They learn their emigration is in jeopardy because of their adopted son, Worku. They must leave him behind or be forced to stay in Ethiopia under religious persecution. The audience watches the challenging decisions between faith, family and freedom. We watch how the events unfold in Ethiopia and Israel. Even returning ‘home’ to their Israel is not easy as the Ethiopian Jews are outcasts; they are overwhelmed by life in the high-tech, Hebrew-speaking country and their Jewish-ness is doubted among their new countrymen.

The Dayton premiere of this award-winning documentary will take place on Thursday, November 15 at the Dayton Art Institute. It’s presented as part of the Cultural Arts and Book Festival in partnership with FilmDayton, The Dayton Art Institute, 91.3 FM WYSO, and the Jewish Community Relations Council. A 7 PM reception precedes the 7:30PM screening of the film. Immediately following, there will be a Q&A with the filmmakers. As a special treat Worku and Fekadu will be in attendance to answer your questions about their story! Tickets are only $5 in advance and $7 at the door and may be purchased through The Dayton Art Institute Web page. [yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wCfzmj9CSY&feature=plcp’]