‘Generations Speak’ at Sag Harbor Cinema

Sag Harbor Cinema’s “Projections” series kicks off 2024 with “Generations Speak,” an event featuring the Eastville Community Historical Society, on Sunday, March 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program, which is free to the public, includes a short film screening of rarely seen archival footage of elders from the Eastville Community Historical Society. Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, executive director of the Eastville Community Historical Society, will lead a discussion called “Generations Speak.” Michael A. Butler, Eastville Community Historical Society cemetery preservation director, and Harriet Simons, its education and volunteer director, will be a part of the panel discussion.

“Eastville Community Historical Society focuses on the heritage of our founders who are living legends,” says Dr. Grier-Key. “A primary focus for us is keeping community central to our mission. In the tradition of Sankofa, we look to the past in order to bring forth all that is good for the future. We are looking forward to ‘Generations Speak’ to highlight the work of the elders.”

The archival footage from LTV will feature different clips of Eastville through the ages, highlighting its generational importance in the Sag Harbor community. After the screening, guests will gather in the cinema’s Rosenberg workspace to discuss the ways in which generational knowledge is preserved, passed down, and celebrated.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Eastville Community Historical Society for the first ‘Projections’ series of the year,” says Genevieve Villaflor, executive director of Sag Harbor Cinema. “Remounting the ‘Forgetting to Remember’ exhibition at Eastville last summer reminded us that there is an important organization near us that can bring all of Sag Harbor together as it preserves the history and heritage of the Eastville and SANS communities for new neighbors and generations to discover.”

Sag Harbor Cinema founded the “Projections” series in 2021 with the aim to amplify the work and the mission of other East End nonprofit organizations by providing a space to begin conversations and build audiences through the use of the cinema’s facility, network, and digital presence. This “Projections” program highlights the story of the Eastville Community Historical Society, and its mission of linking the three cultures — African American, Native American and European — of historical Sag Harbor.

The “Projections” program is free to the public, but space is limited. Reserve a seat at sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor.