NEW ROCHELLE, NY — On Tuesday, May 24th at 7:00 p.m. The Picture House Regional Film Center (TPH) will continue its new film series, Worldview with a pre-release screening of the documentary Sense the Wind: Blind Sailors Race Across Open Water followed by a discussion and Q&A with director Christine Knowlton. Six years in the making, Sense the Wind, which follows the journey of four blind sailors as they train and compete in national and international regattas, is currently being previewed at film festivals around the globe.
In regattas across the U.S. and abroad, visually impaired sailors learn not to fear what they cannot see. They sail by feel: sensing the breeze on a cheek or tension in the tiller, listening to the pattern of waves hitting the hull and sails luffing in the wind. Sighted guides describe the race course and give tactical race advice. On the water disability is no longer a focus. Sense the Wind is a journey led by four blind sailors — Nancy, Inky, Philip and Matt — as they train and compete at the Blind Nationals and press toward Japan’s Blind Sailing World Championships. It follows the evolution of these individuals over several years as they advance as sailors, through life’s turns. Over time they help shape the future of blind sailing.
The film provides a rich content for viewers whether sighted, blind, vision impaired, disabled or for anyone in search of an inspiring story. It subtly challenges the viewer to consider what is possible and to re-examine what disability means.
After the screening, TPH Director of Programming Clayton Bushong will moderate a discussion and Q&A with the producer/director, Christine Knowlton. Knowlton, a Westchester resident, has created videos for nonprofit organizations, including the U.S. Disabled Sailing Championships and the Robie Pierce One-Design Regattas. Her award winning first short, Going Blank: Alzheimer’s Stories, premiered at the Westchester Film Festival and played international festivals. Sense The Wind is her first feature documentary.
The five-part Worldview film series explores — through the lens of film — how we learn about people and issues outside of our daily sphere of reference and what our responsibility is to the global society at large. Films are recent releases— both documentary and narrative, international and domestic—that expose the audience to a perspective of a culture, an issue, or an event that is exceptional in its depth, access, or nuance. The series consists of daytime educational screenings and discussions for middle and high school students from Westchester and the Bronx plus an evening public screening and post-film discussion with a well-known moderator and guests. The Worldview series is made possible by the generous support of the Countess Moira Charitable Foundation.
Tickets to the public screening of Sense the Wind and post-film discussion are $15/general admission, $12/members, $10/seniors and FREE for students who present valid i.d. and are available at www.thepicturehouse.org or at the box office, 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, NY 10803. School and community groups interested in daytime educational screenings in the Worldview series should contact education@thepicturehouse.org or call 914-738-3161.