Film Fest: Big Sonia @ The NEON

2016  |  Running Time: 93 minutes  |  English

91-year-old Sonia Warshawski – great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor – runs the tailor shop she’s owned for more than 30 years. But when she’s served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia to resist her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide. A poignant story of generational trauma and healing, Big Sonia also offers a laugh-out-loud-funny portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry, and the power of truth-telling to heal us all.

$9 adult. $8 student tickets available at the door only.

Guest Speaker – Karen Bodney-Halasz
Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz joined Temple Israel’s staff in 2003 and currently serves as the congregation’s first female Senior Rabbi. She delights in the array of responsibilities: leading services, preaching, officiating at lifecycle events, coordinating retreats, counseling, and providing pastoral care. Rabbi Bodney-Halasz’s grandmother knew Sonia personally, and she has fond memories of the furniture shop that she will share with us.

Winner: Best Documentary, Barcelona; Best Heartland Documentary, Kansas City; Best Local Film, Movie Trip Cinema, Kansas City; Audience Choice for best Documentary, Cleveland, Dallas, Monadnock International, Napa Valley, Philadelphia Jewish FF, Seattle Jewish FF, Mendocino FF, Berkshire Jewish FF, Tallgrass

Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe1Mq_en- XY

2018 Film Festival Corporate Sponsors
Annual Innovators
– Economy Linen, Inc.
– Morris Furniture Company

Premium Event Supporters
– Brady Ware
– Friends of Washington Centerville Public Library
– Washington Centerville Public Library
– Wiley’s Comedy Joint
– Square One Salon and Day Spa