Opening Reception – Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 7pm

Each year in America over 3 million children are abused, nearly 2,000 die, some run away, others are abandoned, all have their own challenges with this sojourn through adolescence. Each day in America 6 children die from abuse, 100,000 children are homeless, 8 children die from guns, 219 children die before their first birthday, 1,534 babies are born to teenage girls.

In the paintings by Diane Menzies and installations by Mary Giehl, there are hints of darkness and confinement along with a mixture and balance of playfulness and seriousness. The work challenges the viewer to take a deeper look at what these images of childhood are telling us.

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Directed by Richard Donner with Tom Hanks, Elijah Wood & Joseph Mazzello.

Mike and Bobby are brothers who endure a horrific life of abuse at the hands of their stepfather. In an effort to save his younger brother from further turmoil, Mike tries to turn their red wagon into a working airplane. In the process, the two discover a remarkable work of imagination that lets them escape their own harsh reality. An adult Mike (Tom Hanks) tells their touching story in a series of flashbacks.

$5 suggested donation

PAKISTANI FILM – Directed by Sabiha Sumar

A widow with a secret past lives with her son in a peaceful Pakistani town, close to the Indian border.  As Islamic nationalism takes root, her son turns to jihadism, changing the tranquility of their lives.  An eye-opening look into Pakistan, past and present, that is “strong stuff…splendidly told” (DVD Times)

Locarno Intl Film Festival: Best Film, Best Actress

$5 suggested donation

Approximately 3 million reports of abuse are made each year. In Syracuse, we have child advocates to stand by children and families; McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Site.

The mission of the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Site is to provide direct support for children who are victims of physical or sexual abuse as well as professionals working to address the issue of child abuse.  McMahon/Ryan uses advocacy and education to inform the public about child abuse and other related traumas as well as to ensure that victims receive necessary treatment and assistance.  The Site also uses education to inform the public of different ways to report cases of child abuse to authorities.  The Site seeks to make a difference by providing a centralized location for coordination of the multiple disciplines within Onondaga County working on behalf of abused children.

Join us for a film and presentation by Julie Cecile about the child advocates in your community.  Julie Cecile joined McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Site in January 2008.  She came to the Site from the Onondaga County Department of Social Services Legal Division.  Julie oversees the day-to-day operations of the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Site.

FREE and open to the public.

The film chronicles former Ithaca police officer Kathy Gilleran as she faces the most daunting investigation of her career: the search for her son, Aeryn, who disappeared under harrowing circumstances in Vienna, Austria in 2007.  Local detectives claim that the young man committed “spontaneous suicide” because of his homosexuality, but as Kathy presses into the case she uncovers evidence of deceit that may implicate the Viennese police in her son’s disappearance. With the help of an investigative journalist, Kathy takes her quest for her son’s whereabouts to the highest levels of the Austrian Government.

ArtRage will hold a free screening of select scenes from GONE.  The filmmakers will be in attendance to discuss their work on the documentary.

All donations made in support of GONE are tax deductible through ArtsEngine, Inc., a 501 (3)(c) nonprofit corporation that is sponsoring the film.