School of Documentary Filmmaking to be named for local Brookhaven resident George Stoney

SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORED BY THE PLAZA MEDIA ARTS CENTER

ALL MY BABIES Screening & ceremony naming of a new School of Documentary Filmmaking after local Brookhaven resident George Stoney

DATE: February 23, 2011 — TIME: 7-10 PM

PLACE: Brick House Brewery, 67 West Main Street, Patchogue

THE FILM: In 2002 the Library of Congress deemed All My Babies a "culturally, historically and artistically significant work" and included it in the National Film Registry. Shot in 1952 in the deep south amidst racial tensions, George Stony ventured in with a camera crew to follow the practices of midwife "Miss Mary" Coley, an African-American, as she delivered babies. Screened as a landmark film for its realistic artistry this film has also been used around the world by UNESCO.

THE FILMMAKER: George Stoney has made over 1 00 documentaries. As an advocate of video as a tool for social change, he was one of the leading figures behind the creation of Public Access Television, a "free-speech forum" for ordinary people to create and broadcast content on cable television systems. By 1969, having secured broadcasting rights for citizens, Stoney went on to co-create the Alternate Media Center to train people in video production. Mr. Stoney was recently appointed Emeritus Professor at NYU's Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, where for forty years he has inspired and mentored generations of new filmmakers.

THE PLAZA MEDIA ARTS CENTER: Following in George Stoney's footsteps, The Plaza Media Arts Center will be offering classes geared towards helping participants write, film, direct and edit quality short films, narratives and documentaries, that merge social activism, the art of filmmaking and journalism, to make proactive change in their community. Spring classes start March 21 and are taught by filmmakers and experienced teachers.

Collaborating with Huntington's Cinema Arts Centre, The Plaza MAC will resume screening the latest independent and foreign films by summer 2011. A special Italian Film Festival is slated for fall 2011.

The Plaza MAC team is currently working with politicians, developers, community organizations and businesses to renovate the old Plaza Theater and to build a Media Arts Center that will become the creative media arts hub with studios and equipment for classes and film production.