Sunday, January 25, 2009 7:00 PM

So Long Are You Young

(USA, 2006, English, 59 mins.)

So Long Are You Young charts the remarkable journey of a poem written in 1917 by Samuel Ullman, a humble German Jewish immigrant who lived in Birmingham, Alabama.  While unsuccessful in business, Ullman was active in community service, founding a reform synagogue, serving as a city alderman and helping establish Birmingham’s first all-black public high school.  Twenty years after his death, his poem, Youth, was discovered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and its message of hope spread across a demoralized post-war Japan.  Ullman’s words went on to influence politicians and prominent businessmen the world over, including former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita and Bobby Kennedy.  Layered with interviews, historical footage and photographs, and a fascinating timeline of Ullman’s life, So Long Are You Young is an expressive and heartfelt celebration of a little-known literary sensation. (Directed by Judith Schaefe)

Got Next

(USA, 2007, Color, English, 10 mins.)

If you’re going to drive the lane, make sure your yarmulke is securley fastened! Inspired by a true story, an uplifting tale about the day a group of 16-year-old black teens playing street-basketball at a court in Harlem cross paths with a lone 16-year-old white, Jewish kid who wants to play in their next pick-up game. (Directed by Fred Strype)