Film Screenings

Strangers No More

Directors: Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon  Gift from the Bialik-Rogozin School

Strangers No More, the fourth in a series of thoughtfully-selected films for the Malden Reads: One City, One Book program, will be shown Wednesday, April 11 at 7:00 pm at the Malden Public Library. This 40-minute, Academy Award winning film is the work of Kirk Simon and Karen Goodman, who are award winners many times over.

The documentary profiles an extraordinary school in south Tel Aviv where children from 48 countries and diverse backgrounds -- fleeing poverty, political adversity and genocide -- come together to learn and acclimate to life in Israel while slowly opening up to share their stories of hardship and tragedy. The film follows students who share their difficult stories and struggle to acclimate to life in Israel. A boy from the Sudan, who still has a scar from being shot in the forehead, says, "I don't want to talk about it. That makes me cry." Eventually he feels safe enough to open up and begin the healing process.

“It’s hard to film a miracle. Telling the story of the remarkable Bialik-Rogozin School in Tel Aviv -- an extraordinary place where one can experience a sense of humanity so rich and pervasive it often feels impossible -- seemed a tremendous responsibility”, write the directors. We watch the children blossom as the documentary takes us through a fifteen-month time span. The directors closely follow three children from Darfur, South Africa, and Eritrea. 

The Malden Reads Committee invites you to the free screening of this critically acclaimed film. Please stay for the discussion and refreshments. The film is recommended for mature high-school students and up. The co-sponsors are the City of Malden, Malden Public Library and Malden Reads.