The English & Writing Studies Department, in partnership with The Independent Picture House, is pleased to present Director Joel Fendelman and Producer James Chase Sanchez, who will share and discuss their film North Putnam. This documentary depicts a year in the life of a rural Indiana school district and the community it serves. Crafted with empathy, a hyper-real reporting lens, and skillfully lush cinematography, the film aims to reach across divides and to spark action-oriented conversations about the interdependence between public schools and community development.

Joel Fendelman has written, produced, and directed a number of award-winning narrative and documentary films, including an IDA Documentary Award for Man on Fire, which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and had its broadcast premiere on PBS Independent Lens. Dr. James Chase Sanchez is an assistant professor of writing and rhetoric at Middlebury College and producer of Man on Fire. He is co-author with Emily Erwin of Salt of the Earth: Rhetoric, Preservation, and White Supremacy.

The series is made possible by a gift from Professor Emerita Emily Seelbinder to enhance the study of and appreciation for the literary arts at Queens and in our community.