Opening Night of "Bully," Showing June 8-14 at the Picture House

The opening night screening of Lee Hirch's documentary Bully will take place 7:30 p.m. on June 8 at The Picture House in Peham.

Following the opening night screening, The Picture House will host a moderated panel discussion addressing bullying and the other issues raised by the film with New York State Senator Jeffrey Klein, Sharon Charles (Margarets Place Coordinator, Pelham Middle School, WJCS/ Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation), Colonial Elementary School Principal Tonya Wilson, Siwanoy School Principal Susan Gilbert and Roseanne Martinez of the Pelham Guidance Council.

The panel discussion will begin at 9 p.m.

“Lee Hirsch’s BULLY, in addition to being a terrific film on its own terms, is also a timely document that wrestles with some of the most important issues in our educational system today: the pervasive violence and harassment being endured by students across the nation; the lack of a true safety net in many communities to prevent such destructive behavior; and perhaps most importantly, the lack of awareness over how widespread this problem has become," said Ilya Tovbis, director of film programming at The Picture House. "The documentary is also a great catalyst for meaningful and impactful conversation, and I couldn’t be more pleased about the wonderful group of dedicated professionals that comprise our opening and closing night panels.” 

The conversation will continue throughout the weeklong run, as The Picture House has scheduled a closing night, wrap-up community discussion to be led by Cheryl Bobe of the Pelham Guidance Council, which will be free for anyone who purchased tickets throughout the week.  

The Picture House is co-presenting the week’s events with PACT, the Pelham Guidance Council, Colonial Elementary School, Siwanoy School, Senator Klein’s Office and The Bully Project. 

ABOUT THE FILM

Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. The new documentary film BULLY, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. BULLY was a winner at True/False Film Fest, the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Silverdocs Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival.