For Immediate Release
11 January 2016
Contact: Jodi Joseph
Director of Communications
413.664.4481 x8113
jjoseph@massmoca.org
Above and Beyond
A group of ragtag American pilots creates Israel’s first air force
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS — In 1948, as Europe emerged from total war, a small group of Jewish-American fighter pilots returned to the battlefield for a new cause: The Israeli War of Independence. This documentary tells the story of their journey back to the homeland. The high flying Above and Beyond airs at MASS MoCA on Thursday, February 11, at 7:30pm, in the second installment of MASS MoCA’s annual documentary series, Love is Complicated.
This madcap historical film hits hard, delving into the fascinating story of a ragtag group of Jewish-American fighter pilots who risked everything to form the Israeli Air Force. Director Roberta Grossman and producer Nancy Spielberg shine a spotlight on these unknown heroes in a film illuminating one of the most pivotal political moments in world history. Adventure seekers and history buffs alike will delight in the combat reconstructions and first-person accounts of action-packed moments. The volunteer pilots, called machals, narrate the documentary, recalling their once-in-a-lifetime adventures with fiery spirit and mischievous wit.
Roberta Grossman is an American filmmaker who has written and produced over 40 hours of documentary film and television, with a focus on history, social justice, and Native American and Jewish history. In 1999, Grossman founded Katahdin Productions with Lisa Thomas, which released its first feature film, Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action, in 2005. Music from the film, Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth, won the 2005 Grammy for Best Native American Album. Grossman is currently producing a documentary about the secret archives of the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII, titled Who Will Write Our History?
The brother of Steven Spielberg, Nancy Spielberg is a documentary film producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She worked as a consultant on the Academy Award-winning documentary Chernobyl Heart, and serves as executive producer of Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals. She is executive producing Who Will Write Our History? with Grossman. Spielberg produced Celebrities Salute Israel’s 60th, which was featured in Times Square, for the Israeli government.
Above and Beyond flies into MASS MoCA’s Club B10 on Thursday, February 11, at 7:30pm. A full bar serves Berkshire Brewing Company beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Tickets are $5 for students and members, and $9 day of. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays through spring 2016. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 x1 during box office hours or purchased online at massmoca.org. Purchase tickets to all four installments of Love is Complicated when the documentary series kicks off on January 21 with Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a dog, and enjoy free popcorn at each screening. All events are held rain or shine.
Images
High-resolution images of MASS MoCA’s spring 2016 events are available through this link: bit.ly/1NL6mgv.
Love is Complicated: A Documentary Series
Young love; forbidden love; love of country; love of dog — however you look at it, love is never simple. This edition of MASS MoCA’s annual documentary film series explores the many sides of the human heart. The 2016 lineup includes Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog (January 21), Above and Beyond (February 11), Love Marriage in Kabul (March 10), and How to Dance in Ohio (April 21). All screenings take place at 7:30pm.
About MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. Hundreds of works of visual and performing art have been created on its 19th-century factory campus during fabrication and rehearsal residencies, making MASS MoCA among the most productive sites in the country for the creation and presentation of new art. More platform than box, MASS MoCA strives to bring to its audiences art experiences that are fresh, engaging, and transformative.
MASS MoCA’s galleries are open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays through spring 2016. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is seasonal and reopens April 30, 2016. Gallery admission is $18 for adults, $16 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit massmoca.org.