- By Kerry A. Barnes
- Around Town
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 "The Witness" Highlights the Dramatic and Inspiring Personal Transformation of a Tough Brooklyn Construction Contractor Whose Heart is Opened by the Love of a Kitten. Pictured is New York construction contractor Eddie Lama, 2001 recipient of the Peace Abbey's Courage of Conscience Award, subject of "The Witness." Photo by Jenny Stein. |
Ithaca, NY —The award-winning documentary The Witness, produced by James LaVeck and directed by Jenny Stein of Tribe of Heart, will be shown at the Tompkins Trust Company Institute for Humane Education at the Tompkins County SPCA on Friday, May 12th at 7:30pm. Mr. LaVeck and Ms. Stein will be joined by the film’s subject, animal welfare pioneer Eddie Lama, to introduce the film and field questions after its conclusion. Following the event, a reception will be held at the TC SPCA Pet Adoption Center main lobby.
The film tells the inspiring story of tough construction contractor turned animal rescuer Eddie Lama. A film festival favorite, The Witness has won seven Best Documentary awards and one Best of Festival award. Los Angeles Times columnist Howard Rosenberg wrote, “The Witness is one man’s truth that cries out for mass exposure… may be the most important and persuasive film about animals ever made.”
“Eddie Lama, who learned about violence through his own rites of passage on the mean streets of Brooklyn, now speaks with eloquence, passion and humility about the pressing need to protect the vulnerable,” said actor William Baldwin. “That a man with his life experience could be so completely transformed by spending time with a kitten is a testimony both to the magic of the human-animal relationship and the magic of the human spirit."
Tickets are $5.00 and may be purchased by phone (with credit card) at 607-257-1822 ext. 232 or in person at the Dorothy & Roy Park Pet Adoption Center on 1640 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca during regular business hours (Sunday-Saturday, 12:00-5:30pm).
The Witness filmmakers Jenny Stein (Director) and James LaVeck (Producer). Photo by Stuart Stein.
The Tompkins Trust Company Institute for Humane Education will offer a wide range of humane education opportunities, films, field trips, symposiums, conferences and workshops in the course of the TC SPCA’s efforts to provide public education as a complement to its life-saving mission. The site of the institute on the SPCA campus is a modern auditorium seating over 100 and offering multi-media capabilities.
About Tribe of Heart: Producer James LaVeck and Director Jenny Stein founded their Ithaca, New York-based non-profit production company, Tribe of Heart, to fill an unmet need for films that explore the human potential to respond toinjustice with creativity and non-violence.
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