OPening night: Sunday, November 1 @ 6:30pm
Tickets: $30
Location in Bexley will be shared after registration closer to the screening date.
Reception and celebration to follow film
Directed by Steven Pressman, USA, English, 89min, 2026
Woody Guthrie, iconic writer of such classics as “This Land Is Your Land”, “So Long It’s Been Good to Know Ya” and… “Hannukah Dance?”
This is the story of the relationship between the Oklahoma-born balladeer and his mother-in-law, brilliant Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. Because of his own experiences as a nomad in the wake of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Woody found a deep connection with his immigrant Jewish neighbors in Coney Island. The deep bonds between Guthrie and Greenblatt enriched both of their writing and shaped their work in unexpected ways. A surprising celebration of America, full of humor, warmth…and of course great music.
Opening Night on the Boardwalk
An evening inspired by Woody Guthrie’s Coney Island connection. Featuring classic americana bites and live folk music.
Event and live music to follow screening.
Boardwalk Folk Musicians
Jeff Putnam & Phil Hart
Jeff Putnam began playing guitar and banjo during the folk music revival of the 1960s. He has performed regularly since the late 1960s in folk, bluegrass, Celtic, and rock groups. His musical partnership with Phil Hart dates to summer camp adventures in 1969. Since 2010, he has portrayed Woody Guthrie in living history performances. Jeff lives in rural Knox County.
Phil Hart starting singing as a little boy in the cornfields west of Chicago where he grew up. It was at a summer camp in the Hocking Hills in 1970 where he started playing guitar and writing songs. He was inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, John Prine, Phil Ochs, and, of course, Woody Guthrie. Phil has recorded three albums of his original songs. He moved back to and has been performing in the Columbus area since 2006.
Lea Anne Kangas
Folk and bluegrass music wove their way into Lea Anne’s DNA during the ‘90s while working as a mastering engineer. Among the many projects that flowed through the studio, she had the pleasure of performing sound restoration work for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, which included several Woody Guthrie reissues. Additional mastering credits include artists such as Bill Monroe, John McCutcheon, and Tom Paxton. Currently, she can be found performing with the progressive bluegrass group Jenny & The StreetWalkers.