LANCASTER, Pa. – LancasterHistory is thrilled to announce a special film screening event featuring two landmark documentaries directed by the acclaimed film director and Lancaster native Madeline Anderson. The event will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2023, and aims to shine a spotlight on a groundbreaking filmmaker and two pivotal moments in the struggle for racial equality in America.

Anderson's Integration Report 1 (1960) captures the fight for Black equality across multiple American cities including Montgomery (Alabama), Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C. I Am Somebody (1970) focuses on the struggles of Black hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina. The film documents their efforts to seek equitable labor conditions through striking.

“We are excited to present these landmark documentaries that capture the tenacity and resilience of those who fought for racial equality and labor rights. We are also thrilled to honor the groundbreaking work of Lancaster’s own Madeline Anderson, a true pioneer in documentary filmmaking who worked with some of the most celebrated and groundbreaking documentary filmmakers of the 1960s,” Director of Education and Exhibition Planning, Dr. Mabel Rosenheck said. “We invite everyone to join us for this illuminating and thought-provoking afternoon led by Shianne Hargrove, an Information Specialist at LancasterHistory, who has spent much of this year researching Black artists in Lancaster.”

Hargrove will introduce the films and will also be available to answer questions after the screening about Anderson and the additional research she has conducted on Black artists in Lancaster. September 23 will also be the opening of her new photograph exhibit in LancasterHistory’s Stoudt Gallery titled: Black Lancastrians in the Arts: A Lasting Legacy.

About Director Madeline Anderson
Born in 1924 in Lancaster, Pa., Madeline Anderson had an early passion for directing. She graduated from J.P. McCaskey High School in 1945, and her cinematic journey began at NYU while studying psychology. She became professionally involved in filmmaking when she answered a babysitting ad for documentarian Richard Leacock, a pioneer of cinema verite style filmmaking, who would go on to become her mentor. Anderson has had a distinguished career, including serving as the first female supervising editor and an in-house producer for the Children’s Television Workshop (Sesame Street). She currently resides in Brooklyn.

The event, titled “I Am Somebody: The Trailblazing Career of Madeline Anderson,” takes place on Saturday, September 23 at 2pm at LancasterHistory. Introductory remarks by Shianne Hargrove will precede the screenings. Tickets are $10/Adults (18+) and $5/Students (17 and Under). LancasterHistory Members are free, but should still register in advance to secure their complimentary admission. Tickets can be purchased or reserved online or by calling (717) 392-4633. Capacity is limited, so advance registration is strongly recommended.

For an insightful look into the early civil rights movement and labor activism through the lens of a trailblazing director, we invite you to join us for this special screening event!

About LancasterHistory
LancasterHistory is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established to educate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historical organizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation of resources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within the broader context of state and national history, including the life and legacy of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, his house manager, Lydia Hamilton Smith, and America’s 15th President, James Buchanan.

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