On Screen/In Person, brings new, American, independent films and their creators to communities across the mid-Atlantic region. A total of six films and their filmmakers tour across the region each year. Each tour engagement includes a public screening, and a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker. Carnegie Hall is proud to have been selected as a host site for the 2015-2016 series.
The second film screening, Small Small Thing, a compelling documentary about the high profile case of 7-year old Liberian rape victim Olivia Zinnah, will be held in the Hamilton Auditorium on Monday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. Cost of admission is $5.
In December 2012, Olivia Zinnah, 12, died of septic shock from a bowel obstruction. Her death was a result of complications from surgeries intended to repair the extensive injuries she sustained when she was raped at the age of seven. This is her story. Small Small Thing begins at JFK Hospital in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, and urban center of this West African country. Olivia Zinnah is 9 years old, severely malnourished and handicapped. Her condition is life threatening. Believing her injuries to be the result of witchcraft, Olivia’s mother had been hiding her in their village for years. The doctors conclude her condition is the result of a brutal rape that took place when Olivia was 7 years old. When pressured to reveal her rapist, Olivia names her cousin. This diagnosis has severe consequences. Originally from deep in the Liberian jungle, Olivia and her mother are shunned from their tribe for seeking outside help. They are left stranded in Monrovia at the mercy of President Sirleaf’s government, facing the most difficult decision of all. What price are they willing to pay for justice?
In January 2009, Director Jessica Vale was in Liberia with Mount Sinai Hospital directing a different documentary about the challenges US surgeons face in third world countries. In the middle of shooting, Mount Sinai deemed the film too controversial and put it on hold indefinitely. Monrovia was unsafe at the time, and Jessica was unable to leave JFK Hospital without armed security. Instead she ended up spending time in the women’s fistula ward, where 9 year old Olivia Zinnah had recently arrived as a patient.
Jessica was quickly taken by her story and learned Olivia’s case was not isolated. With the help of Co-Producer Barnie Jones, they launched their own investigation into why JFK Hospital was receiving so many child rape victims. Despite interviews with the Temple of Justice and a trip to Monrovia Central Prison, there were more questions than answers when they returned to New York. Back in the US, Jess explained the story to fellow producer and director of photography Nika Offenbac, and asked her to join in a return trip. With a very limited budget, and donated camera gear, Jessica and Nika headed to Liberia in August of 2009 to get the answers they so desperately sought.
Jessica Vale is an accomplished non-fiction film producer and editor, working in the business for over a decade. Originally from New Hope, PA, Jess graduated from Temple University. Her credits include work for CBS News, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel, The Weinstein Co., and more. When she’s not deep in the documentary world, she spends her time as a musician and artist. In 2005 and 2007, her singles appeared on the Billboard charts. Jessica’s work has been featured in publications around the world such as the front page of the Times London art section, Wired Magazine, the Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the NY Daily News.
Olivia’s story received worldwide coverage shortly after her death. In one television interview Jessica and Nika were faced with this question, “I was saying during the commercial break how difficult I found this film to watch. But realizing Olivia’s lived experience was so much worse, I owed it to her to at least bear witness. What more can we do beyond bear witness?…” – Melissa Harris-Perry MSNBC. Vale will be on site for the evening, greeting patrons at a reception prior to the screening. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. She will remain available for a question-and-answer session after the film. Please join Jessica in this very important conversation, become informed, and join in the fight to end these heinous crimes against children, both on a local and international level.
Also participating in the event are local champions for youth and families in need, Davis-Stuart, Inc., Children’s Home Society, The Family Refuge Center, and CASA. Representatives from each organization will be on site to discuss resources available for abuse victims here in West Virginia.
On Screen/In Person is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts.
