Czechoslovak Society of Arts & Sciences

A feature documentary film screening

With an introduction by Petra Gelbart, PhD, MS

Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 7 pm
Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73 St, NYC

Open to the public
Suggested donation: $10
Limited seating.

RSVP HERE.

Mira Erdevicki’s documentary follows the lives of three Czech-Slovak young Roma, Petr, Denisa, and Ond?ej, who are children of the first generation of immigrants to the United Kingdom in the 1990s due to racial and social discrimination. The film also follows the three visiting their native countries with mixed emotions. The multi-layered, intimate documentary contains scenes shot by the protagonists on their mobile phones. It provides a closer look at Roma culture and society and insight into their lives in the UK, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It also presents the challenges the protagonists faced due to Brexit and COVID-19.

Mira Erdevicki is a Serbian documentary film director and writer who graduated from the School of Journalism in Belgrade and Prague’s Film Academy (FAMU) in 1993. She directed several films with the Roma subject.

Petra Gelbart, PhD, MS, Czech-Romani, is an ethnomusicologist, musician, singer, music therapist and activist. She earned her Ph.D. in musicology/ethnomusicology at Harvard University and is the vice-chair of the Czechoslovak Romani Union. Petra uses her research and voice to educate about Romani culture and advocate for Romani rights. She has been working with children from Czech state care for part of each year since 2004.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, UK, 2022 | 91 min.
Language: Czech, English with English Subtitles

Thursday, APRIL 18, 2024 at 7 pm
Bohemian National Hall in NYC

A talk by Dr. Hynek Wichterle, Columbia University Medical Center

Join us for a fascinating journey into Professor Hynek Wichterle’s stem cell research at Columbia University Medical Center. He developed groundbreaking methods for producing spinal cord neurons from pluripotent embryonic stem cells in a culture dish. The goal of his work is to unlock the mysteries of brain development and discover new treatments that promote motor neuron survival in patients affected by ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Fun fact: Hynek Wichterle is a proud grandson of Otto Wichterle, the Czech scientist who invented hydrogels and soft contact lenses.

HYNEK WICHTERLE is a professor holding a joint appointment in the Departments of Pathology & Cell Biology and Neuroscience (in Neurology) at Columbia University Medical Center. He received his M.S. degree from Charles University in Prague and his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University. He trained at Columbia University, where he was appointed assistant professor in 2004 and a Jerry and Emily Spiegel professor in 2021. He serves as a co-director of the Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease and as a Vice-Chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine.

VIDEO RECORDING

Photo Paul Ort, Painting of Otto Wichterle Hana Shannon