What happens when you mix powerful films, a curious audience, and a space built for deep dialogue? You get Civil Society Screenings — a new documentary film series curated by Michael Lucerto, A Lynnspire 2025 grant recipient, in partnership with the Lynn Music Foundation.
The series tagline says it best:
“Documentaries and other films curated to make you think.”
Held monthly at The Neal Rantoul Vault Theatre (25 Exchange Street, Lynn), Civil Society Screenings dives into stories that challenge, inspire, and reveal — offering Lynn audiences a rare chance to gather around big questions and bold narratives.
The 2024 Lineup:
- May 29: 51 Birch Street
A son turns the camera on his own family and uncovers uncomfortable truths in this gripping personal documentary about love, memory, and the myth of the “normal” marriage. - June 12: Defining Us
An urgent look at race, education, and equity — told through the voices of students and educators who refuse to be invisible. - July 17: Medium Cool
Fiction crashes into real life in this revolutionary 1969 film, shot during the riots at the Democratic National Convention — still disturbingly relevant today. - August 21: The Beautiful Country
A Vietnamese man travels across continents to find the American father he’s never met. A haunting, poetic story about exile, family, and resilience. - September 18: Fighter
Holocaust survivor. Prizefighter. Legend. The true story of Harry Haft, who boxed to survive and lived to tell it. - November 13: My Omaha
Youth voices take center stage in this portrait of a city — and a generation — navigating change, identity, and home. - December 11: We Still Here / Aquí Estamos
In post-Maria Puerto Rico, youth activists rise to fill the leadership vacuum with fierce love for their people and vision for the future.
All films screen at 7:00 PM at
The Neal Rantoul Vault Theatre
25 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA
Lucerto’s Civil Society Screenings invites us to experience film as more than just entertainment. It’s about gathering, thinking critically, and building a culture of civic reflection — right here in Lynn.
Supported by a Lynnspire grant, this project exemplifies how local creatives can turn ideas into shared experiences that strengthen our communities.