Join us as we welcome storyteller and director Brooklyn Demme in a presentation, "Akuy Eenda Maawehlaang: The Place Where People Gather," on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in the library’s Mackay Room.

A community conversation with Brooklyn Demme will follow the screening. In addition to questions the audience may have about the films they just viewed, the conversation will cover film, activism, mentorship, and building community at home and abroad. Penobscot (and Lenape) elder Grandmother Cindy Fountain will be Mr. Demme’s special guest in facilitating the post-screening discussion and Q & A.

Demme's documentary "Akuy Eenda Maawehlaang: The Place Where People Gather," charts the Ramapough-Lenape Nation's struggle to gather and pray on their land along the Ramapo River. The nation has faced years of legal disputes with the township of Mahwah as well as their neighbors — an enclave of multi-million-dollar homes called the Polo Club. The 14-acre Split Rock Sweet Water Prayer Camp is considered sacred to the Ramapoughs, who number about 3,500, many of them living across the state border in Hillburn. Lenape means "the people" and Ramapough means "clear water" or "sweet water," according to the film.

Brooklyn Demme is a community storyteller who learned working in the field with his father and mentor, the late great Jonathan Demme. Combining his love of film with his experience in executive non-profit leadership, Brooklyn founded Truth 2 Power in 2021 to keep telling the stories which strengthen our communities. Through ongoing work with the Ramapough Lenape Nation, educational fundraising with the Nación Achuar de Ecuador, and a feature-length documentary film commissioned by the Northern Cheyenne Elder's Council, Brooklyn is happy and thankful for the chance to impact the world around us at the intersection of community, education, and film.

For additional information, please contact programming@englewood.bccls.org. The Englewood Public Library is located at 31 Engle St.