Genre: Community Event

Redemption Time – FREE

A man clasps his hands as he looks at the man beside him holding his violin
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 • 7 PM • Steinman Hall
 
Witness a powerful multimedia performance film featuring poet Jimmy Santiago Baca and jazz violinist Christian Howes, two formerly incarcerated artists who reclaimed their lives through art. Combining spoken word, music, and visual art, Redemption Time invites audiences into a shared space of healing and transformation.
 

Pre-show Community Panel Discussion • 6:15 PM

  • Ms. Desireé Chang, Deputy Director of Enforcement, Policy & Compliance, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
  • Ms. Carolyn Harper, Prison Portrait Project artist
  • Dr. Stephanie Jerstad, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Millersville University
  • Ms. Karlee Shambaugh, Program Treatment Manager, Lancaster County Prison

After the film, there will be live music performed by Christian Howes alongside students from Music for Everyone and SWAN, a Lancaster-based music & support group for children affected by parental incarceration. 

Post-show Q&A

  • Dr. David Gonzalez, director of Redemption Time
  • Christian Howes, formerly incarcerated individual featured in Redemption Time and award-winning jazz violinist
 
Presented in partnership with Music for Everyone.

On Screen/In Person Film Series: A Tree of Life – FREE

Directed by Trish Adlesic
A deeply personal portrait of he survivors, families, and community of the eleven people killed in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. This film sheds light on the collective trauma suffered by a tight-knit group and brings into sharp focus the hate-based rhetoric that surrounds many of the mass shootings today.

CEUs: This event will offer 2.5 credit hour of ethics requirements for $25.00 to interested licensed professionals.

Disposable Humanity – FREE

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 • 7 PM • Steinman Hall
 
Esteemed scholars and filmmakers the Mitchell family delve into the chilling legacy of the Nazi Aktion T4 program, recounting the long-obscured history of over 300,000 disabled individuals who became the initial victims of the Third Reich.
 
6:15 PM • Pre-show community panel discussion
 
Post-show • Q&A with director Cameron Mitchell
 
Co-presented by the MU Disability Film Festival.

On Screen/In Person Film Series: Our American Family – FREE

Directed by Hallee Adelman & Sean King O’Grady

A radically honest portrait of five family members grappling with the legacy of generational addiction as they fight to heal resentments and pull each other out of the deepest depths. Captured at a pivotal “nothing to lose” moment over the course of a year, five family members, tired of life with addiction, struggle to transcend their crippling histories, find hope, and explore what’s possible through love. A touching, eye-opening look into one of America’s most pressing crises.

At 6:15 P.M., there will be a pre-show panel featuring Dr. Ryan Orr, Millersville University Assistant Professor of Sociology; Judge David L. Ashworth, President Judge of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas and Founder of the Lancaster Drug Court; Kayla Weiler, Manager of Addiction Medicine at Penn Medicine; and Chris Dreisbach, CEO of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery and addiction survivor.

After the showing, there will be a Q&A with the film’s director, Hallee Adelman, and the mother of the family featured in the documentary, Linda Geraghty.

CEUs: This event will offer 2.5 credit hour of ethics requirements for $25.00 to interested licensed professionals.

A Long Way to Go – FREE

Wednesday, January 20, 2027 • 7 PM • Steinman Hall
 
Following three nurses from India, the Philippines, and Ghana who migrated to the United States, this moving film explores the real human stories of migrant nurses who strengthen our communities with their skills while pursuing better lives for themselves and their families. 
 
6:15 PM • Pre-show community panel discussion
 
Post-show • Q&A with director Carolyn Jones

On Screen/In Person Film Series: Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink – SOLD OUT

This performance is currently sold out.

The story of a secretive hedge fund that is plundering America’s newspapers—and the journalists who are fighting back. Who will control the future of America’s news ecosystem: Wall Street billionaires concerned only with profit, or those who see journalism as the lifeblood of our democracy?

Panel Discussion @ 6:15 PM | Film Screening @ 7:00 PM | Post-Show Q&A with Director Rick Goldsmith

Presented in partnership with the Steinman Institute for Civic Engagement.

Signs of Humanity – FREE

Tuesday, February 16, 2027 • 7 PM • Steinman Hall
 
For years, artist Willie Baronet has collected signs from people experiencing homelessness, seeing in them not just a plea for help, but expressions of life, creativity, and humanity. In this moving film, he drives cross-country, “buying” signs and connecting with the people behind them. 
 
6:15 PM • Pre-show community panel discussion
 
Post-show • Q&A with director Willie Baronet

On Screen/In Person Film Series: A Thousand Pines – FREE

An intimate portrait of a hidden world, following a crew of Mexican guest workers over the course of a season as they plant trees throughout the United States. The crew struggles to balance the job’s physical demands and its extreme isolation with remaining connected to the life they are providing for back home.

Panel Discussion @ 6:15 PM | Film Screening @ 7:00 PM | Post-Show Q&A with Director Noam Osband

Sally’s Iron Mustangs – FREE

Thursday, April 8, 2027 • 7 PM • Steinman Hall
 
Walk alongside Sally Winchell, a 64-year-old bodybuilder and wellness advocate, on an uplifting journey of strength and community as she prepares a group of senior women for the Lancaster, PA, Senior Games. The film offers a character portrait of the determination, transformation, and camaraderie of women who defy age stereotypes and discover newfound strength. 
 
6:15 PM • Pre-show community panel discussion
 
Post-show • Q&A with director Abdullah Abu-Mahfouz and Sally Winchell

On Screen/In Person Film Series: And So I Stayed – FREE

An award-winning documentary about survivors of domestic violence who are unjustly incarcerated for killing their abusers in self-defense. These women paid a steep price with long prison sentences, lost time with loved ones, and painful memories.

Note: This film contains mature themes and depictions of violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

  • 6:15 PM | Pre-show Community Panel with Whitney Barbusca, MSW, LSW Social Worker, Penn Medicine (LGH); Mandy Billman, Director of Sexual Assault Prevention & Counseling Center, YWCA; Fai Hammond, Outreach Coordinator, Domestic Violence Services; and Dr. Heather Givin, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Millersville University.
  • 7:00 PM | Film screening
  • Post-show | Q&A with survivor-advocate Kim Dadou Brown
 
In the Lyet Lobby, “Silent Witness” will be on display. “Silent Witness” is a visual memorial to victims of Family and Intimate Partner Violence. The Silent Witnesses are red, life-size silhouettes. Each one bears a shield on which is written the story of a woman, child, or man who was killed by an abusive partner. The silhouettes also memorialize bystanders who were killed in attacks on an intimate partner. The Silent Witness Display is a collaboration between Domestic Violence Services and the Victim Witness Services – Office of the District Attorney and Penn Medicine.