Newton Cultural Alliance

NewTV Members Network Meet-Up
2026-02-25 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | NewTV, 23 Needham St, Newton, MA, 02461, United States
Join us at our Needham Street studio on Wednesday, February 25 at 6:00PM, for a Members Network Meet-Up! This will be a fun and engaging evening in a relaxed atmosphere. There will be food, technical help sessions, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow members! Non-members are welcome to attend as well!
6:00PM – 6:30PM – Networking and… (wait for it)… FREE PIZZA!
6:30PM – 8:00PM – Introductions, followed by technical help breakout sessions including:
How to Create & Manage Your Own YouTube Channel, with Peter Taber-Simonian
Control Room Basics, with Kathleen Golden
How to Host an Interview, with Jenn Adams
Please RSVP by Friday, February 20, so we can plan accordingly.
If you’re not a member and would like to join us, sign-up for a NewTV membership at https://newtv.org/join
Email membership@newtv.org with any questions!

West Newton Cinema presents Behind the Screen: Hoosiers with Brad Stevens
2026-03-01 12:30 - 15:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
ABOUT THE FILM:
A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.
PANEL DISCUSSION FOLLOWS
BRAD STEVENS
Brad Stevens is the President of Basketball Operations for the NBA’s Boston Celtics, a position he has held since June 2021, where he built the 2024 NBA championship team. A former standout college coach at Butler University—leading them to two consecutive NCAA Championship games in 2010 and 2011—he previously served as the Celtics’ head coach for eight seasons (2013–2021).
DAN SHAUGHNESSY
Dan Shaughnessy is a sports columnist and associate editor at the Boston Globe. He has been named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year 14 times and 12 times has been voted one of America’s top ten sports columnists by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2016 Shaughnessy was the recipient of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for “meritorious contributions to baseball writing,” presented at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Shaughnessy has written thirteen books, including New York Times bestseller “Francona,” “The Curse of the Bambino,” and “Senior Year.” He most recently wrote “Wish It Lasted Forever — Life With The Larry Bird Celtics”, a book about his days covering the 1980s Bird Celtics.

West Newton Cinema presents Ty Burr's Movie Club: The Holdovers
2026-03-12 18:30 - 21:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
TY BURR’S MOVIE CLUB is hosted by the nationally recognized film critic Ty Burr.
Each month Ty presents and discusses one of his favorite films with the audience. His selections span the spectrum from classics that have stood the test of time to contemporary films that merit a second viewing.

West Newton Cinema presents Oscars Party
2026-03-15 18:00 - 22:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Strike a pose at our red carpet photo booth, enjoy a dinner buffet by Anoush’ella, and settle in to watch the Awards with fellow film lovers. A cash bar will be available throughout the evening. Film critic Ty Burr will serve as MC, sharing commentary, predictions, and reactions as the night unfolds.
Be sure to cast your ballot in our Oscars poll. The guest with the most correct predictions will win a Golden Ticket, granting free admission to West Newton Cinema movies and events throughout 2026.

West Newton Cinema presents Cosmic Coda
2026-03-25 19:00 - 21:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Join West Newton Cinema for the Local Spotlight screening of Cosmic Coda with a post-film discussion with the Filmmaker MJ Doherty and Senior Research Scientist Peter Fritschel. COSMIC CODA is about the in-between moments of scientific discovery – how it feels going to work each day on a machine that tests both the limits of our universe and our ability to comprehend this mind boggling goal.

9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero
2026-03-26 19:00 - 21:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero
To inaugurate the We the People: Finding Our Voices speaker series, we invite you to a special VIP private screening of the newly created film 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero. The evening will continue with a forum with Carolyn Lukensmeyer, founder of AmericaSpeaks, Jerren Chang of Partners in Democracy, and community leader Marcy Crary. The screening will take place at West Newton Cinema. Admission is free, but registration is required. Join us for this powerful opening event as we come together to reflect, learn, and begin an important community conversation.

The Allen Center Presents An Uncommon Education
2026-04-16 19:00 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
The Allen Center and Historic Newton present a special screening of An Uncommon Education, a documentary exploring the legacy of Nathaniel T. Allen—right here where his groundbreaking work took place. Learn about Allen’s English and Classical School, a forward-looking program of study at a time when slavery was still the law of the land and women’s suffrage yet a distant goal.

West Newton Cinema presents Bending the Arc: The Journey Continues
2026-04-17 17:00 - 19:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Global Spotlight: Partners in Health
Partners In Health: The Journey Continues
In the 1980s, Dr. Paul Farmer, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, activist Ophelia Dahl, Todd McCormack, and investor Thomas White began a movement that changed global health forever. Treating patients who had been abandoned by the health establishment, they developed through Partners In Health (PIH) a community health model that saved millions of lives in the developing world. Their fight became a global battle in the highest halls of power for the right to health for all. Join PIH co-founder Todd McCormack, their CEO Sheila Davis, and Dr. Anatole Manzi to learn the challenges and opportunities for global health now and in the future. This event will begin at 5 pm with a pre-screening reception with PIH representatives. At 5:30 pm, we will screen Bending the Arc, the riveting documentary that shows how moral imagination, strategy, and sheer force of will can change the trajectory of the world. After the screening, our panelists will discuss the film and their work followed by an audience Q&A.
PANELISTS:
DR. SHEILA DAVIS
Dr. Sheila Davis is Chief Executive Officer of Partners In Health (PIH), where she previously
served as Chief of Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Officer, overseeing global clinical and operational programs. She led PIH’s response to the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic and has spent more than two decades advancing global health, HIV/AIDS care, and nursing leadership worldwide. A nationally recognized speaker and Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she holds doctoral and graduate nursing degrees from the MGH Institute of Health Professions.
TODD MCCORMACK
Todd McCormack is a co-founder of Partners In Health and has supported the organization
since meeting Paul Farmer at Duke University in 1978. He serves on PIH’s Board of Trustees
and Board of Directors, where he focuses on stewarding partnerships and mobilizing resources to advance the organization’s mission, and chairs the Governance and Nominating Committee. A Senior Corporate Vice President at IMG, he has been a pioneer in digital media strategy and continues to advise and invest in emerging media ventures.
DR. ANATOLE MANZI
Dr. Anatole Manzi is a global health leader advancing equity and excellence in healthcare
delivery and serves as Cluster Lead for Capacity Strengthening & Professional Development at the University of Global Health Equity’s LEAP Center. He previously served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Partners In Health, leading multi-country strategies to improve clinical quality and care systems. Born and raised in Rwanda, he holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, the University of Global Health Equity, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, grounding his work in social justice and accompaniment.

Director's Spotlight: Age Group Winner
2026-04-18 19:00 - 21:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
In 1980 Jay Helgerson shocked the world, becoming the first person to run a marathon a week for a year – each race completed in under three hours. For the last ten years, his daughter, filmmaker Alexandra Helgerson, followed him with a camera in order to understand the eccentric man who raised her. What she gets are his projected anxieties, his struggles with physical age and emotional distress, all while he endlessly trains for the Boston Marathon. But as Jay trains, the film is nearly derailed by Alexandra’s encounter with a life threatening illness. Ultimately, AGE GROUP WINNER is an affirmation of the will to live.
Join us after the film for a discussion with the filmmakers:
Alexandra Helgerson is a filmmaker, actor and musician. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she played basketball her freshman year. After working in publishing in New York City, she began a career in acting. Notable roles include Viola and Rosaline for the American Shakespeare Center, Vivien in VIVIEN, and Brynne in the horror-comedy HAPPY ENDING. AGE GROUP WINNER, a ten year in the making cinema-verité documentary about her world record setting, marathon running father, is her directorial debut. A recent survivor of sarcoma, Helgerson chronicles her experiences of love, loss, and desire on her debut album Halcyon Days, to be released in the summer of 2026.
Jay Helgerson was born in Wichita, KS and served in the U.S. Marine Corps before earning a degree in History at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1980 he became the first person in the world to run 52 marathons in one year, each in under 3 hours. His feat earned him a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. He trains daily in Portland’s Forest Park, and at age 71 will run his 20th Boston Marathon in April of 2026. When not running, Jay enjoys eating pizza, reading the news, and talking pop culture, mostly with his three daughters and two granddaughters.

West Newton Cinema presents Join or Die
2026-05-02 15:00 - 17:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Directed by Rebecca Davis, Pete Davis
Starring Robert Putnam, Vivek Murthy, Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, Priya Parker, Jane McAlevey, Glenn Loury, Hahrie Han
THE POWER OF BELONGING: JOIN OR DIE
Stronger communities start with showing up.
3:00 – 4:30 PM – “Join or Die” screening
4:30 – 5:30 PM – Club Fair in the Cinema Lobby
The West Newton Cinema, together with The Boston Club, is hosting a special screening of “Join or Die” and a post screening “joining fair” with 15 area clubs and organizations.
“Join or Die” is a film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America may depend on it. Follow the story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose viral “Bowling Alone” research into the decline in American community lights a path out of our democracy’s present crisis. The film shows that the solution is within reach: getting involved.
After the film, connect with local clubs and organizations, including Green Newton, Newton Free Library, The Boston Club, Ty Burr’s Movie Club, The Highland Glee Club, Newton Camera Club, LGBTQ Newton, Newton Rotary, Newton Lions Club, Newton Women’s Forum, Rock Voices, and more. Discover how you can turn inspiration into action by becoming part of a community.
