Dr. Fred Pollock, president of the WV Jewish Film Festival on your left with guest speaker, WV legendary basketball player Nemo Nearman on your right
Dr. Fred Pollock, president of the WV Jewish Film Festival, introduced Nemo Nearman to almost 100 viewers on Sunday, July 19th, at the WV Cultural Center. After Nearman’s 30 minute presentation, the 2008 documentary on the importance of basketball to Jewish immigrants during the first half of the 20th century, “The First Basket,” was shown. Many of Mr. Nearman’s senior basketball friends were in attendance, getting to see his 30 minute presentation on his incredible life in basketball. It was a very nice summer cultural center, celebrating one of WV’s greatest althetes plus revealing an amazing history of basketball, “the world’s second most popular sport.”
Nemo, who is very well known in the Kanawha Valley, not only for his sports activities like playing on a senior basketball team that is about to leave for national competition, but many other socially progressive activities. He is one of the leaders of the annual Charleston Regatta Long Distance Run, and helps build homes for disadvantaged people.
He began his program with clips from a B movie he made in California many years ago called “Time Travelers.” It was hilarious to see Nemo as a giant alien from another time period wrecking havoc on contemporary American scientists.
The most touching part of his program was the footage of a recent event held at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina. They had a weekend bringing back all living basketball players. He was the key speaker for his years, 1949-53, when they went to the Final Four in New York City. He also mentioned that there was another Jewish star who played on one of their many teams, one winning the national championship. He told the audience that UNC will be celebrating 100 years of basketball in 2010.
There were some sound problems with the UNC footage, apparently because it was transfered from videotape. The main program, “The First Basket,” looked and sounded great in the Great Hall of the Cultural Center. The Center had two technical people, one for image and the other for sound. Todd, the image man, told me after the film that “I never knew that Jewish people did all those things.”
The audience…about 10 minutes before the program began…more did come
Nemo was surprised that there weren’t a lot more people as I was. Given his reputation, etc., both of us thought that there would be a full-house. I guess showing films in the middle of July might not draw the crowds that the January film programs sponsored by the WV Jewish Film Festival usually draws. Nearman told me that he had NEVER attended any of the previous film events himself.
Pollock was interviewed before the event by WOWK-TV and clips of the program were shown at 11 PM. Pollock explained the rationale for the film series and invited everyone to attend. I think it’s the first time local TV has covered any event sponsored by the WV Jewish Film Festival.
On Monday, Pollock e-mailed me, “I think that last night’s event was one of our best! Very upbeat and the Theater is fantastic…Would be great if they have 35mm capacity… “
Congrats to Dr. Pollock and Mr. Nearman for one of the best Jewish film programs ever held in Charleston. I am sure that Pollock, and myself, will immediately start looking for 35 mm films to show at the Park Place Stadium Theaters in January.
Dr. Pollock told the audience about the many DVD and VHS preview copies of Jewish films I have donated in the last year to the B’Nai Jacob Synagogue. I have been assisting first Peter Godfred and during the last decade Dr. Pollock bring the world’s best Jewish films to Charleston since 1979.
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