Q&A with director Gail Freedman and editor Dina Potocki alongside film participants

Monday, Jan. 12 2026, 7:00

• A one-time aspiring concert pianist, Gail Freedman abandoned the stage for the screen many years ago, with brief stops in academia, government and health care along the way. It hasn’t exactly been a planned migration, but in 25 years as an award-winning filmmaker, she has produced, directed and written dozens of documentaries on a wide range of subjects. She has also taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Among her films: Hot to Trot, an award-winning feature documentary inside the fascinating but little-known world of same-sex competitive ballroom dance–an idiosyncratic attack on bigotry, called “stirring and impressive, warm & involving, with unique heft & vitality” by the Los Angeles Times; and Making the 9/11 Memorial, a primetime special for The History Channel, which aired on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, when the Memorial opened. Other notable films, among many, have included Breaking the Silence Barrier (cognitive disabilities); Where’s The Cure? (breast cancer activism); Generation Rx (the opioid crisis); Lessons for the Future (public education); Giving While Living (philanthropy); and A Forever Family (Annie E. Casey Foundation). Her creative output encompasses independent projects, as well as extensive work for PBS, network television, cable, syndication and the Internet, along with educational and non-profit films. She was also Executive Producer of the 13-part PBS series, World@Large with David Gergen, as well as producer of the indie feature (and world’s first hyper-linked movie), The Onyx Project, starring acclaimed actor David Strathairn. Early in her career, Gail worked at both CBS 60 Minutes and ABC 20/20.
• Dina Potocki has an impressive track record & wide-ranging experience editing documentaries. With a strong sense of story and a gifted eye, she has worked on both independent films and television documentaries, including projects for independent distribution, along with PBS, ABC, A&E, The History Channel, Bravo, National Geographic, and Discovery. She & Gail Freedman have been crafting films together for some 25 years, including the feature documentary Hot to Trot. Other noteworthy credits, among many, include Making the 9/11 Memorial, The World Was Ours, Out of the Shadows, The Path to Nuclear Fission: The Story of Lisa Meitner & Otto Hahn, Giving While Living, Generation Rx, Breaking the Silence Barrier, Lessons for the Future, Playing in the FM Band: The Steve Post Story, and Forgetting the Many: The Royal Pardon of Alan Turing.

Tickets: $15 (members), $20 (nonmembers)

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