Eventbrite, and certain approved third parties, use functional, analytical and tracking cookies (or similar technologies) to understand your event preferences and provide you with a customized experience. This film showcases survival through adversity -- the hope, faith, and courage needed to fight your way out of a dreadful situation. “Growing up we always heard about the disaster and that whirlpool,” Albert Brocca said. On January 22, 1959 the river broke into the mines... At the direction of the Knox Coal Company miners illegally dug too close to the underbelly of the Susquehanna River causing a cave-in that flooded the mines with over 10 billion gallons of water trapping 81 miners underground. Join us January 31, 2020 at 7pm for a screening of the Knox Mine Disaster documentary. echo $docs_text ?> The documentary on this page is a fiscally sponsored project of the International Documentary Association (IDA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. While a lifetime of making documentaries has convinced her of the power of the real, Kirsten Johnson is... Athlete A is about the search for truth in one of the greatest scandals in the history of sports... © 2020 International Documentary Association. Find out more about how your privacy is protected. General Admission $10 online purchase - $12 at the door Where: Lemmond Theater at Misericordia University When: January 31, 2020 at 7pm As we fight for a better future, it never hurts to remember where we came from – and to honor the ones who were cut down before their time. Join us January 22, 2020 on the 61st Anniversary of the Knox Mine Disaster at 7pm for a screening of the Knox Mine Disaster documentary. Log in or sign up for Eventbrite to save events you're interested in. In the end, Pancotti received the Carnegie Medal for his efforts, which saved the lives of thirty-three of his fellow workers. Inspired by those stories, they have created a film on one of the anthracite region’s darkest chapters. Where: Pittston Area High School Auditorium. Producer Albert Brocca, 37, is originally from Kingston. “Knox Mine Disaster,” their feature-length documentary, will premiere on Jan. 22, the 60th anniversary of the tragedy that killed 12 men — and, effectively, the area’s mining industry. On the surface a giant 150-foot whirlpool formed as rescue teams attempted to plug the breach by launching train cars into the river. I always enjoy reading your posts about little known stories about historic events and history so often forgotten. What followed was a day of terror and heroism unlike any other in labor history. For more information please review our cookie policy. Perhaps the most powerful aspect of the film is its interviews with survivors and witnesses. However, this is a nitpick, and certainly does not detract from the film’s ability to spin a thrilling story. Things to do in Yatesville, PA There are many such stories, and in their film, the Broccas have created a fitting memorial … Finally, the documentary is framed and given emotional weight by the music of Lex Romane, a veteran Pennsylvania folk musician and chronicler of the Anthracite. The show will open with a live musical performance by Lex Romane and a film discussion with Director David Brocca and Author Robert Wolensky following the documentary. To learn more about this project click on the 3 minute pitch video below. By closing this banner or by continuing to use Eventbrite, you agree. Filmmakers David Brocca, left, and his cousin Albert Brocca are seen at the Anthracite Heritage Museum last year on the 59th anniversary of the Knox Mine Disaster. The drama continues through the Knox hearings as investigators try to place blame and responsibility while the community struggles to rebuild a regional economy the flooding of the mines destroyed. These are the most haunting words from David and Albert Brocca’s new documentary on the Knox Mine Disaster, which began screening last month. More, they have formed a damning indictment of the capitalist bosses responsible for the tragedy. The Broccas chronicle the disaster itself, as well as the legal proceedings that followed. The plot thickens as court footage reveals the role of organized crime and racketeering, following from low-level managers like Fries and Receski all the way to the mine’s ultimate owners – including August J. Lippi, who secretly held stock in the company while also running the local miners’ union, and John Sciandra, whose brother-in-law was a powerful figure in the New York Mafia. “People would come over here from Italy, Ireland, Poland” to work in the mines, which was dangerous but steady work, Brocca said, adding that many friends and acquaintances had stories about relatives and ancestors who were miners. If the documentary has one flaw, in fact, it is the heavy emphasis given to the Mafia’s involvement. The cousins, who moved to California to pursue their dreams of film-making, never forgot their Northeastern Pennsylvania upbringing, especially stories about anthracite mining. Call 570-270-2190 and ask for Alex. They document how the chief engineers, Ralph Fries and Bill Receski, knowingly crossed established “stop lines,” taking their tunnels into unstable territory beneath the river itself. They were: Samuel Altieri, John Baloga, Benjamin Boyar, Francis Burns, Charles Featherman, Joseph Gizenski, Dominic Kaveliski, Frank Orlowski, Eugene Ostrowski, William Sinclair, Daniel Stefanides and Herman Zelonis. While 69 men escaped, the bodies of the 12 who died were never recovered. The following contains important plot points of the Knox Mine Disaster documentary. Yatesville Screenings Find out more about how your privacy is protected. “The first interviews we did were at the 50th anniversary,” Brocca said, adding that he and David frequently return to the area, which is how they compiled the videos. Before they knew it, the exits began to fill with water, blocking their escape. Log in or sign up for Eventbrite to save events you're interested in. Men scrambled for their lives, running and riding the mine carts to warn their comrades. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut, A documentary 60 years in the making told by the people of the “hard. With almost forensic precision, the Broccas lay out the evidence, culled from hundreds of court documents, newspaper clippings, and archival films. Directed by David Brocca. Brocca said he and his cousin plan to take “Knox Mine Disaster” on the film festival circuit. One was King’s College history professor Robert P. Wolensky, author of two books on the disaster who will be part of a post-film discussion with the Broccas on Jan. 22. Samuel Altieri, John Baloga, Benjamin Boyar, Francis Burns, Charles Featherman, Joseph Gizenski, Dominic Kaveliski, Frank Orlowski, Eugene Ostrowski, William Sinclair, Daniel Stefanides, and Herman Zelonis were unable to outrun the mine’s collapse, and lost their lives as the tunnels flooded. In obtaining the vintage news footage, the Broccas were exceptionally fortunate. “This is part of our history,” Albert Brocca said during an interview on Saturday. “It was amazing to see old train cars being driven into the whirlpool, being obliterated and sucked into the abyss.”. As such, it is more important now than ever, as late-stage capitalism continues to wreak havoc on the lives of working people across the world. All Rights Reserved. When: Jan. 22. The film combines vintage news footage with survivor interviews and artist’s renderings of conditions in the Knox Coal Company mine when the Susquehanna River broke through its ceiling near Port Griffith that January day in 1959, sending icy water into the breach. As a result the Susquehanna breached a six-foot patch of rock and flooded the tunnels underneath, sending 10 billion gallons of water into the mines. Your email will only be seen by the event organizer. Human error — and greed — caused the catastrophe. Visit our offcial website KnoxMineDisaster.com. Contributions are payable to the IDA and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. “We’re hoping Tribeca or Sundance will pick us up,” he said. The show will open with a live musical performance by Lex Romane and a film discussion with the filmmakers following the documentary. “He knew exactly where it was,” Brocca said. In the film, surviving family members tell their stories, preserving the memory of the Knox workmen for all time. “But we also had a lot of community support.”. In telling their story, the Broccas also turned to several other sources for help. They also acknowledge that the film is intended as much for younger audiences — and the future — as for those who were living at the time. They learned that film from that era was still stored in WBRE’s basement, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether what the Broccas needed could be easily identified and retrieved from decades of old reels. With all known exits cut off miners scramble to find an alternative route out and escape a cold, dark, death. What comes after the Jan. 22 screening? They show how the mine’s owners enthusiastically backed the practice of “pillar-robbing,” chipping away at vital support structures for the sake of a few extra carts of coal. The disaster occurred when workers were ordered to dig illegally under the Susquehanna River without proper safety precautions, creating a hole in the riverbed which caused the river to flood into the many interconnected mine galleries in the Wyoming Valley between the right … “He had the numbers and everything. ‘Knox Mine Disaster’ director David Brocca thanks the 600 attendees who came to see the documentary Tuesday night at the Kirby Center for the Creative Arts at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston. There are many such stories, and in their film, the Broccas have created a fitting memorial to the lives lost in the Anthracite’s last great disaster. To anyone who grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania, the Knox Mine Disaster needs no introduction – its shadow lingers on the area to this day, in a thousand half-remembered family stories. Allow Facebook friends to see your upcoming events? The Broccas began capturing those oral histories a decade ago, long before they had settled on the idea to create a full-length film about the incident. The massive train cars were sucked down into the mines and crushed like tin cans. Would you like to receive event invitations, news, and updates from the International Documentary Association? And I’m sorry to say that, because I’m a Catholic. The show will open with a live musical performance by Lex Romane and a film discussion with the filmmakers following the documentary. PWF 2020 Special Presale ALL ACCESS tickets, 4 Weeks Cybersecurity Awareness Training Course in Wilkes-barre, 4 Weeks Cybersecurity Awareness Training Course in Scranton, 4 Weeks Only Digital Marketing Training Course in Wilkes-barre, 4 Weeks Only Digital Marketing Training Course in Scranton, Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Township, Scranton Chocolate, Wine & Whiskey Festival, Consignor Waiver & Drop-Off Appointment: Winter 2020, Wyoming Valley Mall- former Sears location, Wilkes-Barre Township. For the 60th anniversary later this month they will debut their documentary about the tragedy. “It was really a passion for me and David. We put a lot of our own time and money into it,” Brocca said. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7. The cousins would interview 14 people in total, of whom five have since died. On the surface rescue teams unsuccessfully attempt to plug the breach by launching train cars into the massive swirling vortex, only to witness them swallowed into the mines below. “They knew they might not make it out,” he said, but they tried not to let one another focus on that grim reality, lest anyone give up hope. “It was a lot like talking with men who had come through a war.”. Enter Jack Scannella. No matter how far they roam, Albert and David Brocca will always have coal in their blood. • Or by phone: 570-270-2190 and ask for Alex. The Knox Mine Disaster Documentary is a fiscally sponsored project of the International Documentary Association, (IDA) a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. by Knox Mine Disaster Documentary Film Screening Series. “Knox Mine Disaster,” their feature-length documentary, will premiere on Jan. 22, the 60th anniversary of the tragedy that killed 12 men — and, effectively, the area’s mining industry.

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