The appeal of Jim Wolpaw’s disarming documentary lies with its central ploy: the semi-serious account of a "filmmaker’s" search for an actress to play poet Emily Dickinson in his movie. Auditioning actors and expert-interviewees present a barrage of responses—from the hilarious to the profound—to the familiar details of Dickinson’s life. The end result, for both the "filmmaker" and the audience, is nonetheless a richer and deeper understanding of Dickinson’s exquisite work.

Filmmakers Jim Wolpaw and Steve Gentile will be present following the screening to conduct a short master class on documentary ethics. Discussing the ethical dimensions of blending fact with fiction in the documentary format, Wolpaw and Gentile will raise a variety of issues that film and video makers eager to work in the documentary discipline will find pertinent to their endeavors.