Documentary screenings and discussion set May 9

The Rehoboth Beach Film Society will celebrate mothers by offering screenings of two documentaries by filmmaker LeAnn Erickson at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 9, at the Cinema Art Theater in Lewes. After the films, Erickson will take part in a discussion of the subject matter.

”Folk Songs” is set in 1913, when teenagers Sophia and Dimitry Makedonsky left Russia for the United States. Growing up in the Midwest, Erickson often heard stories of the old country her grandparents had left behind. As she travels to Russia, the search for a sense of place sparks a re-examination of her family’s immigrant past. Her own return to America sets in motion an interior journey that leads her to discover a new vision of an old country. Through immigrant memories, real and imagined, “Folk Songs” explores issues of personal identity and their connection to land, language and belonging.

”Neighbor Ladies” takes place during the late 1950s and 1960s, when American cities saw a rise in an unethical real estate technique known as blockbusting. The practice challenged the diversity of neighborhoods as it created racial panic. In the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, a group of women decided to fight back. Using grassroots organizing and legal maneuvering, the documentary introduces nine women who, each in their own way, helped integrate and stabilize their community.

Admission is $9 for film society members, $11.50 for the general public and $5 for students, with student tickets only available at the box office.

For all screening times and dates, and to purchase tickets, go to rehobothfilm.com or visit the box office from 12 to 8 p.m., Wednesday to Friday.