Monday, June 11, 7-9pm, Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Ave.

Today’s program: a screening of “Projections of America” (60 minutes) that tells the story of a team of idealistic filmmakers who, during the darkest days of World War II, had hoped that the power of the movies could reshape the world. As Allied forces liberated Western Europe, the military campaign was accompanied by a vast propaganda effort, and at its center were 26 short documentaries about American life targeted at the newly-liberated populations.

The “Projections of America” films presented American stories — of cowboys and oilmen, farmers and window washers, immigrants and school children — capturing the optimism and messiness of American democracy. On the surface, the movies were intended to make friends for America. But in the process, the filmmakers created something much deeper: a complex, nuanced, and at times utopian depiction of how America — and the world — might reshape itself in the wake of a devastating war.

The “Projections of America” films espoused international cooperation, New Deal policies, and a racially and ethnically integrated America. As historian Ian Scott notes in this documentary, “That mixture of idealism and realism was a kind of recognition that the world could become a better place. And if this wasn’t the moment to confront that idea, when was?”

Contact: cohioansforpeace@gmail.com