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Saturday, July 1, at 1:00 pm, the Florence Community Library will celebrate Independence Day with a screening of the documentary, USS Indianapolis: The Legacy. Experience the story of the worst sea disaster in US Navy History, told by the men who lived it – followed by a Q & A that will include the film’s director alongside Florence resident and Indianapolis survivor Adolfo “Harpo” Celaya!

 

Built around more than 100 interviews with family members, rescuers, and survivors, the documentary recounts the five harrowing days the survivors spent struggling against intense thirst, searing sun, and hundreds of sharks. After their rescue came another battle – a 54 year fight to clear the name of their captain, disgraced after taking the blame for the ship’s loss. Set to a soaring original score, the story unfolds with rare World War II footage, previously unpublished photographs, and new footage from one of the last World War II-era heavy cruisers still afloat.

 

The screening will be followed by a Q & A that will include Florence residents Adolfo “Harpo” Celaya and Irene Daniel, as well as the film’s director, Sara Vladic. For more information, or to sign up, please contact the library at (520) 868 – 8311.

 

USS Indianapolis: The Legacy was named: 2016 Official Selection at the GI Film Festivals in both Washington DC and San Diego; 2016 Official Selection at the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Festival; and 2016 Special Selection at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis. Recently, the film was chosen as an official selection for the 2017 WWII Film Festival in Normandy, and was screened in Carentan during the D-Day festivities for an international audience. It is a Films by Serendipity production. To find out more about the film, visit www.FilmsBySerendipity.com or the film’s Facebook page: @USSIndianapolisMovie.

 

The library thanks filmmakers Sara Vladic and Melanie Capacia Johnson for permission to screen this motion picture, honoring this critical event in American history.