(Credit: Fay Fox)

On Jan. 6, 2022, the Jacob Burns Film Center is set to present a screening of the 1970 film “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” as well as a unique Q & A with composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Michael Korie.

The screening of the Vittoria de Sica classic is aimed at spreading the word on the upcoming world premiere of Gordon’s opera with the New York City Opera on Jan 19, 2022. The opera will be directed by Richard Strafford and is set to star Rachel Blaustein, Brian James Myer, Mary Phillips, Stephen Powell, and Victor Starsky.

The opera, and the film, is based on Giorgio Bassani’s 1962 novel and takes place on the eve of World War II. It tells the tale of an Italian-Jewish family who believes they are immune to the changing currents, a belief that will prove tragic for them.

Performances of “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” will take place at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City.