Cost: $17.85
Location Map:
Location: Laemmle Monica Film Center, 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Date: Feb 23, 2026 – 7pm
Aint No Back to a Merry-Go-Round, Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica, CA
We invite you to attend a special screening of “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round” followed by a Q&A session featuring the director and Erin Gruwell from Freedom Writers!
This special screening is held in honor of Black History Month and includes a Q&A session!
This event is co-presented by the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival and the Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance.
Join us for a unique screening of the thought-provoking film, “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round”! After the film, there will be an exclusive in-person Q&A with director Ilana Trachtman and Erin Gruwell, the founder of Freedom Writers and the subject of the film, portrayed by Hilary Swank.
About the Film: In the summer of 1960, five Howard students took their seats on the gilded horses of a “whites-only” carousel. When the white community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the Black students in large numbers to establish picket lines, an unprecedented collaboration emerged. The protests drew attention from Nazis, Congress members, and a flood of media coverage. The act of picketing together led to celebrations together, and union organizers guided student activists, ultimately resulting in ten Freedom Riders in 1961, including Stokely Carmichael, and a Supreme Court case.
Featuring never-before-seen footage and immersive storytelling by Emmy-award winning director Ilana Trachtman (“Praying With Lior”), four living protesters bring this untold story to light, showcasing the cost and the strength of responding to the call for activism. AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND features voiceovers by renowned actors Jeffrey Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Bob Balaban, Lee Grant, Peter Gallagher, Dominique Thorne, Alysia Reiner, and Tracie Thoms.
Directed by Ilana Trachtman
89 mins/USA/Documentary/2025
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