The Basement Talks
Six women who couldn't disagree more.
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DateFebruary 18, 2025
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LocationThe Frank Shiner Theatre
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Ticket PricesFree with registration | $20 suggested donation
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AvailabilityOn Sale Now
Event Details
In 1994, a gunman walked into two Massachusetts abortion facilities and opened fire, killing two staff members and injuring five people. The public outrage in response to this violent tragedy and the subsequent trial was overwhelming, as both the pro-life and pro-choice movements vigorously cast blame, shame, and fierce vitriol on one another. The Basement Talks asks, What do you do with a problem you can’t solve alone, but is so divisive – fatally divisive – you can’t seem to solve it in community, either?
Recognizing the danger and hostility of the rhetoric used on both sides and determined to work to put an end to the violence, the Governor of Massachusetts and the Cardinal of Boston came together to call for dialogue. Their initiative resulted in six women – all leaders in their own communities, and each on very different sides of the debate – meeting secretly in a windowless basement. They were only supposed to meet four times; they met for nearly six years.
This gripping documentary explores how their simple yet significant willingness to engage and foster civil dialogue created understanding and diffused the hate that had become so prevalent. Together, these brave women did what some would consider unthinkable: They not only talked, but they listened to each other. Ultimately, none of the participants would change their minds or their positions, but the experience changed their lives and influenced how the debate would go on outside that basement, in our own living rooms and on the national level. This story highlights the importance of dialogue and empathy in navigating contentious social issues, offering viewers a hopeful perspective on reconciliation and respect.
Additional Ticket Information
The Horizons of Hope Film Series will take place on Feb 11, 18, and 25 with screenings at 2PM and 7PM. Only the 7PM screenings will be followed by a Q&A with members of each film's creative team and subject matter experts. All screenings are free, but we hope you choose to make a $20 suggested donation!
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Meet the Panelists
Join us for the 7pm screening and experience an intimate talkback and panel discussion after the film.
- Sarah Perkins: Sarah Perkins is a filmmaker and PhD student at Brandeis University. Together with her husband, she oversaw this project from development to post-production as co-director, co-editor, and camera operator. The film has since screened across the US to audiences spanning the political spectrum and opened countless vital conversations about polarization and peacebuilding. Previously, Sarah and her husband's films have won Best Documentary at the prestigious Boston Film Festival, ranked in the top 20 most watched documentaries on Amazon Prime, and has been viewed millions of times. Sarah is also the director of peacemaking for Mormon Women for Ethical Government. She recently relocated from Boston and now lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two children where they continue to make films and work to build peace.
- Amelia D’Entrone: An Emmy award-winning producer, Amelia brings over 20 years of TV production and development experience to bear on the problem of political division and partisan animosity. Working in short-, medium-, and long-form formats, Amelia's work at Builders aims to change the culture surrounding America's atrophied problem-solving muscle and how we relate to each other across our lines of difference. Her work has appeared on MTV, Facebook, Investigation Discovery, and Bravo (to name a few) and is fueling a movement of Americans ready to work together to solve our toughest problems. Recently, she produced The Tennessee 11 and is the head of content at Builders, a leading group in the depolarization space.
- Jennifer Thomas: Jennifer Walker Thomas is the co-executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government and the co-host of the Proclaim Peace podcast. She is currently a Vote is Sacred fellow with Interfaith America. She received her bachelor’s degree in art history and Italian from Brigham Young University and went on to do graduate work in art history at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. She worked as a consultant for underperforming schools in the New York City public school system and then worked in major gift fundraising and event planning for Massachusetts General Hospital. Following the births of her four boys, Jennifer became a full-time parent, and during that period she held leadership positions at church and consistently volunteered in her community. This included serving as an elected member of the town government in Belmont, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband.
- Meenakshi Chakraverti: Meenakshi Chakraverti is a consultant in the fields of dialogue, conflict resolution, and leadership development. She was staff and associate for over two decades at the Public Conversations Project, now Essential Partners, and continues to work with Essential Partners as an Associate Emerita. She has taught negotiation at the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Graduate School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego; and was Director of the Leadership Institute of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. Meenakshi also writes literary fiction and her first novel was recently published by an international press based in Berlin, Germany.
About the "Horizons of Hope" Series
Are people inherently bad? Or are they victims of their circumstances?
Can people who disagree on deeply divisive issues find a way to respect each other? Protect each other?
In our lowest moments, how do we resist isolation and despair to instead choose connection, community, and healing?
These are questions we can frame squarely within the context of faith and spirituality, but they are also the most human of questions to grapple with. What do we do when confronted with our own fallibility, our vulnerability, and our need to love and be loved?
This powerful collection of narratives on film offers a poignant look at the very human faces beneath the sound bites, headlines, and talking points. As each of these individuals face their struggles, we are invited to bear witness to the extraordinary resilience and grace that emerges in the pursuit of healing and hope.