Directed by Barbara Weber, A World Within a World: The Bay Houses of Long Island (2020, 58 min.) explores the symbiotic relationship between nature and mankind. Focusing on the South Shore bay homes of Hempstead, Long Island, Weber captures the perseverance and dedication of generational bay homeowners. Preserving century long traditions, battling eroding marshlands, and enduring hurricane strength storms are just some of the many tribulations these families face.
A resident of Long Beach, NY, Barbara would notice the bay houses as she periodically drove over the Loop Parkway from where several bay houses can be seen. For years she had been very curious about these other worldly structures that looked as if they were built during a much earlier time. It wasn’t until she came upon a sign within the Lido Beach Nature Preserve that she learned that these were called bay houses.
“I was so excited and felt compelled to tell this story,” says Barbara Weber. “I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t a documentary on them. Having scored the soundtrack for over 33 films, basically you are a storyteller yourself. I knew I had what it took to put this film together. I then found Nancy Solomon, the director of Long Island Traditions who wrote a book about the bay houses; now in its second edition. Nancy was able to secure the bulk of funding for this project and bring me and my crew into the bay house world.”
The Film will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Guild Hall Executive Director Andrea Grover with Director Barbara Weber, Nancy Solomon, the Director of Long Island Traditions, artist Daniel Pollera.
Click HERE to view the film’s trailer.
THIS PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE INDOORS IN THE JOHN DREW THEATER. Guests attending any INDOOR John Drew Theater programs must show proof of FULL vaccination. At this time, only fully vaccinated guests are permitted to attend programs in the indoor theater. Face coverings are required indoors for all guests over the age of two, regardless of vaccinated status.
Click HERE for full COVID-19 information to review prior to your visit.
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Barbara Weber
In March of 2020 Barbara made her debut as a producer and director with the success of her first full feature documentary, “A World Within A World: The Bay Houses of Long Island”. The film had a terrific festival run winning numerous accolades around the globe and will be featured on PBS/WLIW21 and WNET as part of the “Treasures of New York” series.
The beginning of Barbara's artistic interests surfaced when she was growing up in Brooklyn, NY and was introduced to the violin while in the public school system. Quickly excelling in the instrument, she attended the High School of Performing Arts and the Juilliard School. After years of being an accomplished violinist and performing with top tier orchestras, Barbara began her foray into composing music for film.
The very first film she scored, a full feature, “Let Me Out” by David Feldman, won for “Best Psychological Drama”, at the New York International Film and Video Festival in 2009. Barbara won the Diamond award for Best Score at the NYC Indie Film Awards in 2015.Two thousand sixteen brought Barbara into new music territory. Collaborating on an interactive, music phone app called U-Gruve, Barbara created the musical soundscapes for three New York City landmarks. These sound installations are currently listenable at: 1 - The New York City High Line 2 - The Fountain at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and 3 - The Conservatory Gardens located in New York City’s central park.
Barbara has scored music to over 33 films. Some of the film festivals her movies have appeared in have been: the Cannes Film Festival 2012, New York International Film & Video Festival, 2009, the Athena Film Festival at Bernard College, NY in February of 2013, the Bare Bones Film Festival, the Macabre Faire Film Festival, winter 2014 where her score for “Baggage” was nominated for “Best Soundtrack” and the FANtastic Film Festival where her score for “Once, When I Was Dead” was also nominated.
Barbara also has an MFA in Theatre Management from Brooklyn College. She completed a course in film scoring at Berklee College of Music in 2010. She participated at the ASCAP NYU Film Scoring workshop in 2010. In the spring of 2015 Barbara was invited to be a part of ASCAP composers spotlight at the Columbia University Film Scoring Workshop.
Barbara is a member of ASCAP and the National Association of Women in Music. Most recently she has been asked to join a distinguished group of artists on the board of the MediaEd Project, which is based in London and has been created to develop documentaries on historical topics.