Free Outdoor Screening: “CODA”

Any Cape Ann’er who has yet to catch up with CODA, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture, now has one less excuse. The Cape Ann Museum will present the film free to the public Friday, August 5 on a 26-foot screen in the spacious outdoors at the Cape Ann Museum Green.

“The Cape Ann Museum is thrilled to be hosting a free screening of CODA to celebrate the movie’s incredible artistic achievements and the local art and history that inspired it,” says CAM Director Oliver Barker. “We welcome this opportunity to invite our community to see the movie for free in the city where it was filmed.”

Following the success of last year’s public screening of Gloucester-based film, Captains Courageous (1937), the Cape Ann Museum is again partnering with the Rockport-based Cape Ann Community Cinema to “take art outside” with a free screening of the Oscar-winning 2022 movie at the Cape Ann Museum Green (13 Poplar St., Gloucester, MA).

CODA, which stands for “child of deaf adults,” tells the story of Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) and her family’s struggling fishing business. Her parents Frank (Troy Katsur) and Jackie (Oscar-winning star of Children Of A Lesser God, Marlee Matlin) and brother Leo (Daniel Durant) are deaf, with Ruby the only hearing person in her home. Ruby discovers a passion for singing that makes her choose between supporting her family and following her dreams.

Partially filmed in Gloucester, Rockport and Beverly, this screening is presented in conjunction with CAM’s summer exhibition, The Legacy of the Family-Owned Fishing Vessel, on view through September 18.

“We’re especially honored to have Sian Heder join us to speak about the process behind the film and her connections to Gloucester,” says Barker. Heder, a regular summer resident of Gloucester, will speak from 7:30pm-8:00 pm, with the film starting at 8:15 p.m. and wrapping up by 10:00 p.m. Attendees are invited to be on-site as early as 6:00 p.m. to reserve their spots and bring their own picnic to enjoy before the screening. There will be ASL translation during the announcements and conversation.

All parking will be at O’Maley Middle School with a shuttle between sites. On-site parking is reserved for those with accessibility requirements. Local residents are encouraged, where possible, to walk or ride their bike. While the screening is free to attend, reservations are required. Visit www.capeannmuseum.org/events for more details.