'Saint Judy' Receives Praise at the 2019 Spring KCET Cinema Series

Following a screening of "Saint Judy," director Sean Hanish and writer Dmitri Portnoy attended a Q&A hosted by Cinema Series host Pete Hammond. The inspirational true story of Judy Wood (Michelle Monaghan), an immigration attorney in Los Angeles who challenged and changed immigration laws for persons seeking asylum in the United States. Her first client was a woman forced to flee Afghanistan after being persecuted by the Taliban for opening a school for girls. This landmark case set a global precedence that has helped save the lives of thousands of women from around the world.

Sean Hanish Is an American film writer, producer and director best known for Sister Cities and Return to Zero which earned an Emmy® nomination for its star, Minnie Driver, as well as a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for her phenomenal performance. Hanish is a multi-award-winning commercial director and the President of Cannonball Productions. Hanish is a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Producers Guild of America (PGA).

Dmitri Portnoy is known for his work on The Initiation and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier. Born in Kiev during Soviet rule, Portnoy moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1979. A graduate of UCLA (BA), USC Film School (MFA) and Pepperdine Law (JD), Dmitry brings his extensive knowledge of case law and experience on many cases to accurately depict how the U.S. justice system works in the real world.

Browse photos and listen to the Q&A from the screening below.

1/3 Writer Dmitri Portnoy and Director Sean Hanish after a screening of "Saint Judy"

2/3 Cinema Series host Pete Hammond, Director Sean Hanish and Writer Dmitri Portnoy participate in a Q&A after a screening of "Saint Judy"

3/3 Cinema Series host Pete Hammond with Director Sean Hanish and Writer Dmitri Portnoy after a screening of "Saint Judy"