THE PRATT IN THE HAT, held through Sunday, Feb. 28. Free!

THE PRATT IN THE HAT is a short film about Frances Pratt, her colorful hats, her prattisms, and her civil rights leadership, beginning in 1957 through her retirement as the President of the Nyack, NY Branch of the NAACP this year. THE PRATT IN THE HAT is a celebration of Pratt’s unique wisdom which she gained through observation and perseverance as a woman of color.

Susan was inspired to create this piece when she spotted Frances across a crowded political event. Pratt was adorned in one of her striking hats and to Susan, she seemed a beacon of light in a sea of grey. “I asked her if she would allow me to photograph her in her hats,” Susan explains. “She agreed and little did I know what lay beneath her large-brimmed bonnets was a woman whose personal insight and firsthand knowledge into racial equality is one that we should all lean into, now more than ever.” Frances Pratt’s hats make a bold statement, as does Pratt’s southern charm and pithy expressions which she garnered through a lifetime of service to her community.

Join a discussion about THE PRATT IN THE HAT on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:00 PM, with Frances Pratt, director Susan Hillary, and producer Suzanne Mitchell. The discussion moderator, Maria Luisa Whittingham, is a Nyack NAACP officer, Co-founder of Nyack Merchants United and owner of Maria Luisa Boutique in Nyack. Register for the Zoom discussion here.

DIRECTOR: Susan Hillary, aka Susan Hito-Shapiro has been making independent feature films and documentaries since the 1980s. Some of her films have premiered at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. Rivertown previously presented her documentary “Studio 54” on which she was the archival cinematographer. She is a board member of Rivertown Film.

PRODUCER: Suzanne Mitchell celebrates more than two decades of producing and directing documentary films, historical network series, and docudramas. As an accomplished producer and director of social, political, and environmental issue related films she has produced alongside highly acclaimed documentarians and is the recipient of two Emmys, two Gracie Awards, an Omni Intermedia Award, and a Cine Golden Eagle.