NCMA Cinema: Judy Blume Forever Advanced Screening

Judy Blume Forever (2023). Directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, documentary, 97 minutes, NR

Fresh from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and in advance of its Amazon Studios and Prime Video national release on April 21, NCMA Cinema presents an advanced screening of Judy Blume Forever, an Imagine Documentaries Production in association with Uncle Feather Films.

Generations of readers have found themselves in a Judy Blume book. Her name alone launches a flood of memories for anyone who’s gripped one of her many paperbacks. For decades Blume’s radical honesty has comforted and captivated readers—and landed her at the center of controversy for her frankness about puberty and sex. Now the beloved American author candidly shares her own coming-of-age story.

Emmy-winning filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok trace Blume’s journey from fearful, imaginative child to storytelling pioneer who elevated the physical and emotional lives of kids and teens to banned writer who continues to fight back against censorship today. Playful and poignant animations celebrate the magic and awkwardness of being young, while intimate conversations with acclaimed authors and artists reveal Blume’s profound impact on readers. Long-standing fans share open-hearted letters they wrote to Blume over the decades.

With humor, sensitivity, and a healthy dose of adolescent cringe, Judy Blume Forever tells the story of the woman whose trail-blazing books change the way millions of readers understand themselves, their sexuality, and what it means to grow up.

Edited by Tal Ben-David

Music by Lauren Culjack (Kotomi)

Directors of Photography: Jenni Morello and Emily Topper

Produced by Davina Pardo, Leah Wolchok, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, and Marcella Steingart

Executive produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Meredith Kaulfers

About Judy Blume

Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such titles as Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Blubber, and the series about the irrepressible Fudge, beginning with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Blume has also written novels for adults that include Wifey, Smart Women, and her most recent, In the Unlikely Event, all of them New York Times bestsellers.

Image: Courtesy of Amazon Studios