A documentary on the history of the Fernald Developmental Center will be part of a day-long film festival held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston later this month.
Bill Rogers' film "Front Wards, Back Wards," will be one of six films screened on March 15 at the Moving Images Film Festival presented by the Vinfen Corporation, a human services organization that helps those with psychiatric, developmental and behavioral disabilities.
The state and Fernald League, a group of guardians, have been embroiled in a battle for the last several years over whether Fernald should remain open.
However, Rogers said his film primarily touches on the relationship between caregivers, residents and their families at Fernald as well as examines the changing conditions throughout the years there. Fernald is the country's oldest state institution for the developmentally disabled. It was first opened as a school in 1848.
"It's not really about whether Fernald should be closed or should not be closed," Rogers said.
The one-hour documentary features interviews with staff as well as former and current residents. Rogers - whose uncle was a resident at Fernald for some 30 years beginning in 1948 - said that he didn't have access to the high-level administration at Fernald after then-Gov. Mitt Romney's decision to close the facility in 2003.
That was fine with Rogers, who said he mainly wanted to talk to the residents and the staff that more closely worked with patients anyway.
He said he's received good reviews about the film from Fernald guardians and family members of residents, among others.
''It's been edifying," he said. "It's really made me feel good."
The documentary has previously been aired on WGBH Boston, Channel 2, various public television stations and other film festivals, Rogers said.
Juliana Field, director of the film festival, said that each of the films that will be shown deal with either mental illness or developmental disabilities. After each screening a panel discussion will be held on the issues dealt with in the film.
"We have a very diverse group of panelists," Field said.
"Front Wards, Back Wards" will be shown beginning at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion that will include Rogers, Leo Sarkissian, executive director of the Arc of Massachusetts and Lou Frankowski, a former 26-year resident at Fernald.
Field said that the purpose of the film festival is to provide a forum to combat the "prejudice and discrimination" often faced by people with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities.
Tickets to the festival are free but seating is limited. The festival begins at 10:30 a.m. For more information visit Vinfen's Web site at www.vinfen.org.
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
