‘Sum Function,’ a film honoring Veterans Day, will be shown at BIG ARTS

Nov 4, 2026 5 min read

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

mbradbury@breezenewspapers.com BIG ARTS is offering many opportunities for residents, and visitors alike, to watch a variety of powerful documentaries both for Veterans Day and during the 2026 Documentary Film Festival.

Gallery Director Wilson McCray, who is also in charge of the film programs at BIG ARTS, said they are honoring Veterans Day with the film called “Sum Function.”

The film will be shown Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Veterans who purchase a ticket to the film will receive a second ticket for free. Veterans can call the Box Office at 239-395-0900 to redeem.

“The film itself, I have to say, is completely moving and inspirational,” he said. “One of the reasons I love it is because of what they have done — creating this foundation. He created something really special. We have not had a stellar history of supporting our veterans in this country.”

The documentary is directed by Noah Currier and features the nation’s all-veteran wheelchair rugby team.

“He brought them all together, created a community for them and created this sports event,” McGray said. “They became a team and a family.”

He said they were brought together and given a collective strength.

“They gave each other strength of recovery in terms of continuing the battle to live,” McGray said. “The fact that Noah is actually going to be here is phenomenal. We are honored to have him. I think it will be a good turnout.”

For more information, visit https://bigarts.org/event/sum-function/.

2026 Documentary Film Festival

“It’s one of those projects — it was just an idea that dropped in my hands a couple of years ago. It’s the third year and it gets better ever year — and hoping it will continue,” McGray said.

Two years ago they decided to start a Documentary Film Festival, a small festival to celebrate one filmmaker’s work. He said he has been with BIG ARTS for four years and in that time his array of connections in film and visual arts has grown.

“This year we have Justin Schein and his wife Eden Wurmfeld. They are both accomplished documentary filmmakers,” he said.

The Schein family are great friends of BIG ARTS. He said Schein’s father donated the resources to build Schein Hall, the theater that BIG ARTS had before the new building.

“The mom, Joy, is a dancer — Broadway, jazz and teacher. She did a lot of classes here,” McGray said.

A year ago BIG ARTS screened Schein’s new film, “Death & Taxes,” which was a film about estate tax.

This year the Documentary Film Festival has grown by a day.

“We widened it to three days and are showing five films,” McGray said. “The last film we are showing is ‘Classroom 4.’ It was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short and it is brilliant.”

All of the documentaries have amazing sentiment and are involved in issues that are critical to everyone, he said.

The three-day festival schedule:

• Thursday, Nov. 19 – 6 p.m. opening reception featuring a meet and greet with the filmmakers, small bites, and cash bar, followed by the screening of “No Impact Man” at 7 p.m. and post film questions and answers with Schein.

• Friday, Nov. 20 – 5 p.m. screening of “My So-Called Enemy,” snacks available at 6:30 p.m., then the screening of “Left on Purpose” at 7:30 p.m., and question and answer with Schein post film.

“My So-Called Enemy,” he said, is a brilliant film about a group of young women that travel from Israel and Palestine to New York for a summer program.

“It is absolutely extraordinary what happens throughout the film. It’s very honest. It’s a brilliant film about a brilliant program,” McGray said.

• Saturday, Nov. 21 – 4 p.m. screening of “Crip Camp,” followed by a catered box dinner by Wickie’s Lighthouse Restaurant at 6 p.m., filmmaker talk with Schein and Wurmfeld at 7 p.m., screening of “Classroom 4” at 7:30 p.m. and post film information celebration with dessert.

“Crip Camp” is about school kids with disabilities in the 1970s and how they were discriminated against.

“This is pre Disability Act — no rights for people with disabilities,” McGray said. “These people helped to make this happen.”

The camp was in upstate New York. He said as the kids grew older a few of them became politically active and gravitated together in California where they became dedicated to social change.

“They took over a police department for a week to try to instigate some kind of social change and get rights and they did that. One woman went and spoke to Congress and inspired that legislation,” McGray said.

The last film, “Classroom 4,” is about a teacher teaching literature and involving incarceration. He said the teacher decided to take students to a prison and set up a class with inmates.

“It is extraordinary what happens throughout the process,” McGray said. “The viewer will come face-to-face with preconceived notions of what an inmate is and learn they are people. The kids went in with preconceived notions. A lot of walls were broken down.”

For more information about the festival, visit https://bigarts.org/event/2026-documentary-film-festival/.

Monday Night Cinema

McGray said they have expanded the season again through June. He said they expanded last year from November through April, and this year added October, May and June.

“Next week starts the regular series with moderated discussions and a fantastic lineup and that runs through April and May. We are doing music documentaries, which is really fun. In June we are going to do a series of concert films,” he said.

The November and December 2026 Monday Night Cinema films include:

• “Nashville,” Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m.

• “Tony,” Monday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.

• “The Invite,” Monday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m.

• “The Florida Project,” Monday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.

• “Everybody to Kenmure Street,” Monday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.

• “Pressure,” Monday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit https://bigarts.org/programs/film-series/.

BIG ARTS is at 900 Dunlop Rd., Sanibel.