Editor's pick: Film premiere

Dorflinger documentary debuts in White Mills

Thurs., June 30, 6:00 p.m. Free. White Mills Community Center, Route 6, White Mills, PA. 570/253-1185.

The stars of a new video documentary, “The Glass Cottages of White Mills,” are a group of historic glassworkers’ houses that were built by famed glassmaker Christian Dorflinger during the mid-19th century in the village of White Mills, PA. The video documents one of the original glass worker’s homes. Produced and written by Ralph Liberto, the enlightening 38-minute documentary includes interviews with historians, residents and school students interspersed with historic photographs and rare motion picture footage of glasscutters at work in the 1920s.

As the owner and resident of the first cottage built by Christian Dorflinger, Liberto brought a unique perspective to the project. “I wrote the script for the documentary sitting in my dining room overlooking Lollipop Pond,” he said. “It soon became apparent that an ageless voice was trying to tell the story of the cottages in a truly unexpected and unusual manner. I just had to step back and let it speak for itself, and tried not to get in the way”

“The Glass Cottages of White Mills” will show how world history had a significant impact on the village of White Mills as it grew into what many recognize as the premier source of the finest glassware in the world. Produced for the Dorflinger Glass Museum/Historic White Mills and made possible in the form of a matching grant from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, the National Park Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, this Ken Burns-style video spans two centuries of triumphs and challenges of the village that grew up around the world-famous Dorflinger glass factory.

The video will be sold in DVD format for $25, though a special introductory price of $15 will be available for people who attend the June 30 premiere. Following brief remarks by members of the production team, the video will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.