With unseen footage, old war photographs and interviews of people who experienced the atrocity and horror of World War II, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns gives SF State students and curious minds an opportunity to witness the heart-wrenching war stories for themselves this Thursday.

“The War,” a seven-part series produced by PBS about how the Second World War impacted the lives of American families, will be screened at no cost at the Premier Theater in the Presidio on September 14-16.

In addition, a Q&A session with Burns will be held at SF State’s Coppola Theater on Friday between 12 and 1:30 p.m.

“It’s easy to look at yesterday through today’s eyes,” said Stephen Ujlaki, head of the Cinema Department and director of the campus’ Documentary Film Institute which sponsored the event.

“I have seen the entire film and think it’s beautifully done,” Ujlaki said. “There are archival shots that I’ve never seen before.”

Since the 15-hour series is scheduled to air on PBS for two weeks beginning on September 23, the film institute’s advance screening gives students the chance to appreciate the film on the big screen while providing an opportunity for open discussion about its content—an examination of the influence of WWII on four American towns: Luverne, Minn.; Sacramento, Calif.; Mobile, Ala.; and Waterbury, Conn.

“It’s a very powerful documentary about a major turning point in American history,” Ujlaki said, who also serves as Chair of the College of Creative Arts.

“It gives [the soldiers’] reactions to letters, reactions to their brothers being jail. There’s a lot of personal drama.”

In addition to focusing on the families of the four towns and reactions to their communities’ involvement in the war, the film also gives personal insight from soldiers and families—the change of scope allows the series to paint a big picture while acknowledging the smaller stories that pertain to the war.

But not everyone enjoyed the fare. The film was snubbed by critics early this year, who reported that the series excluded the contributions of Native Americans, women and Hispanics to World War II, who represented nearly half a million of the people involved in the war.

For those who disagree with the film or would like to discuss the controversial exclusion of certain minorities in the series, Ujlaki said he welcomes them to the screening and encourages them to talk with Burns, who will be on-campus for the Q&A session.

“There will be plenty of opportunities for interaction and dialogue between Ken and the audience, and I hope a lot of students go,” Ujlaki said.

Hispanic minorities who served in the war, Ujlaki said, might have been downplayed in the film because they may not have been considered to be subject to the same kind of discrimination as other minorities.

“[Ken Burns] had no intention of insulting minorities; that’s not what the film was about,” he said. “He wasn’t trying to deny the accomplishments of the minorities, but just choosing his focus.”

“I’d say the ideal thing is for people to see the film and see if it worked for what it was set out to do,” Ujlaki said.

Burns, the director and producer of the series, is known for his technique of using original prints and photographs in past works he produced on American history, baseball and the history of jazz.

For more information about the screening or to purchase tickets to the event, please visit http://ica.sfsu.edu.