Oscar winner brings film to Metuchen

METUCHEN — The Raconteur is screening 2010 Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams’ “Music by Prudence” this Saturday.

The screening will be held at 8 p.m. at the Refectory, adjacent to the First Presbyterian Church, 270 Woodbridge Ave. Admission is $20 and tickets can be purchased at The Raconteur on Main Street or online at http://musicbyprudence.eventbrite.com.

Williams is the first African-American filmmaker to win the Academy Award. “Music by Prudence” follows Prudence Mahena, a severely disabled Zimbabwean woman who was born into extreme poverty and is believed to be the product of witchcraft. She transcends hatred and superstition to form an Afro-fusion band called Liyan, in which all eight members are disabled.

The screening will be followed by an onstage interview with Channel 12’s John Bathke, an audience question-and-answer with Williams, and a concert by Prudence herself.

A cocktail reception will follow at Novitas Lounge, 25 Pearl St., Metuchen, 10-11 p.m. Admission is $15. Tickets for the reception will be on sale online and at The Raconteur.

— Kathy Chang