Altina

"Altina" is the provocative portrait of an American trendsetter whose free spirit defied convention. Born in 1907 in New York City, the daughter of a tobacco tycoon and descendant of Sephardic Jews, Altina Schinasi upended expectations: simultaneously seductive and reserved, her genteel upbringing was in sharp contrast to the bold sexuality of her art and her life.In addition to creating whimsical works of art, Altina invented the glamorous Harlequin 'cat's-eye' eyeglasses, worn by the likes of Lucille Ball, and directed an Oscar-nominated documentary about Nazi brutality. Her life was anchored in the social and political issues of the time: helping Jewish refugees escape the Holocaust; providing shelter to friends who were targeted by Joseph McCarthy; and supporting Martin Luther King at the dawn of the civil rights era.Directed by her grandson Peter Sanders, the film captures this unpredictable woman whose bold, uninhibited passion for life is an inspiration for all.