Galen Films will present the Vineyard premiere of their new film Rescuing Emmanuel on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 9 and 10 at the Capawock Theatre on Main street, Vineyard Haven. The event will benefit Media Voices for Children, a nonprofit web-based news agency and media resource library for children’s rights.

Both evenings, the benefit begins with a pre-reception at Che’s Lounge, across the street from the Capawock. Cocktails will be from 6 to 7 p.m.; the screening will start at 7 p.m. A question and answer session will follow with the filmmakers. Tickets are $25 and tax-deductible and can be purchased before the event at Tickets MV (marthasvineyardtickets.com, search by promoter Galen Films) or at the door (cash and check only, on a first-come, first-served basis).

Galen Films is a documentary production company dedicated to filmmaking as a means of stimulating social change. Rescuing Emmanuel is the second in a trilogy of feature documentaries that focus on human rights and children’s issues. Stolen Childhoods, narrated by Meryl Streep, was released theatrically in 20 cities between 2005 and 2007 and syndicated on PBS in 2006. The third film, The Same Heart, a feature documentary about one of the first Millennium Villages, based in Sauri, western Kenya, will be released at the end of 2009.

Rescuing Emmanuel follows the story of a street boy in Nairobi, Kenya. Setting out to make a film about street children across the globe, Len and Georgia Morris were hijacked by a 13-year-old street boy, stoned on shoe glue, named Emmanuel. He commanded their attention: “I want to go to school right now!” He would not be ignored. A search, a rescue, a home, a school and unexpected turns ensue. This true story will sadden, triumph and inspire. The film had its world premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival last month.

Rescuing Emmanuel is a window into the world of street children. “There are 100 million Emmanuels on the streets today, but he is the one who stopped us cold. His is a reality we cannot continue to ignore,” the filmmakers said in a press release.

Media Voices for Children is a nonprofit whose mission is to increase awareness of the global circumstances of children.

Donations are welcome via paypal at galenfilms.com or mailed to Galen Films, 110 Daggett avenue, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.