Director: Lacey Schwartz
Year: 2014
Running Time: 66 minutes
Synopsis
What defines our identity, our family of origin or the family that raises us? How do we come to terms with the sins and mistakes of our parents? Lacey discovers that answering those questions means understanding her parents’ own stories as well as her own. She pieces together her family history and the story of her dual identity using home videos, archival footage, interviews, and episodes from her own life. Little White Lie is a personal documentary about the legacy of family secrets, denial, and redemption. Little White Lie tells Lacey Schwartz’s story of growing up in a typical middle-class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her Jewish identity — that is until she discovers that her biological father is actually a black man with whom her mother had an affair. What defines our identity, our family of origin or the family that raises us? Lacey discovers that answering those questions means understanding her parents’ stories as well as her own.
Awards
Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival -Audience Award and Producer’s Award
Teaneck International Film Festival – Best Documentary and Audience Award
San Diego Jewish Film Festival – Special Award for Excellence
Tribeca Film Institute – Documentary Creative Promise Award
Slingshot Award for One of the Most Innovative Jewish Projects