Provided/Cornell Cinema

Filmmaker Doug Block '75 is shown with his mother in a family photograph, part of the archival material he used to tell his family's story in "51 Birch Street."

As a filmmaker, Doug Block '75 has explored topics ranging from people who bare their souls on the Internet to the struggles of a couple living with AIDS. In his latest, "51 Birch Street," he delves into another tough topic -- his own family.

Block will be on campus to present the acclaimed documentary, an audience favorite at film festivals worldwide, at Cornell Cinema Oct. 24 at 7:15 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.

In 2002, following his mother's death and his father's subsequent remarriage, Block visited his family's Long Island house and videotaped his father, who was talking about his marriage to Block's mother for the first time. In the attic of the house, Block found three boxes full of his mother's diaries. From these events, Block unravels the long-held secrets of his parents' unhappy 54-year marriage. His painful discovery about the marriage is at the heart of the film.

Block poured into his film a universal and personal story about family dynamics and the people he lived with but barely knew, and about his parents' generation and couples who tried to live the suburban life, more for their children than for themselves.

Block and the film have been featured in The Times of London and in an Oct. 8 New York Times article published shortly before the film opened in limited release.

"51 Birch Street" was produced by HBO and will air on the cable channel next year; it has been purchased by TV outlets in 20 countries, including Al-Jazeera and Israeli television.

Block's other work as a producer and/or director includes "Home Page" (1998), "The Heck with Hollywood!" (1991) and "Silverlake Life: The View from Here" (1993).