Hope for Hemingway - Cleveland International Film Festival

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Presenting Sponsor for ‘The Daily’
DAY 7 / tuesday / 4.9.2013
Hope for Hemingway
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The Buzz is your source for the latest festival highlights
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What’s Buzzing at the 37th CIFF
Tuesday, April 9, 2013; CIFF Day 7:
Photo: Janet Macoska
he name “Hemingway” is an American
icon. Beneath the surface, though, is a
history of mental illness, alcoholism
and suicide.
“As a kid, you think your family is normal,”
said Mariel Hemingway, in an NPR interview,
“Even though there is dysfunction.”
Filmmaker Barbara Kopple met Mariel
Hemingway and knew that by telling her
story, Kopple would be able to delve beneath
the surface of this famous family.
“Running from Crazy” is built around
Mariel and her two sisters, Margaux and
Muffet, granddaughers of Nobel Prize-winning
author Ernest Hemingway, who suffered from
depression and committed suicide. Margaux
had a career as a model and actress, but
committed suicide when she was 41 years old.
Kopple tackles the topic of mental illness—
“a universal subject that deserves more discussion since we all are affected in one form or
another.” She hopes her film will be able to
“bring down the stigma surrounding mental
illness” … and make it “easier for individuals
to access the help they need, [help that] unfortunately eluded so many of Mariel’s family.”
Ernest Hemingway’s life and suicide is
something that has been out there for many
years, “but understanding how the genetic
legacy was passed down and impacted
subsequent generations is not something we
knew much about,” says Kopple.
“Mariel wanted to share the truth,” Kopple
continues. “She was raw, brave and honest.”
Although the film focuses on pain and
depression, it is also a film about hope. Mariel’s
story is “about breaking destructive cycles and
Bobby Williams and Mariel Hemingway pose with CIFF Artistic
Director Bill Guentzler (center) after their first Q&A for their film,
“Running From Crazy.”
taking control of one’s own fate,” says Kopple.
Perhaps “a lesser person would have succumbed to a family legacy as damaging and
heavy as the one Mariel was born into.”
Mariel Hemingway adds: “The whole
process was incredibly healing for me. I am
grateful to have done [the film] and it
confirms the fact that when you speak out
and talk about something, you have an open
window to heal yourself and those you love.”
During her research, Kopple unearthed
some archival film that Mariel had no idea
even existed. “When she saw this footage
for the first time she was blown away,” says
Kopple. This great find “allowed us to bring
Mariel’s immediate family to life again.”
When Mariel viewed the footage, she
“was so moved to see how pained every one
of my family members appeared to be,”
Mariel says. “Sometimes I had wondered ... if
I was imagining the depth of everyone’s pain
and dysfunction.”
—Anne M. DiTeodoro
SHOWING
TODAY
running from crazy
is playing today at 2:25 p.m.
An Evening at Shaker Square Cinemas
Tomi Ungerer
The BUZZ
5:30 p.m. The evening will kick off with a pre-film reception
at fire food & drink, located on the Square.
7:20 p.m. “Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story”
will play. Please find your seats no later than 7:00 p.m.
At 9:20 a.m., a South African fabric store
gives an aspiring stand-up comic plenty to work
with in “Material.”
Travel to New York’s Upper West Side at
11:50 a.m. to meet up with “Putzel,” a man
trapped in the smoked fish business. This quirky
comedy just won “Best Picture” at the Phoenix
Film Festival.
See “Aliyah” at 1:55 p.m., the story of a man
yearning for escape, this time from himself.
Small-time drug dealer Alex dreams of a better
life, and may have found the perfect scheme for
getting it ... or has he?
Join us in 19th-century Africa at 4:20 p.m. for
“Zarafa,” the story of two orphans, a young boy
and a baby giraffe—an animated fable that will
touch even the hardest of hearts.
Screen “Camp 14 - Total Control Zone” at
6:15 p.m. It is the true story of a young North
Korean man who was raised in, and ultimately
escapes from, one of the country’s many death
camps.
At 7:20 p.m., take a journey with us from
Canada to Chile for “El Huaso.” A man newly
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s decides to fulfill his
long-time dream of becoming a “huaso,”
a Chilean cowboy.
Finally, at 9:35 p.m., experience a series of
vignettes about life-changing moments and
situations, with the “Transitions Shorts
Program,” featuring short films from the USA,
Australia, Bulgaria, Sweden and Spain.
Find out the latest information about these films and other
festival events by picking up The Daily, reading the festival
website and, of course, seeing as many films as you can.
college day
at the
film festival
Stop by the College Day table at the Festival with your valid,
current college I.D. and receive free admission to any
screening between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. while supplies last.
The Gentler Light of Truth
Special Guests
Rick Moore
Putzel
T.J. Amato
Josh Mills
Frank Lonardo
Joe Lonardo
the sugar Wars
Mariel Hemingway
Bobby Williams
Running from Crazy
Delphine Lanson
Father’s Birth
Ron Fleischer
A Tooth Tale
Richard Robbins
Girl Rising
Justine Malle
Youth
Winston Tao
Picture. Perfect.
Joel Allen Schroeder
Dear Mr. Watterson
Bill Morrison
the great Flood
H
arry Freeland had no idea how much
his life would change when a Senegalese
mother tried to give him her child.
“She held out a child towards me and asked
me to ‘take this child back to where it belongs,’”
says Freeland. “The woman had been left by her
husband because she had given birth to a white
child. She thought, because her child had white
skin, it must belong to me.”
The child had albinism, which is widely
misunderstood and stigmatized throughout
Africa. As Freeland learned more, he decided
that he needed to make a film about it.
Soon after he started filming, the murders
began escalating in Tanzania. Albinos were being
butchered for the supposedly magical properties
of their skin and organs. Scores of people would
end up dead.
“I had started filming before the killings
were first reported in 2006,” he says, “so the film
follows life before and during the escalation of
the murders. The resulting film, I feel, is a true
reflection of the extraordinary strength people
show when faced with such adversity.”
Freeland spent the first four years of shooting with little funding, supporting his project by
making films for other organizations operating
in surrounding nations. He was later able to
secure funding, but those early years gave him
intimate knowledge of the crisis, and transformed the film from a project to a key part of
his life. He and one of the film’s stars, Josephat,
co-founded a charity called Standing Voice,
which aims to help albinos throughout Africa.
Harry Freeland
In the Shadow
of the Sun
Jack Storey
Kris Schrader
Brian A. Friedman
Red, White and
Blueprints
Doug Dearth
Logan Huffman
Natalie Imbruglia
Brett Kerr
Underdogs
Carlo Guillermo Proto
El Huaso
Resa Sixo Safai
Daniel Grove
A Better Place
Than This
James Stewart
Beatrice Coron’s
Daily Battles
Emmanuel
Vaughan-Lee
Elemental
Wenhwa Tsao
Towing
Patrick Waismann
Unorthodox
Cancelled:
Tuesday April 9th
Choco 12:05 pm
Added Screenings:
Saturday April 13th
Detroit Unleaded 9:25 am
Lord Montagu 9:40 am
Sunday April 14th
Blondie 9:35 am
Late Additions:
Saturday April 13th
The Cleveland International Film Festival receives public
support with local tax dollars from Cuyahoga Arts and
Culture, to preserve and enrich our region’s artistic and
cultural heritage.
online
Photo: George F. Gund
Academy Award nominee Richard E. Robbins
shares some background about his documentary.
• Red, White and Blueprints: A Rust Belt
Documentary (Playing today at 7:10 p.m.)
A Q&A with the film’s director, Jack Storey.
• El Huaso (Playing today at 7:20 p.m.)
Director Carlo Guillermo Proto talks about his
filmmaking partner and documentary subject,
his father.
• Underdogs (Playing today at 8:40 p.m.)
Director Doug Dearth talks about his film’s empowering message and his Cleveland connections.
• Elemental (Playing today at 9:40 p.m.)
BE THE APPLAUSE
Official Airline of the 37th CIFF
is playing today at 6:25 p.m.
• Girl Rising (Playing today at 1:50 p.m.)
Photo: Janet Macoska
Thank you for your support!
SHOWING
in the shadow
TODAY
of the sun
Today’s online version includes:
We are $48,600 closer to
reaching our goal of $100,000
A $10 DONATION QUALIFIES YOU
FOR FABULOUS PRIZEs!!
“[Josephat] now views the film as ‘his weapon’
for the work he continues to do,” Freeland says.
Standing Voice is engaged in outreach programs, traveling to rural communities throughout
Africa to screen “In the Shadow of the Sun”
and dispel myths about albinism. Freeland has
faith that, with the actual facts, people will
adopt a more compassionate stance toward their
neighbors and relatives with albinism.
“After the first BBC broadcast,” he points
out, “Josephat and I received hundreds of emails
from people wanting to know how they can
help. I believe passionately that documentary
films are extremely powerful and persuasive
tools when raising awareness and instigating
change.”
—Lara Klaber
The Daily hasn’t shrunk; it’s online. Read exclusive content
that’s not available in the print edition by visiting The Daily
online edition at www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/the-daily.
Sunday April 14th
Challenge Match
Filmmaker Harry Freeland intends to carry the critical message of
“In the Shadow of the Sun” all over the world.
THE
Thérèse 2:00 pm
Which Way is the Front Line From Here?
The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington 5:40 pm
Which Way is the Front Line From Here?
The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington 4:55 pm
Thérèse 6:30 pm
Photo: Janet Macoska
Des Kilbane
Orla Higgins
A Fighting Heart
TOP: “Lost Town” producer and co-director Jeremy Goldscheider
shares an embrace with the subject of his film, Betty Gold, in the
CIFF media hub. BOTTOM: The CIFF Night Out at the Capitol
Theatre featured two films eligible for the Local Heroes Competition,
“A Fighting Heart” and “The Sugar Wars.” The program and the
reception brought about a meeting of the filmmakers: (left to right):
Dan Amato (“The Sugar Wars”), Des Kilbane and Orla Higgins (“A
Fighting Heart”), T.J. Amato and Frank Lonardo (“The Sugar Wars”).
Emmanual Vaughn-Lee draws upon his musical
background in his filmmaking.
Last RTA train of the day . . .
RED Line EAST: 12:17 AM RED Line WEST: 12:35 AM
BLUE Line EAST: 12:15 AM GREEN Line EAST: 12 midnight