BIG NEWS x 2

(1) American Fair finds distribution with prestigious Documentary Educational Resources (DER). Now available for viewing and purchase.

American Fair's Somerville preview and "barn-raising" was successful, raising over 10K for the film. With guests from as far away as Maine and France in attendance.

DER director Cynthia Close after viewing, comments about the films visual style, the sense of people and process and culture, and links it with American documentary film making tradition: Pennebaker, Wiseman... She asks which filmmakers influence my work: I answer, Wim Wenders, Germany, for films like "Paris, Texas" and "Notebooks from Cities". And Len Kamerling, an ethnographic filmmaker working in Fairbanks, Alaska. Len is a mentor and close friend. He has dedicated over 30 years to community-collaborative film making in Alaska and Japan. He has a film in the Library of Congress, "Drums of Winter" made with Sarah Elder.

Working with DER is a great honor, not just because American Fair will join a world-class collection of ethnographic documentary films, but also because several of Len's films belong to DER. I am honored to be in his company.

Special thanks to American Fair's generous contributors: George and Ann Fischer, Katherine, Michael and Jeanne Widmer, Claudio and Jean Marzollo, Allen and Bonnie Martin, and David Blumsack. Thanks to so many family and friends. Thanks to DER for believing in the film. Cynthia, Brittany, Michael, Razan. Thanks again to Redbones, Avid, and Sherman Cafe.

Final titles and sound design are complete. DVD is professionally mastered. Available for purchase. Submitting to film festivals. Awaiting decisions. Still working on a curriculum guide.


(2) We are returning to China in July.

Two-year agreement with the TODAY ART MUSEUM in Beijing, to develop and operate a film and television production department. Zhao Hong is pregnant with our second child. The 2008 Olympics. The Joe Maneri Birthday project, Pilgrim's Progress, Maiden Voyage. Contemporary Chinese art documentary. All this and more...



Work hard, and make dreams come true.

RJW

Earring: lost and found

This pretty earring was found on the floor while picking up after the show. Does anyone recognize me? Please contact Rick to claim me.

Music for film

The music for the American Fair documentary was composed and performed by Emre Yilmaz. Thank you, Emre.

Emre is from Istanbul, Turkey. He is a conservatory-trained classical guitarist. Today he lives in NYC. Emre's beautiful sounds and structures broadened the film's American themes. And give the film a life of its own.

Take a bow, Emre. You deserve it.

The milk is gone...

The farm fresh milk is long gone. Almost two months have passed since the preview screening of American Fair on that cold Monday in early December. But I haven't forgotten the night. The moon was full. A great vibe was flowing in the theater. I am behind on my thank you notes to everyone. But here is a quick wrap:

The “barn-raising” event was 100% successful, raising over 10K for the completion of the project. The room was packed. Face after face of my closest friends, family and supporters. Rosalie Barnes hosted. She is a lifelong friend. Pempa Tsering played three Tibetan tunes to open the performance, bless the audience and the film. New faces too. Redbones restaurant donated a feast of ribs. Sherman’s Café contributed coffee. I expressed my thanks to all and we played the film.

And people loved it! During a question and answer session the second person to speak was a woman named Cynthia Close. She praised the film up and down, and linked my work to a string of the greatest American documentary film makers of all time, and tossed me a softball question about influences in my work. (I answered with Studs Terkel, Wim Wenders, Len Kamerling). Well the amazing thing is — she runs a distribution company called Documentary Educational Resources, she is an expert, and has offered a contract with DER to distribute American Fair!