Film seeks financing for Oscar try
Backers of the documentary "The Way We Get By," featuring the efforts of troop-greeters at Bangor International Airport, are marshalling money to position the film for an Oscar run.
The film, which follows three members of volunteer troop greeters who for six years have welcomed returning or deploying soldiers at the airport, got a screening last week on Capitol Hill. Now its backers are hoping to raise $50,000 to prepare the film for specialized distribution.
The money is needed to show the film in New York and Los Angeles theaters for at least a week, one of the requirements to be considered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an Oscar, Warren Cook, the film's executive producer, tells Mainebiz.
"This (film) is such a great reflection of Maine," says Cook. "We're hoping people will realize that and kick in something along the way."
The Academy considers 100 films in November for potential Oscars, narrowing the field to 15. Then in January, the field is winnowed further to five, from which Academy members choose the winner of the Oscar.
The film, which already received a $100,000 sponsorship from Bangor Savings Bank, is showing on a limited basis now around the country. The 84-minute documentary, directed by Aron Gaudet and produced by Gita Pullapilly, has already made a name for itself among film circles, earning a Special Jury Award at the South by South West film festival and an Audience Award at Full Frame, according to the International Documentary Association. New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis called it "unfailingly modest and profoundly humane" in a review published in July.
It will air nationally on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11, on Public Broadcasting System's "P.O.V."
Bangor Saving's Carol Colson, community relations director, says the bank supported the film -- its largest single gift ever -- because its message aligns with the bank's mission to give back to community, and the dedication of the three main characters serves as an example of the power of volunteerism to the bank's 650 employees.
"If you watch these three elderly people get up in the middle of a night, in a snowstorm to greet troops, it really tells us all that we can get out there and do our part," says Colson. She says the bank is continuing its support of the film by publicizing its need for money.
More information about the film is available at www.thewaywegetbymovie.com.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments