THE CIFF DAY 8 / WEDNESDAY / 3.25.2015

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The Man Mize and His Music ven if you are not a huge fan, most likely you probably have heard of or . But haveE you heard of Billy Mize? Filmmaker Joe Saunders wants to change that. His film, “Billy Mize and the Bakersfield Sound” is a story about a music legend that many people may not be familiar with—his Manusakis Elaine Photo: TOP: “Long Way to the Top” producer Taylor Wallace (left) and grandfather. director Rob Montague (right) enjoy a screening of their film at the Beachland Ballroom; the venue is co-owned by Cindy Barber Saunders found a goldmine when his mother (center) and Mark Leddy. asked him to help organize and digitally transfer old film footage of his grandfather. “The more I questioned what the material was, the more I found out about Billy and Photo: Elaine Manusakis Elaine Photo: the entire music scene of Bakersfield,” says TOP: Although he goes Saunders. by “Joe,” Saunders What Saunders found out was that his was named William after his grandfather grandfather was a “country singer who Billy Mize. Growing up, revolutionized the music industry, inspired he knew his grandfather Wynne Ron Photo: was a country musician Elvis’ fashion,” and also someone who hosted who had sung with Merle Haggard, but more than 7,000 hours of television shows. didn’t realize just how “Billy and the musicians out of Bakersfield influential he was to the music scene. RIGHT: were ... creating a new variety of music that Billy Mize’s contributions went on to inform and change the culture to country music helped of and the music industry,” says shape the industry. Saunders. Stardom was calling, but the ties to his NFL Films. This project took about six years family were stronger. That was the story that of on-and-off shooting and editing. “I actually Saunders wanted to tell. shot another film between the time I started Manusakis Elaine Photo: MIDDLE: A quartet from The Music Settlement played at the After sifting through plenty of archived this and its completion,” he says. Tower City fountain preceding a screening of “Crescendo!” The group consisted of (left to right) Taylor Beckwith (violin), material and vintage TV footage, Saunders As Saunders writes in his director’s notes Kennedy Smith (violin), faculty member James Rhodes (viola), found he had “great elements for a on the film’s website: “It is not my intention and Mahogany Richardson (cello). All three students have been training under Cleveland Orchestra member Isabel Trautwein as documentary.” to glorify my grandfather. He is human, and part of the “El Sistema” youth music program at Rainey Institute His family, including Billy, were all “on has flaws like the rest of us. Those flaws are an since it began three years ago. BOTTOM: Roots of American Music performed at the Tower City fountain. Joe Saunders, board to celebrate Billy’s life,” says Saunders. integral part of this film and create a richer, director of “Billy Mize and the Bakersfield Sound,” introduced “Every time I would ask him [Billy] if fuller story.” the quartet. something was okay to do, he’d say, ‘Whatever Today, Billy is 86 years old and his age is you want.’” showing, says Saunders. “But he still has that But there were personal tragedies that were magnetic smile and wonderful sense of OF THE part of the story. Those were difficult for the humor.” —Anne M. DiTeodoro DAY 8 family to recount and relive. “I just told them FILM FESTIVAL if they don’t want to talk about something,  BILLY MIZE AND THE IS SPONSORED BY then tell me and I’ll move on,” he says. SHOWING BAKERSFIELD SOUND TODAY The documentary is definitely a labor of is playing today at 7:00 p.m. love for Saunders, who began his career with at the Cedar Lee Theatre A Sampling of Home-Grown Hits Festival Updates Added Screenings: Friday March 27th The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution 4:05 pm Comedy Shorts Program 8:50 pm Saturday March 28th Man from Reno 9:05 am In Order of Disappearance 9:15 am Labyrinthus 9:20 am Hollywood Shorts Program 11:20 am LEFT: Hernan Barangan’s quest is to film the voices of young cancer patients from every state in the country. MIDDLE: “Hotwire” director Erin Brown talks with another filmmaker during the filmmaker breakfast at CIFF 39. RIGHT: Jake Thomas, Erin’s husband, wrote the Sunday March 29th screenplay for “Hotwire.” Run Boy Run 9:00 am he CIFF may be an international film Erin Brown, graduates of Canton’s Malone Take Me to the River 9:00 am festival—with films from 60 countries— University, have cooked up an action-adventure All-Stars 6:50 pm but few programs hit closer to home than excursion into magical realism with “Hotwire.” Audience Choice Shorts Program 7:20 pm Tour Ohio Shorts programs. These are short films Inspiration struck when the couple was waiting Late Additions: made by or about people (or issues) from Ohio, for a table at one of their favorite restaurants, Friday March 27th or shot in Ohio, representing some of the best and Erin reassured Jake that he didn’t have to Being Evel 9:50 pm locally grown talent. worry “because she’s ‘not a time bomb,’” he Hernan Barangan’s “The Road Rebellion” is recalls. “That was a funny idea that stuck with me Sunday March 29th Being Evel 11:50 am connected to a larger series of videos that he has throughout dinner, so we brainstormed a story been producing for the last few years under the about a man living out an action-movie fantasy in Check for the latest festival updates on Twitter or Facebook. Or visit umbrella of “The Cancer Rebellion.” A cancer his head while navigating a stressful dinner date.” www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/updates survivor himself, he teamed up with Teen After several drafts, they had their script: the Cancer America “because I realized that the story of shy, daydreaming Stan (Hans Obma, one thing that’s common to nearly every young “The Vampire Diaries”), who has one chance cancer patient is the fact that they are horribly to win the woman of his dreams (Teri Reeves, isolated. This was a huge part of my own “Chicago Fire”) before she leaves for an overseas Challenge Match experience when I was going through treatment, job. His inner action hero knows exactly how to The Challenge Match is the CIFF’s annual and I struggled with it for many years after I do it in his dream world, but now he must fundraising campaign, and the only time of beat cancer.” balance that world with reality. the year that we ask for your support (we do His special Cleveland connection is with Reality intruded upon fantasy during their not send out solicitation letters at any time). The challenge to you – our audience – is to Char and Chuck Fowler, who established the film shoot, too: “Erin and Beth Napoli were on raise $125,000, which will be matched by Angie Fowler Adolescent and Young Adult the roof of the Warehaas [in Los Angeles] with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Cancer Institute at Cleveland’s Rainbow Babies the ninja performers and camera crew,” Thomas We are $53,457 closer to and Children’s Hospital. remembers. “When she called ‘Action!’ the actors reaching our goal of $125,000 “Teens and young adults must have access to took off running and leapt down into camera A $10 DONATION QUALIFIES YOU FOR age-appropriate cancer treatment,” he explains. frame. The building shook a little, but kept on ONE OF THESE FABULOUS PRIZES!! “This is the first step to ensuring that they rocking. While everyone was amazed at how ART GALLERY: The Maria Neil Art Project get through treatment and move past it to live much force the actors exerted throughout the will do all the work for your private party healthy lives.” structure, in reality a light earthquake had rattled (complete with hors d’oeuvres, craft cocktails, and live music). Your only job Once he finishes his tour of the nation, he the whole city. It’s the take we used in the very will be to narrow down your guest list to plans to assemble a video library and a feature first shot in the film!” — Lara Klaber 10 lucky friends! film “that people can turn to for hope,” and that THE HUNGER GAMES - WEST: Indulge in a will also serve as a call to arms. meal out each month with lunch or dinner SHOWING   OHIO SHORTS at 12 area restaurants (including: Lago, On the narrative fiction side, husband-wife TODAY is playing today at 9:20 p.m. Great Lakes Brewery, Bar Cento, Zocalo, writer-director dynamic duo Jake Thomas and and more!) and a subscription to EDIBLE CLEVELAND. THE Stop by the Challenge Match table in THE ONLINE the Tower City Cinemas lobby to donate. HOME FOR THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Visit The Daily online edition at INSPIRATION www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/the-daily. Griffin, who is almost 7 years old, enjoyed TODAY’S ONLINE VERSION INCLUDES: seeing “Fiddlesticks” at • Tiger Orange (Playing today at 4:45 p.m.) the CIFF so much that he wrote a letter and drew Wade Gasque discusses the process of writing this picture to say thank and directing this compelling narrative film. you. He writes, “I went Official Airline of the 39th CIFF to the Film Fest. I saw • CIFF at the Beachland Ballroom: The Cleveland ‘Fiddlesticks.’ It was the International Film Festival partnered with the The Cleveland International Film Festival receives public Beachland Ballroom to show three films over the support with local tax dollars from Cuyahoga Arts & best 60 minute film ever Culture, to preserve and enrich our region’s artistic and in my life.” course of two nights. cultural heritage.