Welcome to the 2007 Moving Pictures Film Festival
As I quickly scanned the first draft of the festival program, I was struck by the photographs – the faces of those in “starring roles” as well as those behind the camera. Taken together, these photos reveal at least two generations of Minnesotans—the first one, who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II; and a second, later generation of men and women who have answered a call to document through film the lives of the men and women who have been called our “greatest generation.” The intersections of all these lives have produced the extraordinary body of work that you will see today.
Nationally, there is really nothing else like this film festival. Simply put, it’s the product of collaborations—between individuals, between organizations, between the young and old. The generosity of many Minnesotans is funding the festival and enabling us to award a total of $10,500 to five of the filmmakers. Leaders in our libraries, schools, and historic sites will host more than two-dozen statewide screenings. And finally, our friends at Comcast, Channel Z and Twin Cities Public Television have generously collaborated with the Minnesota Historical Society to ensure that the films are available to a wide and varied audience.
We are reminded repeatedly today that the World War II generation is passing at an alarming rate. In fact, we have lost some of the men and women you will hear from today in just the last few months. But in these films you’ll see men and women traveling back through time and memory, becoming “forever young,” and sharing, in fact, that same appearance of youth and innocence captured in the photographs of our younger filmmakers.
But it would be a mistake to believe that reliving these 60-year old stories always comes easily for these men and women. As one of our leading ladies reminded me, she doesn’t sleep so well after working to recall the traumatic times of Depression and war. One of the best experiences of this festival is to be drawn into a short film, to hear from them at their kitchen table or in their backyard, and then to turn around and find them sitting only a few rows behind you in the theater.
Many of the filmmakers report that they had always meant to do something like this--to document the life of someone dear to them--and that this competition provided the incentives to finally do it. The cash awards set this competition apart from many festivals but ultimately the most rewarding part is in the ‘doing.’ One of the filmmakers put it this way:
"I showed my Dad the film last night and it made him cry. It was a powerful moment between us, so I must say I have already won something that is most precious…I am emotionally raw from it in a way that I have not felt with my work in some time. I know the work I am most proud of over the years is the work that has come from the deepest places in my soul, and this film certainly found a new place at the top of this list."
Heartfelt thanks go out to the generation who so evocatively shared their stories, to the generation who so lovingly recorded them, and to everyone who has joined us for the festival and awards. Those of us at the Minnesota Historical Society and the Greatest Generation Project are honored that you have all joined us here today.
Randal Dietrich
Minnesota’s Greatest Generation Project Director
Moving Pictures Film Festival Director
