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Love in an Elevator

C.P. Ellis was the Exalted Grand Cyclops of the Durham Ku Klux Klan in Durham, North Carloina in the late 60's. Ann Atwater, was a poor, outspoken black activist living in Durham. In 1970 the two came face to face over a ten-day period. They were appointed co-chairs of a community committee to work out school desegregation problems in Durham.

At the end of the ten days, these once bitter enemies emerged as friends. While initially wanting each other dead, Ellis and Atwater discovered a common bond during ten days of talks. Ellis was also poor. He and Atwater realized that children of all colors were suffering equally in appalling school conditions. According the Durham Independent Weekly, their friendship has endured for 30 years.

Their story, chronicled in two books, has been made into a documentary film titled An Unlikely Friendship. Of the film, Studs Terkel says, “Their story is one of redemption. I think it's the most important documentary I've seen, and may be the most hopeful film in years.”

It is one of the diverse, cutting-edge films, including screenings of this year's Academy Award-winning and -nominated documentaries, that will be featured at the Hot Spring Documentary Film Festival. One of Arkansas' best-kept secrets, the Festival, which runs October 12-20, 2002 is held in the historic Malco Theatre in downtown Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. Admission to all films is based on suggested donations. The Festival is organized and operated by a non-profit organization, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute.

There are more than 90 films to choose from. Many of the featured filmmakers are expected to participate in Q&A sessions following their films. Here are a few examples:

Love in an Elevator. The story of a Catholic man, 86, and a Jewish woman, 85, both partially paralyzed and confined to wheelchairs, who are dating each other while living in a New York City nursing home.

Sister Helen. An intimate view of the life of a 69-year old Benedictine nun who runs an independent home for recovering addicts. Sister Helen is an absorbing story of a self-imposed spiritual calling and penance, along with her household of hardened men whose lives have been ravaged by chemical dependency. Sundance Online Film Center says, “Sister Helen is an emotionally compelling film that continues to resonate long after the film has ended."

Refrigerator Mothers. From the 1950's through the 1970's, mental health and medical professionals claimed children with autism were the product of cold, distant, rejecting mothers — “refrigerator mothers.” According to Fanlight Productions, as late as 1996 the producer of Refrigerator Mothers was told that her son's odd behavior was the result of overanxious and overbearing mothering. Dr. Cathy Pratt, Board of Directors, Autism Society of America, says the movie is “an incredibly moving video that illustrates the history of autism through the life experiences of seven pioneering women and their children. Anyone involved in the life of an individual with autism spectrum disorder must see this video. Quite simply, remarkable!”

Photos to Send. More than 87,000 individuals attended the 47th San Francisco International Film Festival. The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature was won by Photos to Send. In 1954, world-renowned photographer Dorothea Lange traveled to Country Clare, Ireland on assignment for LIFE Magazine. She took 2,400 photographs, creating a lasting record of a rural way of life that would soon disappear. This film retraces her footsteps, visiting the same people whom Lange met nearly half a century ago.

A Healing Place: Breast Cancer Survivors. An interview-driven documentary that unveils six women's personal journeys of courage, challenge and determination when faced with an unexpected life-altering circumstance.

Ravel's Brain. The film portrays the inner being of a great artist who was rendered incapable of communicating with the outside world. For the last five years of his life, Maurice Ravel was the victim of his own lamentable circumstances. Afflicted by aphasia and apraxia, his brain produced music, but he was unable to write it down. The National Post calls it “a strange, partly fictional and ultimately quite brilliant documentary…”

Screenings begin in each of the Malco's two theaters at approximately 10 a.m. and continue through approximately 10 p.m. each day. Sunday screenings conclude at approximately 6 p.m. Films are scheduled continuously throughout the day. The films are selected by the Institute's screening committee, which reviews hundreds of submissions each year before selecting the final films for the festival.

The complete schedule is available online at http://www.docufilminst.org/ or by calling (501) 321-4747.