"WE REMEMBER: Songs of Survivors" Documentary Film

WE HAVE GREAT NEWS TO SHARE!

"We Remember: Songs of Survivors"  has been picked up by PBS and it will be broadcast nationally in 2022.  PBS executives were impressed with our little film and its unique and authentic approach to telling the Holocaust story through music. So you can imagine we’re elated by their response and we have people like you, who supported our project through your donations, to thank! 

With that said, we’re now in the final stages of editing and are still looking for completion funding for the film.  So if you know individuals who would be open to supporting our efforts in these final hours, we would be forever appreciative if you pass along the message.  And again thanks for your investment in helping us bring this inspirational film to PBS and the world.

Tim Miller, Ilene Cutler
Film producers



[Hudson Valley songwriters shed light on Holocaust survivors' stories through songs.  Our exclusive film documents their intimate collaboration, climaxing with a live concert.  Looking for generous people who are as inspired with this beautiful story as we are.  Our partner in this production is SageArts a 501 (c) (3); all donations are tax-deductible]



THE STORY

Our story begins with the introduction of eight Hudson Valley Holocaust survivors who’ve been selected by the Jewish Family Service of Orange County and introduced by SageArts (sagearts.org), to share their stories of survival through music.  They will do so through a unique collaboration with talented local songwriters, who’ve been tapped to work with them over a six-month period to turn their stories into powerful and uplifting songs celebrating the power of the human spirit.  This unique partnership and the resulting presentation of their music in a rare and inspirational concert is the story we are documenting in our full-length film “We Remember: Songs of Survivors”.




THE FILM

Our team of producers have been closely following this unique story over the past year, getting to know both writers and elders, and documenting the process as elders shared their stories of survival, and writers shaped them into meaningful songs relating to their conversations.  As a fly-on-the-wall, our cameras captured the evolution of their relationships throughout as the elder/songwriter teams found themselves growing deeper and deeper into these special friendships.  Along the way songwriters also shared their most intimate feelings on their relationships and the process, through personal video diaries.  Add to that the extended in-depth interviews with the survivors, and their rare archive of newsreel video, personal photos, letters and books, we were able to shape revealing stories of these elders, many of which had been buried deep in their memory for decades.



THE CONCERT

Songwriters wrote their songs not without sharing tears and their own personal experiences with the elders. They also found themselves becoming advocates for the elders “we should never forget” mantra, coming to realize not only the importance of this passion in the survivors’ lives, but also in the course of history.  It was a legacy that the songwriters assumed with great responsibility as they performed their final compositions in a highly-emotional, live concert where the elders were celebrated by families, friends and the community.  

 
THE FILM PRODUCERS

Ilene Cutler/ IC Film Productions / icfilmproductions.com

IC Film was founded by Ilene Cutler in 2006, as she re-launched her earlier passion as a filmmaker and photographer. Ilene has been involved in directing, producing and editing award-winning documentary films exploring important social justice issues. In addition, IC Film has produced a wide variety of media for corporate and not-for-profit entities such as Deloitte, Microsoft, The United Way, Planned Parenthood, The State University of New York, among many others. Consulting work includes on-site and studio photography, marketing strategies, editorial content and production of quality commercials for internet and television purposes.

Tim Miller / Big Chief Studio / bigchiefent.com
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2037593

Tim Miller is founder and Executive Producer at Big Chief Entertainment, and former SVP, Creative Director of Advertising/Promotion at Cinemax, HBO, NBC News and Entertainment. Over the past 20 years Tim built Big Chief Studio into a highly respected promo and original content development and production agency working with a broad range of entertainment, media and corporate clients.  Big Chief has also produced over 200 hours of original programming, documentaries, reality series and game shows for HBO, FOX, ABC, NBC, Discovery, TLC, History, USA Network, CNBC and TV One. 




FINISHING THE PRODUCTION

We still have a long way to go in bringing this production to completion and we’ll need your help to bring our concept to fruition. Over the past six months we shot enough footage with our elders and songwriters focused on the process to create the show’s trailer.  Now we need to move forward and finish the job with additional interviews, story coverage and editing of both the making-of film and the concert. 

We’re hoping to raise $65,750 here on GoFundMe, in addition to securing additional funds from corporate contributors in order to allow us to produce the quality of film that would appeal to a national public TV or commercial/digital network.  We’re now appealing to the community to help us finish this important film.  The songs are spectacular, however without experiencing the creative process from which they were created, we’ve left out the soul of our story. If you’re willing to join us in our journey please consider donating to this most meaningful project.