Local San Diego filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton’s "Born Without Arms" screens this Sunday night (December 13) at The Pearl Hotel. The bar opens at 9:00 pm and the show starts at 10:00 pm. We'll be watching the actual broadcast on TLC, commercials and all. The Pearl is located at 1410 Rosecrans Street.
One of the things I love about running Film School Confidential is the opportunity I have to meet talented young filmmakers. Then I get to follow their progress. Destin Cretton
has always made well-crafted, thoughtful films about how people connect within communities. Earlier this year I was thrilled to have Cretton blog from Sundance where his short film, “Short Term 12,” won best short. Now Cretton has a documentary that he’s finished that will be airing this Sunday on The Learning Channel. There will be an impromptu “screening” of the film (watching it on TV essentially) at The Pearl where people can watch with the filmmaker.
Cretton says the film came about when “the owners of Figure 8 Films, a production company in North Carolina responsible for such shows as ‘John and Kate Plus 8,’ saw ‘Drakmar’ [Cretton’s documentary that aired on HBO Family] and asked me if I'd be interested in doing an hour-long piece on people born without arms. They gave me the freedom to work without much interference and let me hire my own crew. So I picked up a bunch of San Diego talent, including Joel P. West (Music Composer), Brad Kester (Assistant Director), and my Director of Photography from ‘Short Term 12,’ Brett Pawlak.”
The film focuses on Nadia Miller, Jessica Cox, and Mark Goffeney -- three very different individuals who were all born without arms. The film looks to their daily struggles to function in a world designed for people with arms and hands as well as to their remarkable achievements and ability to surpass expectations. At age 28, Jessica is a professional motivational speaker; at 40, Mark is a father and musician; and 6-year-old Nadia is just beginning to face her challenges.
“Similar to ‘Drakmar,’” says Cretton, “this film will introduce viewers to some people who might seem really different at first glance. But my hope is that you'll quickly get past that and begin connecting to them on all the same levels that we did while making the movie. Over the past six months, we got to fly in a plane with Jessica Cox piloting the controls, attend a summer camp with six-year-old Nadia, and fly to Holland with Mark Goffeney and his two daughters to watch him play guitar on Live TV. Mark, Jessica and Nadia are three really incredible people, and I feel really privileged that they trusted me to tell a small portion of their story.”
I hope you will come out and support Cretton and applaud his efforts to continue to tell stories about people and communities.
