More from the New England Emmy Awards

Congratulations to our fellow Rhode Island filmmakers for their New England Emmy awards: Tim Gray, who took home two trophies; John Lavall, who took home one; and Channel 12 reporter Tim White, who brought home another. I was a good friend of Tim's late father, Jack -- good to see his son carrying on a great journalistic tradition.
Though we didn't win, two Eagle Peak Media folks were on hand May 22 at Gillette Stadium for the ceremony: Ben Mesiti, who scored ON THE LAKE, and Alex McDougall, the voice of Barbara Bowie. Here they are in their evening ware.

TOP JOURNAL GIVES THUMBS UP

We didn't win the New England Emmy Saturday, but we did capture another, larger honor -- one with resonance outside the region. "An impressive documentary, studded with intriguing detail... Its tenor is elegiac," said The Lancet, Britain's leading medical journal, and one of the most prestigious in the world, in its issue of May 22.

Emmy Nomination for On The Lake!

ON THE LAKE: Life and Love in a Distant Place, has been nominated for Best Documentary in the 33rd annual Boston/New England Emmy competition, sponsored by the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. This is quite an honor for David, me and the rest of the crew who made the movie. Congratulations to all of us here at Eagle Peak Media (as we move toward completion of our second doc, BEHIND THE HEDGEROW: Eileen Slocum and the Meaning of Newport Society. Winners will be announced at a ceremony May 22 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
ON THE LAKE premiered in February 2009 to critical acclaim, and has since been broadcast in PBS markets around the country. For more on ON THE LAKE, visit the movie site.

NETA FEED SCHEDULED

With the approach of World TB Day -- March 24, 2010 -- the National Educational Telecommunications Association, which distributes ON THE LAKE, is feeding the movie to PBS affiliates on Feb. 20, 2010. If you are a program director or other PBS station executive, Follow this link for more information on the feed.
ON THE LAKE has already been broadcast on many stations coast-to-coast, but we are hoping for anotehr big round this spring...

OTL IN THE NEWS AGAIN

A nice story about documentary filmmaking, with reference to Eagle Peak Media, ON THE LAKE, and BEHIND THE HEDGEROW appeared in the Dec. 13 issue of DocumentaryTech magazine. Check it out!

Frank Beazley rules!

Frank Beazley and his home at Zambarano Hospital, which opened in 1905 as a TB sanatorium, were the inspiration for this movie, which had its origins in a series I wrote for the Providence Journal in 2006, The Growing Season. he turns 81 in December and he looked great in a visit I made with ON THE LAKE Outreach Coordinator Katy Miller, my daughter, and my granddaughter Isabella. Here's to Frank!

NEWPORT MOVIE AFTERNOON

Thursday, Aug. 13, 4 p.m., please join as at the Redwood Library, 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, R.I., for a showing of ON THE LAKE and the teaser-trailer to BEHIND THE HEDGEROW. Discussion with the filmmakers and members of Newport society and wine and cheese included. Details at the Redwood Library site.

NO SHATNER, BUT SHOW GOES ON

As has been reported widely this week, William Shatner at the last minute -- literally, the last minute -- canceled plans to come to Rhode Island for an appearance during an evening that includes a showing of ON THE LAKE and the teaser-trailer to BEHIND THE HEDGEROW. We were as disappointed as the folks at The Rhode Island International Film Festival, which handled the discussions with Shatner's people.
BUT the show will go on -- both OTL and the BTH trailer will be shown tonight starting with a discussion with Dave and me at 6:45 p.m. at the Columbus Theatre in Providence. Hope to see you there!
-- Wayne

WE ARE NOW ON NETFLIX

Another cool deal for ON THE LAKE: We are now listed on Netflix. So if you haven't seen the movie on PBS or bought a copy, here's another chance to see it.
We hope you will.
-- Wayne

CDC RECOMMENDS ON THE LAKE!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has included our movie on their recommended list of TB education and training resources.
This is a big honor for us and most of all, a tribute to the men and women who appear in the film and who helped us make it. We thank them once again!
Also, since we last blogged, we've been scheduled for broadcasts in new markets, including Philadelphia and Salt Lake City. And more to come. For details, go to our broadcast schedule page.
We're also starting to show up in other places, including on amazon.com, where a reviewer from Tarpon Springs, Florida recommends the movie highly.

-- Wayne

NEW WEBSITE UNVEILED!

Today, we went live with an exciting new design of our ON THE LAKE movie web site, designed by our friend James Nicholas at www.easywebcreations.com Be sure to check it out.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE TO SCREEN OTL

On June 18, ON THE LAKE will be shown at the 2009 National TB Conference in Atlanta. The conference site is here. Sponsored by the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and the National Tuberculosis Nurse Coalition,
the conference draws TB specialist from state, federal, university and private organizations, including the CDC's Division of Tuberculosis Control (DTBC).

SAVE THE DATE!

Thursday, August 6, 7:30 p.m. at Providence's Columbus Theatre -- a special gala showing of ON THE LAKE, one of the premier events of the 2009 Academy-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival. In partnership with one of our major benefactors, the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, pre- and post-events parties are planned. Plan on celebrity guests, time with the filmmakers and people in the film -- and the first public showing of the trailer to Eagle Peak Media's next documentary, BEHIND THE HEDGEROW, about the secret world of old-money Newport.

For details on the August 6th screening and events, check back here as the summer approaches.

-- Wayne

THE GOOD PRESS KEEPS COMING

Almost three months after the world premiere, we continue to attract good stories and reviews in a variety of publications. The latest is "Bravery in the Time of Tuberculosis," a story in nurse.com, Nursing Spectrum, and NurseWeek.
For all of the more than two dozen reviews, stories and mentions so far, visit the OTL reviews page.

FILMMAKERS AT ROVING EYE FESTIVAL

Dave and I were panelists Tuesday, April 28, during the closing day of the fourth annual Roving Eye Film Festival, sponsored by the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Our roundtable topic was "THE MAKING OF A DOCUMENTARY FILM: From Local to Global." An excerpt of On The Lake was shown. The festival unfolded at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. Details at the Roving Eye site.
-- Wayne

BELLEVUE HOSPITAL SCREENING

We traveled to Manhattan yesterday to show the movie, centerpiece of a TB Awareness Day sponsored by the great Bellevue Hospital and the New York University School of Medicine. Large attendance, excellent panel discussion, and wonderful hosts from Dr. William Rom's Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division. After the session, we were treated to a tour of the hospital's TB ward and learned of Bellevue's leading role, dating to 1903, in the American tuberculosis epidemic of the first half or the 20th century. A great day all around. Pictured here is the table set up in the hospital lobby -- plenty of educational materials.

UMass. Medical Showing a Success

After a great showing on Wednesday, March 11, at the University of New Hampshire, we screened the film on March 12 at the TB Awareness Day sponsored by the Nobel Prize-winning University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass. Pictured here is Dr. Christopher Sassetti, professor of molecular genetics and microbiology. Dr. Jennifer Furin, Harvard epidemiologist and a member of Paul Farmer's Partners in Health also spoke.

THIS WEEK -- FIRST PBS BROADCAST! On our sponsor station, WSBE, TV-36, which serves the southern New England market. Many more broadcasts to follow around the country, check back here as the schedule develops.

Next university showing: New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital.

If you would like to schedule a TB Awareness Day, send us an email.

FIVE STARS, GREAT REVIEWS

The critics have spoken:

-- "Spell-binding," "heart-wrenching," "unforgettable," says WJAR-TV, NBC-10. NBC-10 gives it five stars.

-- "An intelligent, well-researched and heartfelt film that's consistently entertaining." The Providence Journal. Projo gives it four stars.

-- "An emotionally powerful true-life tale of friendship and love in tragic circumstances." WPRI-TV, CBS-12.

-- "David Bettencourt and G. Wayne Miller have achieved what every filmmaker wants: raising enough money to produce and complete a film, having people see it, moving them by it, and hopefully, inspiring a change in the lives of others." NewEnglandFilm.com

-- "Tugs gently on the heart strings." Motif Magazine.

-- "Absorbing," University of Rhode Island news office.

-- An authoritative feature story, with clips from the movie, in Harvard Magazine.

-- A complimentary piece in the Providence Phoenix.

Good press

We invited one reporter to our final, emotional test screening at Zambarano, and Ethan Shorey of The Valley Breeze wrote a fine story, published this week. Read it by following this link.

We completed our final shoot yesterday: Brown University's Dr. E. Jane Carter, who is senior consultant for Rhode Island's TB clinic and also a prominent practitioner and researcher in Kenya. In fact, she was just back from Africa when when we filmed her. She is a great doctor and great on-camera. Very little left to do now...

Happy holidays to all, and may the New Year bring many blessings!

-- Wayne

ANOTHER PRE-RELEASE HONOR

With ON THE LAKE already accepted as an educational partner in the Geneva, Switzerland-based Stop TB Partnership, the world's leading fight-TB advocacy group, we have just been accepted as a partner with the United States advocacy group Stop TB USA. We thank the American group for bringing us on board.

Both the international and U.S. organizations are devoted to eliminating TB through treatment and research, and the public education and awareness required to support the End TB effort. Their recognition of us is in appreciation of the outreach/education role the film will play, beginning in February.

-- Wayne