A couple of years ago, brothers Bill and Turner Ross quit their
Hollywood jobs and returned to Sidney, Ohio to make a documentary about
what life in small-town America is like. The resulting film,
45365, doesn’t have one clear narrative (or a
voiceover, for that matter.) Instead, the filmmakers follow several
subjects, including a man who gets arrested, the high-school football
team and a woman preparing for her wedding.
“For a long time, we had been collecting stories and ideas about
growing up in a small midwestern town,” says Turner. “Rather than
fictionalizing it, we thought it was more sincere to film in that
location and tell other people’s stories. If there was a situation
where it was difficult to get access, we didn’t do it. Dealing with
minors, we made sure we had consent from all of them. That can be
tricky. Those people were well aware that we were with them. Those
stories are what they chose to show us. We didn’t want to do a circus
portrayal or an anthropological surface study of a town. We wanted to
find people who spoke to the experiences of that town.”
The film debuted at the South by Southwest film festival in March
and took home the Best Documentary Feature award. Since then, it’s been
making the festival rounds with hopes of a fall theatrical release. It
makes its Cleveland premiere at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the
Cleveland Museum of Art Lecture Hall (11150 East Blvd., 216.421.7350,
clevelandart.org/film). The
Ross brothers will be on hand to introduce it and take questions
afterward. Tickets are $8. Find more information at 45365movie.com.
The Indie Film Gathering, an international film festival
featuring low-budget and independent films, takes place this weekend at
the Westlake Holiday Inn (1100 Crocker Rd., Westlake). It kicks off at
6 p.m. Friday and includes a full day of screenings on Saturday and
Sunday. Many filmmakers will be there to introduce their films and
field questions afterwards. Go to theindiegathering.com for a full
schedule.
The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque (11141 East Blvd.,
216.421.7450, cia.edu/cinematheque) takes its
summer-long comedy series outdoors for Comedy Stars Under the
Stars. At 9:15 p.m. Saturday, it’ll show five two-reel films. The
screening takes place in the Cleveland Institute of Art outdoor
courtyard. Tickets: $8.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2009.
