10th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival –
Images of the 21st Century
March 7-16, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
JUST TALKING 12/3
Kyran Joughin, UK journalist, who coordinated the discussion, Maria Leonida, director of the documentary My First Time, Rebeccah Rush, producer of the film Indestructible and Suzanne Chisholm, director of the film Saving Luna participated in “Just Talking”, which took place in the Excelsior room of the Electra Palace Hotel on Wednesday, March 12.
Rebeccah Rush, besides being the producer of Indestructible, is also the sister of the film’s director and protagonist Ben Byer , explained that: “when Ben learned that he is suffering from ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease, he decided to record his life in Indestructible. What had initially started as a video diary, turned into a mission to show the challenge one faces in one’s life with such a disease. Ben shot all over the world, spoke with doctors, patients and their families. It’s been five years since he was diagnosed, and he’s still alive. The film is proof about the will to live”, Rebeccah Rush stressed.
Suzanne Chisholm with her husband Michael Parfit, shot Saving Luna because of an article they had read on the orca whale which tried to get close to humans after having been separated from her family. “People usually pay to see wild animals and aren’t used to such an approach. In the film, we show people’s response to Luna’s attempt to make friends with them”, Suzanne Chisholm explained about Saving Luna, which is having its European premiere at the 10th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
The Maria Leonida, director of the documentary My First Time spoke. She filmed herself and another four women, seeking answers to their questions about first pregnancy and motherhood. “I was so frightened of the idea of having a child, because for the first time in my life I didn’t have complete control over myself, and I wondered how I would handle motherhood. To bring a child into the world is like losing a part of yourself, while another part is developed”, Maria Leonida noted. Rebeccah Rush agreed with her. She has also recently become a mother and also felt the pressure to be the perfect parent and the changes that having a child brings to a woman’s life.
