“Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” is an Official Selection at the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival. The festival takes place July 6-8 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Organized by leading disability services and advocacy organization LADD and under the artistic direction of venerated film critic TT Stern Enzi and creatively produced with senior artist activist Kate Siahaan-Rigg, the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival takes place in the heart of the Over The Rhine District of Cincinnati. Originally an extension of the National “Reel Abilities” Film Festival which came to Cincinnati in 2013, the festival widened its lens to also include any films that tell stories about communities whose voices are marginalized in the world.
The Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St, Cincinnati, OH.
"Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe" will screen at the beautiful, historic Woodward Theater on Saturday, July 8th (ticket info at: https://otrfilmfest.org/tickets/ ).
Produced by Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” tells the story of the famous writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how those life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and after her move to Maine, she adapted her observations and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.
Historians, writers and scholars providing insight into Harriet’s life include Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life”, Joan Hedrick; author Philip McFarland, "Loves of Harriet Beecher Stowe"; historians Christine Anderson, Chris DeSimio, John E. Douglass, John Getz, Michelle Watts, and Betty Campbell, site manager of the John Rankin House.
“The Cincinnati years, I think, profoundly affected her,” said Hedrick. “Her early marriage, her early motherhood – I think it was hard for her to leave that sacred ground. When she moved there, she was a New Englander. When she went back East 18 years later, she was an American.”
Clips from Fourth Wall Films’ award-winning docudrama “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” are included in the documentary and feature acclaimed actors from the Quad Cities region including award-winning actress Jessica Taylor who portrays a young Harriet Beecher. The voice of Harriet Beecher Stowe was presented throughout the documentary by actress Dee Canfield of Moline.
A number of Ohio historic sites appear in the film, including the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, the John Rankin House in Ripley, the General Harrison Canal Boat at the Johnston Farm and Indian Agency in Piqua; and Old Washington Historic District in Maysville, Kentucky.
“Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” was partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.
Producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle are the owners of Fourth Wall Films, an award-winning independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois. The Rundles have won four Emmy® Awards, and received twelve Emmy® nominations for their documentary film work.
Visit FourthWallFilms.com for more information.
