Fourth Wall Films' documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe and docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder have received four Mid-America Emmy® nominations. The films had their broadcast premiere on WQPT- PBS.
Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe received a nomination in the Documentary-Cultural category.The film tells the story of the iconic writer’s time in Cincinnati, Ohio and how several life-altertering experiences contributed material for 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 Ohio experiences and new anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.
The documentary features historians, writers and storytellers: Dr. Christine Anderson, Chris DeSimio, Dr. John Douglass, Dr. John Getz, Dr. Joan Hedrick, Philip McFarland, Dr. Michelle Watts, and Betty Campbell. Dee Canfield of Moline, Illinois read excerpts from Beecher Stowe’s letters in the film. Filming took place at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio, John Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio, and on a canal boat courtesy the Johnston Farm and Indian Agency.
The Fourth Wall Films docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder received three nominations including Best Arts/Entertainment: Program/Special, Best Original Music Score by William Campbell, and a nomination for Writing (Screenplay). The screenplay was adapted by the Rundles from the play “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” written by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter. Kent Hawley co-produced the film with the Rundles.
"We hope to be able to honor playwright Earlene Hawley with a win," said producer/director Kelly Rundle. "She is the heart of Sons & Daughters of Thunder."
Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the unforgettable true story of the first-in-the-nation 1834 anti-slavery debates in Cincinnati, Ohio, led by firebrand abolitionist Theodore Weld as portrayed by Thomas Alan Taylor. The debates had a profound impact on a young Harriet Beecher Stowe’s views on slavery. Stowe is played by actress Jessica Taylor.
Kimberly Kurtenbach served as the Executive Producer and casting director on the project and played Harriet’s sister Catharine Beecher in the film. Janos Horvath starred as Lyman Beecher.
Sons & Daughters of Thunder starred many acclaimed actors from the Midwest and Los Angeles (MEET THE CAST HERE), and a small but mighty crew, including award-winning DP Kevin Railsback, award-winning Sound/Effects Chris Ryder, Emily Busha (Wardrobe), Dave Furness (Gaffer), Farrah Ketron (Hair/Make-up), Lora Adams and Wendy Czekalski (Wardrobe/Make-up/Hair Assistants), Olivia Ketron and Melinda Carriker (Production Assistants), Sandy Freel (Props), among others (MEET THE CREW HERE).
Filming took place at the Dillon Home Museum in Sterling, Illinois, the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover, Illinois, the Karpeles Manuscript Museum and Augustana's House on the Hill in Rock Island, Illinois, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
"We congratulate our fantastic Thunder cast and outstanding team of artists behind the camera, Bill Campbell our amazing composer, our generous contributors and supporters, the Quad City Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Moline Foundation, and a special thank you to playwright Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter," said producer Tammy Rundle. "We wish Kent Hawley were here with us to see all that is happening with Thunder, as he was so much a part of the whole process."
Sons & Daughters of Thunder was partially funded by a grant from the Quad City Arts (Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation and Deere and Company); and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. The Moline Foundation and the Shell Rock Community Historical Society served as the fiscal sponsors for the project. Thunder is available on DVD at LaneRebelsMovie.com or Amazon.com, and it can be streamed via Vimeo On Demand.
Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe was partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.
Kelly and Tammy Rundle received Mid-America Emmy® nominations for their documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Country School: One Room - One Nation, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with Lora Adams and WQPT).
Order Sons & Daughters of Thunder at https://www.fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm
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