Aaward-winning filmmaker Louise Woehrle is a storyteller and the proprietor of Whirlygig Productions, Inc., whose initiatives have discovered nationwide and worldwide broadcast and distribution. She is obsessed with telling tales that assist us see ourselves and others in new methods, promote therapeutic, and join us as human beings. Woehrle just lately accomplished her characteristic documentary A Binding Reality, about two 1965 highschool classmates, one Black and one white, who shared the identical final identify however little else. What’s a coincidence? They meet once more nearly 50 years later after a surprising cellphone name that will change their lives. Their story, rooted within the South, can also be America’s story – one among slavery’s legacy and our present racial divide. It’s a narrative of therapeutic and exhibits a means ahead as these two males discover their binding fact.
“…two 1965 highschool classmates, one Black and one white, who shared the identical final identify however little else.”
A Binding Reality is a captivating story. The place did you discover Jimmie and De, and the way did their story in the end turn into a documentary?
Louise Woehrle: I’m so completely happy you discovered it fascinating! I used to be in New York screening my earlier documentary, Stalag Luft III – One Man’s Story. My two cousins, Katie and Ellen Holliday from Charlotte, NC, attended the screening occasion. Katie is married to De! She requested if I had my subsequent challenge lined up. I stated no, however I had an concept. Then she requested, “What about Jimmie and De’s story?” I responded, “Katie, that’s an enormous story to tackle,” however I believed extra about it and ran it by my Govt Producer, Jay Strommen. He stated, “Can we need to make a distinction? And, in fact, I stated, “Sure.” So the subsequent factor I knew, we had been on a airplane to Charlotte to fulfill Jimmie and De. After that assembly, issues actually took off quick. A highschool pal of De’s, Jock Tonissen, coordinated a luncheon and invited individuals he thought can be fascinated about Jimmie and De’s story. We had created a sizzle reel by that point and a 2-page abstract. A person named Chuck Hood approached me and stated he wished to assist, and wow, all the pieces took off from there. Chuck took on the fundraising with Lauren Batten; the remaining is historical past. The help from the Charlotte neighborhood has been unbelievable. The cash was raised by means of donations, aside from the start-up capital by Jay Strommen. Our fiscal sponsor is FilmNorth in Minneapolis, which I’ve used on many initiatives.