A star-studded production at the Rutherford B. Hayes home, October 4-6
The second annual American Presidents Film and Literary Festival takes place Friday, October 4 through Sunday, October 6 at the site of America’s first presidential library, at the Rutherford B. Hayes home, located in Fremont, OH. This three-day film festival features flicks for all ages, representing all skill levels and genres and includes showings, tours, cooking classes taught by former White House chef John Moeller, and the “Red Carpet Event” — a wine tasting, dinner, and lecture by keynote speaker Adrian Miller. Each day is packed with activity and centers around this year’s theme: food.
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Cooking class celebrity John Moeller spent 13 years serving our country’s first families and their guests. He has gone on to publish his own autobiography/memoir “Dining at the White House: From the President’s Table to Yours,” while operating his own State of Affairs catering business. Chef Moeller will offer two cooking class sessions on Saturday in the Hayes Home.
Adrian Miller, author of “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas,” will be the keynote speaker during Saturday’s main event hosted at the Birchard Public Library. Accomplished and active in the African American community, Miller served as special assistant to President Bill Clinton addressing issues related to racial, religious, and ethnic reconciliation. He’s also a food writer, attorney and certified barbecue judge.
Additional hosts, speakers, and presenters include authors, illustrators, producers, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and college professor, and former executive director of Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.
Venues
The sprawling estate of President Hayes is home to The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums (HPLM), the country’s first presidential library. Rich with political history the library and museum has been expanded twice providing space for educational exhibits, presidential papers and book collections, and an auditorium. The historical grounds now include the restored home of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes and their tombs.
Off site of the Hayes home will be several showings and the “Red Carpet Event” at Fremont’s Strand Concert Theater and Recording Studio
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Fremont Middle School is home to the “Free family night and dinner with children’s illustrator Jeff Ebbeler” on Thursday night, kicking off the event. Birchard Public Library of Sandusky County and Live Edge Center comprise the rest of the venues for picture presentations of the submitted filmographic art.
Film submissions
Kristina Smith, the marketing/communications manager for HPML, explains the films are “not necessarily documentaries” and comprise “very diverse and interesting topics.” For instance, “The Silly Bastard Next to the Bed” is a short about an amusing phone call between President John F. Kennedy and the Pentagon, and “Raising Buchanan” is a fictionalized feature-length film detailing the theft of the President’s body by a donut shop employee. Although there are still a few historical biopics such as “Meeting Gorbachev,” each film is unique and fascinating, including different perspectives, time periods, techniques and styles. Readers can view trailers of each submission on the event’s website.
The cinematic submissions are divided into several categories: Short Films, Feature Length Films, and Commercial Films.The Champagne Film and Literary Awards Ceremony is scheduled at the Live Edge Center for Saturday evening with repeat showings of the winning films booked for Sunday.
Behind the scenes
The festival has been in the works for years, with community partners planning the event for a long time. Festival president Joe Albrechta is a movie buff and attends “a lot of film festivals” inspiring him to take a special interest in organizing this affair. Join the Fremont community to celebrate and honor our presidents and our country’s dance with “people, places, politics, and power.”
Begins 9:30am Friday, October 4. All-access pass $60, individual event pricing online. Various venues in Fremont, OH. For questions and tickets, contact 419-355-8548. americanpresidentsfilmfestival.org/