Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Editor - Sally Heckel
Sally Heckel is an independent filmmaker who produces, directs, writes, adapts, edits and often shoots her own films. Her films have won awards, been shown internationally, and enjoy active distribution. She is dedicated to making films that probe beneath the surface.
Crew Bios
Jeanne McDonnell - Production Designer for dramatic scenes
Jeanne McDonnell has worked in independent film for over 20 years. She has done Art Direction on such award winning productions as John Sayles' Lianna, Jan Oxenberg's Thank you and Goodnight, and Sally Heckel's Oscar-nominated A Jury of Her Peers. She also worked on Roberta Cantow's Emmy Award-winning Clotheslines. McDonnell has also written and produced the children's TV pilots Riff's Place and Assignment Kids for public television, which featured animations by her and puppets designed by master puppeteer, L. Stallman. She has recently completed a script for the anti-war musical comedy, Time Twins, and is putting the finishing touches on her first novel, Pathways.
Leane Clifton - Assistant Director
Leane Clifton has been working in documentary filmmaking since 1987 on such award-winning programs as Porgy and Bess - An American Voice, Paul Robeson: Here I Stand, and A Huey P. Newton Story. These films garnered an Emmy, the IDA Award for Best Documentary and a Peabody Award. She was Co-Producer on the PBS series, ColorVision, and is currently producing her own documentary, Beisbol's Latin Rhythm. Her extensive background in producing and archival research led to her ongoing position as Project Manager for the Paul Robeson Audio Visual Database Project.
Tracy Stopa Moran - Assistant Camera
Tracy Stopa Moran graduated from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) film program and has worked as assistant camera, producer, and unit production manager on film productions in the Rochester area. She also owns and operates TSM pictures, a business specializing in event /portrait photography.
John Frontutto - Assistant Camera/Gaffer
A graduate of RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) film program, John Frontutto worked for 5 years in production at the local PBS station WXXI, and as cameraman for the Buffalo Bills for 10 years. He is now head of the Video Production Department for the Public Safety Training Facility at Monroe Community College, producing training videos for Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS.
Nick Iacona - Second Assistant Camera
A graduate of RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), in his first career Nick was a cameraman for narrative film and commercial video productions. He's now a Digital Media Art Director, in his second career.
Tim Tuchrello - Second Electric/Grip
Tim Tuchrello works as a sound editor in Los Angeles, CA.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0875748/
John Falzone - Production Assistant
John Geoffrey Falzone has worked as a model and played principal and featured roles in commercials, film, and theater in the Rochester area.
Post-Production Bios
Bruce Kitzmeyer - Sound Designer and Editor
Bruce Kitzmeyer has worked in post production sound in New York for almost 30 years. His latest projects were Music and Lyrics, The Good Shepherd, and Rick Burns' documentary, Andy Warhol.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457835/
John Werner - Sound Designer and Editor
John Michael Werner, a Bucks County, PA, native, has been working in post production sound for film since 1994. Raised "shagging flys" (chasing baseballs) on the disappearing farmland of bucolic Bucks County, John finds himself in East Harlem endeavoring in creative pursuits. In this past year John has worked on the films The Good Shepherd, The Savages, and Rick Burns' Peabody Award winning documentary film, Andy Warhol, as well as video projects for the art night, Church in DUMBO.
Unspeakable features some of his most creative sound work.Josh Waletzky - Sound Editor of Interviews
Josh Waletzky is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and editor.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0907413/
Jen Bradwell - Data Wrangler
Jen Bradwell is a San Francisco Bay Area-based documentary editor, highly versed in Final Cut Pro and Avid. Since graduating from the University of Southern California's film school, she has edited on several feature and television documentaries as well as corporate projects.
http://jenbradwell.com/
Allan Holt - Color Correction
Allan Holt has worked as assistant editor as well as special effects artist on many films. He recently created an animated film, Canvas, which was shown at Cannes and Edinburgh International Film Festivals. He is currently working at Stan Winston Studios.
http://allanholt.com/
Heather Heckel - Eyes Drawing and Website
Heather Heckel is currently a freelance and teaching artist in New York City, and her artwork has been selected in juried shows and won awards. She spends her summers teaching at the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts on Long Island.
http://www.heatherheckel.com/
Main Dramatic Sequences Cast
Darrell Lance - Father
Darrell Lance recently played a well-received Wemmick in Great Expectations, a production of Blackfriar's Theater in Rochester, NY. Darrell is active in Rochester's community and semi-professional theater as well as industrial films, commercials, and voice-over work. He is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Interpretation at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School where he taught for 28 years.
Barbara Lobb - Mother
Barbara Lobb “commands the stage,” (Rochester City Newspaper Online Edition) in her recent role as Stevie in Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia, a production of Shipping Dock Theater in Rochester, NY. She has performed in numerous productions of Rochester's theater community.
Eliza Schneider - Teenager
Eliza Schneider's solo show, Freedom of Speech, Award of Excellence winner at The New York International Fringe Festival, is “a 34 character documentary of her 317,000 mile journey throughout America in a converted ambulance, on a mission to define American culture.” She has traveled the world collecting recordings of dialects for her CDs and award-winning multiple character solo shows. She has voiced characters for films and animation series including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow, and South Park. She has also starred in live-action TV such as the Emmy-Award winning series Beakman's World.
http://www.elizaschneider.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0773791/
Laura Otis - Child
Laura Otis was a student in the Fairport Elementary School when she performed in Unspeakable.
Vicki Casarett - Filmmaker
Vicki Casarett's recent portrayal of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Frank Galati's stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel at the Blackfriars Theatre in Rochester, NY, was hailed as "a veritable tour de force" (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle). Her latest project is the stage role of Annie Wilkes in Misery, Simon Moore's stage adaptation of the Stephen King thriller, also at Blackfriars. She appears regularly in the many productions of Rochester's theater community.
Main Documentary Cast
George P. Heckel
The filmmaker's father was an obstetrician/gynecologist and amateur poet and photographer. Born in Buffalo, NY, he lived in Rochester, NY, from age 11 where he married his high school sweetheart, Bobbie Gage. Besides a clinical practice, he conducted research into pre-menstrual stress (PMS) for many years. He developed a pill, Pregnandiol, which was marketed in Japan as Diol.
Bobbie Heckel
The filmmaker's mother helped her husband, George, through medical school working as a social worker. Later she did the accounting for his medical practice. She and George had three children, Philip, Susan, and Sally. Bobbie was an avid reader and was especially fond of Shakespeare.
Philip Heckel
The filmmaker’s older brother is Professor of Geoscience, specializing in sedimentary geology and particularly interpretive stratigraphy, at the University of Iowa.
Susan Heckel
The filmmaker's older sister studied art at Skidmore College and for a year in Florence, Italy. She paints or draws occasionally.
Bill Thawley
One of George Heckel's best friends, Bill was in the pharmaceutical industry. He and George confided in each other, sharing their emotional lives.
Teddy Wolfard
One of George Heckel's best friends, Teddy owned a fine arts gallery in Rochester, NY. He and George discussed art, music, Buddhism, and philosophy.
Clara Wolfard
Clara, Teddy's wife, was George Heckel's secretary.
Credit List
Produced, Written, Directed, Photographed, Edited
Sally Heckel
Archival Home Movies & Still Photographs
George P. Heckel
Production Design
Jeanne McDonnell
Assistant Director
Leane Clifton
Location Courtesy of
Joe de George
Actors in Order of Appearance
Child - Laura Otis
Teenager - Eliza Schneider
Filmmaker - Vicki Casarett
Mother - Barbara Lobb
Father - Darrell Lance
Voice of Child - Heather Heckel
Sister - Bethany Reynolds
Sister's Boyfriend - Tim Tuchrello
Teenager's Boyfriend - Chris Martin
Dramatic Sequences Crew
Field Producer
Jeanne McDonnell
Assistant Camera
Tracy Stopa Moran
Assistant Camera/Gaffer
John Frontuto
Second Assistant Camera
Nicholas Iacona
Bill Trainor
Second Electric/Grip
Tim Tuchrello
Assistants to the Production
John Falzone
Peg Mayer
Catering
Martha Gioumousis
Antique Cars
Bill Biche
Eric Marshall
Documentary Shoot
Drivers
Dave Hannie
Paul Galen
Michael Tercio
Avalanche Lake Field Producer
Christine McDonald
Assistant to Avalanche Lake Production
Tsienli Tan
Oxberry
Mimondo Productions
Interviewees
Bobbie Heckel
Phil Heckel
Sue Heckel
Bill Thawley
Clara Wolfard
Teddy Wolfard
Eleanor Freeman
George Gage
Roger Stolte
Interviewers of Filmmaker
Steve Brand
James Khlevner
Henry Sapoznik
Post Production
Supervising Sound Editor
Bruce Kitzmeyer
Sound Design
John Werner
Interview Sound Editor
Josh Waletzky
Mixing Studio
Sound One
Re-Recording Mixer
Peter Waggner
Foley Artist
Nancy Cabrera
Foley Recordist
Ryan Collison
Re-Recordist
Paul Coburn
Data Wrangler
Jen Bradwell
Color Correction
Allan Holt
Eyes drawing and website
Heather Heckel
This production was made possible, in part, with public funds from
NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
and grants from
JEROME FOUNDATION
WOMEN'S FUND
The Filmmaker received a production grant from
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE
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In association with
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Individual Donors
Mark Brody
Smokey Forester
Eleanor Freeman
Steve Gelmis
Phil Heckel
Sue Heckel
Rachel Kranz
Mike Mandall
Christine McDonald
Henry Sapoznik
Lisa Thomas
Clara Wolfard
Fiscal Sponsors
Living Traditions
Moving Image Inc.
Women Make Movies
Special Thanks
Felix Andrew
Stuart Burke
Roberta Cantow
Paula de Koenigsberg
Smokey Forester
Jim Gardner
Fran Gragg
Kris Hackel
Jan Huttner
Rachel Kranz
Jeanne Laberge
Carol Lazio
Barbara Mac Cameron
Risa Mickenberg
Kevin O'Rourke
Sarah Plant
Zach Sklar
Lorin Wertheimer
Katahdin Foundation
Millenium
WITASWAN
701 Sound
Dedicated to my family
Sue, Phil, Daniel, Tamara, Heather
Bobbie Heckel & George P. Heckel
c Sally Heckel 2006
CREDITS