A mayor, a live band, and a restored historic church building: Hapeville Georgia

The town was dressed up with several Southern Circuit Announcements...

Hapeville is, according to friends who live in Atlanta, where the airport is...

Dear friends in Atlanta, please drive a little south west and find out how much more is there! A tiny town with some new cute cafes and restaurants, as well as historical buildings and a thriving community who made it out to a Saturday night screening!

Tech Check in the (former) church.

This cute little town was an excellent place to screen STRONG! The screening was preceded with a reception with life food and delicious local catering. The screening was well attended by a contingent of Southern Circuit fans as well as youth and some athletes- And – quite an honor to me and the film – introduced by Hapeville's own Mayor Hallman.  

The city building where the screening took place is actually a refurbished church – built in the late 1800s, and carefully restored to its original architectural glory. Although the building no longer serves as a church, it was odd and interesting experience to see the audience seated in actual pews and to conduct a Q&A from the "pulpit," so to speak.

Mayor Hallman introduces the event...

The audience was very interested to know about Cheryl's local activities – and to realize that Mary Todd now rolls through the streets of nearby Atlanta or Cheryl works at Savannah College of Art and Design. I encouraged them to look out for her when they are in her neighborhood.

April 18: Good Times in Gainesville

PHOTO CREDIT: AKYM SIMS

The Gainesville, Georgia screening took place in the Smithgall Arts Center, the Gainesville Art Council's beautiful historic building. The screening was well-attended by a mix of series regulars, film students, and a contingent of Olympic weightlifters. Truly one of my favorite screenings to date with great questions - and thoughtful moderation by Professor Jeff Marker of University of North Georgia. 

The screening room was set up with small tables and chairs facing the screen, which seemed to give the event a social dimension. 

Gainesville is one of the US's major Olympic weightlifting capitals - the town has produced several high caliber athletes who are now walking the path that Cheryl did several years ago.  Coach Stan Lutrell and Coach CJ Stockel brought some of their lifters and contributed a lot of insight to the film's story. I was touched by Coach Stockel's Facebook post the next day: 

"Hope Stockel and I, with the Luttrell clan were able to view Strong! tonight. WOW what a powerful movie about a Powerful person, Cheryl Hayworth. If you have not seen it, you're missing out. Julie Wyman presented Cheryl as the Champion she is and weightlifting as it really is. Having known Cheryl since she started weightlifting, it was refreshing that she is portrayed as the soft and compassionate person but tough competitor that she is. It shows the trials and tribulations that any elite athlete fights through to be the champion in life they are. It shows the strength of her family and how important that part of being an Olympian has to be. It reflects on the journey more than the moment of success.
As a father and coach of my daughter who is somewhere in the middle of her journey, having role models such as Cheryl A Haworth, Natalie Burgener, Doreen and Carissa Gordon Gump portrayed in the proper light is awesome. Thank you ladies for clearing the road for those who will come after you."

With Coach Lutrell, Coach Stockel, and other members of Team Georgia Weightlifting

Thanks again, SouthArts, and Gainesville for a great evening!

with hosts Gladys Wyant, Professor Jeff Marker and Professor David Smith PHOTO CREDIT: AKYM SIMS

Starting it off STRONG!...

STRONG!'s tour began at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia.  In the house was Olympic Weightlifting coach Stephen Powell of Columbia, South Carolina's Athletes Arena Weightlifting. Coach Powell worked for many years alongside Cheryl Haworth's Coach Don McCauley - so he knows Cheryl and her story well - he actually appears in STRONG! He joined me for discussion and was able to provide an excellent behind-the-scenes perspective.

We had a great discussion with a fabulous and attentive audience that ranged through topics of women the sport of weightlifting, parenting, and my formal/ artistic approaches in the film. Thanks to the Morris Art Museum Michelle Schulte for managing the tech trickiness and bringing together such a nice group of people!

The Morris Art Museum is situated on the Savannah River, which runs between South Carolina and Georgia...









Also - another shot from the porch of the Lookaway Inn, built between 1895 and 1898, if she were here, Cheryl would tell us all a lot about the architectural details you can see here.
Great slideshow here.

STRONG! sets out on the Southern Circuit

Today STRONG! -the story of Cheryl Haworth - Olympic weightlifting champion begins its journey that will take me (filmmaker Julie Wyman) through parts of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi. Cheryl is from Savannah, Georgia, so I am honored to bring this film back to her part of the country.

Tonight we start it off at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta. Below is the full schedule, plus my first arrival point. Gulp! Talk about Southern Hospitality: this is the Lookaway Inn in North Augusta, South Carolina - my first arrival point on this tour. It's an incredible building from the late 19th century. Looking forward to gathering more images and stories of the south in the next 10 days.

Thanks so much Morris Museum, South Arts, and Sammy and Jay at the Lookaway!

4/16: Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia (6 pm)
4/17: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina (7:30 pm)
4/18: The Arts Council, Gainsville, Georgia (7 pm)
4/20: Hapeville Association of Trade and Tourism, Hapeville, GA (6 pm)
4/22: Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina (7 pm)
4/23: Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts, Auburn, Alabama (6 pm)
4/25: East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carlina (6:30 pm)
4/26: University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, Long Beach, MS (6:30 pm)

Meet Julie Wyman

Welcome Julie Wyman and her film, Strong!, to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Julie will begin her Circuit tour in Augusta, GA at the Morris Museum of Art on Tuesday, April 16. make sure to allow some time to look around this beautiful museum before the screening and stick around for the Q&A with Julie afterwards. See where else Julie will be stopping on her tour of the southeast and see a trailer for her film, Strong!, on the Southern Circuit website.

More about Julie: Julie Wyman is an award-winning filmmaker, performer, writer, and professor. Her film, Buoyant screened at MoMA New York, the Walker Arts Center, the La Jolla MoCA and at festivals internationally. Her full-length documentary A Boy Named Sue aired on Showtime, MTV’s Logo TV, and screened at festivals internationally, winning the 2001 Sappho Award for Best Documentary and nominated for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s Media Award for Best Documentary. Wyman holds a MFA from the University of California, San Diego. She is currently a Professor of Digital Filmmaking in the Cinema and Technocultural Studies Department at UC Davis.