Chely Wright – Wish Me Away – Film Documentary

Dateline: TVGals Media, New York City, August 18, 2010

Dear Friends,

We cannot thank you enough for your e-mails and Facebook messages. At last it’s time for our very first Wish Me Away newsletter. There’s so much to tell you, we hardly know where to begin.

We finished principal photography officially on Sunday, June 28th, the day Bobbie and Chicago filmmaker Ines Sommer shot Chely as Grand Marshal of the Chicago Pride Parade. It was a particularly hot and sticky day, but the footage is great and Chely was beaming. There’s nothing quite like a few hundred thousand mid-western fans cheering our mid-western gal riding gay and proud atop a convertible to let her know how far she’s come… and how much she is appreciated.

After over two and a half years of following Chely, we accumulated over one hundred hours of material, including both acquired and original footage. In the first stage of the edit process we spent about a month screening footage with our editor. This is an important part of editing as we "re-learned" our material from a fresh perspective.

Editing began in earnest in May, and we’re now deep into the process.  We’ve been able to show edited sequences to some key television execs, who are very excited about the project and we hope to have some news to tell you on that front soon.

And while we’re on the subject, we wanted you to know that our editor’s name is Lisa Palattella. In addition to being a brilliant story- teller, Lisa is also a gifted musician and you will be amazed at the way Chely’s music is being integrated into the story in delicate, daring, and unexpected ways. If, as Bobbie says, making a documentary is like giving birth to a baby, we must be approaching the last trimester, because we can see fingers and toes, there’s a strong heart beat, and yep, she’s definitely a girl.

We are still raising money (one never stops raising money!) and we’re happy to tell you that the San Francisco Film Society has become the official "fiscal sponsor" of the film. Any of you who want to make a tax-deductible donation to the film of $100 or more, can now do so. Please send checks made out to The San Francisco Film Society to:

SFFS Filmmaker Services
39 Mesa Street, Suite 110
San Francisco, CA 94129

…and be sure to write "Wish Me Away" on the bottom left hand corner of the check where it says MEMO.

We will stay in touch with you as we move forward and keep you updated on our progress. Watch for sneak preview clips from the movie! Stay connected, spread the word, and together we will make history!

Bobbie and Beverly
TVGals Media