Chely Wright – Wish Me Away – Film Documentary

WISH ME AWAY has just won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival AND also the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the  Frameline 35 Festival in San Francisco!

Two wins in one week!! We are thrilled beyond words and so moved by the response to the film. We had packed theaters, standing ovations, and people coming up to us to express what this film means to them.

This is the comment from the Jury at LAFF:

“For its honesty, humor and potential to change minds and even save lives, the jury awards the Documentary Award to Wish Me Away.”

We’ll be screening at OUTFEST in LA on July 15 and at NEWFEST in NYC on July 22nd.  Hope to see you there!  More exciting news to come!

Thanks to each of you for your support throughout this amazing three year process.

Bobbie and Beverly

As marriage equality was being signed into law in NY, we were screening Wish Me Away in LA. And it was more than coincidence – it was a tipping point.

The response to Wish Me Away has been beyond anything we ever dreamed. Not just that we won The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at both the Los Angeles Film Festival and at Frameline 35 in San Fransisco, or the standing, cheering 10 minute roar of an ovation we received at The Castro, it was in the faces of the people who came up to us, thanking us, sharing personal stories, letting us know that this film that we poured our heart and soul into was already making a difference.

We are incredibly grateful to Chely Wright for her enthusiastic support of this film and we look forward to seeing new faces and hearing new stories at OutFest (LA July 15th), NewFest (NY July 22nd) and beyond.

There we were — at the gorgeous historic CASTRO THEATER — where it all began — the house was packed to the rafters, 1400 strong.

They laughed, they cried, they clapped and when it was over, they stomped their feet and stood. A standing ovation for over ten minutes. None of us will ever forget last night. We know that this film is opening hearts left and right and center. Chely spoke movingly about what it is like for her to watch the film. Beverly told the story of how, early on into the project, I had written on a large index card… “The World Will Open Its Heart When They See Our Film.” I gulped, remembering how we would look at it when times were low and we didn’t know if we could ever finish the film. Last night was a night we will never ever forget. Thank you to each and every person who was there and thank you to each and every person who will see this film someday.

Bobbie

We are sitting together in the first row on the isle. We look back and the theater is packed. The energy is palpable. Becca, the theater manager at this regal Regal Theater has done her job and all systems are go.
The first image appears – one of Chely’s extraordinary video diaries sprinkled through out the film. And we’re off.
The next 96 minutes are deeply personal for us and profoundly satisfying. We hold hands, we squeeze hands, we share a glance, a kiss, a smile. Look at where we are – and it’s only the beginning
When we watch Wish Me Away, we feel and remember and savor not just the time of making the film but all the times of our lives that got us here – the hardship, the sacrifice, the passion, the unwillingness to ever give up.
People ask us about how we met Chely, but what we remember most is the feeling, after spending our first evening together that we had been handed a divine gift and that if we did our job and stayed trued to our vision, we would create something that would reach people and change lives.
Our deepest gratitude to Chely and her extraordinary family for believing in us and trusting that we would tell their story with integrity and compassion.
If you’re in LA or thereabouts, we have two more screenings coming up – this Friday, June 24th at 4:20 pm and Saturday, June 25th at 7pm – go to lafilmfest.com for tickets.
We’re off to SF – for our Frameline screening tomorrow night at The Castro Theater. The excitement is building….
Bobbie and Beverly