Kartemquin’s triumphant return to Adrian, Mich.
Adrian College long has been a champion of documentary film, convening students, faculty and the entire Adrian, Mich., community for an annual evening of cutting-edge work – and delicious food.
Once everyone has grazed the buffet and returned to their tables, the Adrian Tobias Center goes dark, the screen lights up and the place falls to a hush. Afterward, filmgoers and filmmakers engage in a robust, freewheeling Q-and-A.
On April 12, Kartemquin’s “For the Left Hand” was the featured attraction, the room packed
with film lovers from across Michigan who wanted to catch an award-winning documentary and converse with director Gordon Quinn and writer/producer Howard Reich (they made the film with director-editor Leslie Simmer, producer Diane Quon and editor Matt Lauterbach).
The event represented a rewarding return to Adrian for both Gordon and Howard, who had
visited the school’s documentary night with previous Kartemquin films. Quinn had presented “In the Family,” directed by Joanna Rudnick; and Reich had brought “Prisoner of Her Past,” which he wrote and produced (directed by Quinn).
The audience applauded enthusiastically after “For the Left Hand” finished and offered
abundant questions and commentary. One viewer who had traveled from Ann Arbor for the occasion approached Howard afterward and summed up one of the film’s key messages.
“I believe this film is about facing challenge,” she said. “The challenge of aging, the challenge of disability, the challenge of playing music. Norman Malone’s story shows one man facing every challenge that has been sent his way. How can you not be moved by that?”
Earlier in the day, Quinn and Reich spoke with an Educational Psychology Class and also a class of music and film students.
Quinn asked the Educational Psychology students why they wanted to become teachers. Most
said they wished to make a difference in young people’s lives, just as Norman has done. Several cited a specific teacher who had inspired them, and these students’ gratitude to their mentors mirrored the heartfelt thanks Norman is seen receiving in “For the Left Hand.”
Devoted teachers like Norman always will be indispensable, especially in music.
“An education is not complete if it doesn’t include the arts,” Gordon told the students. “The arts are not something extra. They’re essential to being an educated person in a democracy.”
