FTLH and POHP — a conversation with Gordon Quinn and Howard Reich

“For the Left Hand” started as a series of articles written by Howard Reich. Soon after the series was published on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, Norman began accepting invitations to perform concerts around the country. At this point Reich realized this could become a film and he turned to Kartemquin’s Gordon Quinn to help translate the story from page to screen.

Quinn and Reich previously collaborated on the 2010 documentary “Prisoner of Her Past,” which followed Reich as he tried to piece together what happened to his mother during the Holocaust. Similar to “For the Left Hand,” this film also started from a series of articles Reich wrote for the Tribune.

“Prisoner of Her Past” is set to have a special broadcast at 3 p.m. CT on May 1 on Chicago’s WTTW in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. “For the Left Hand” is in the midst of our outreach and impact campaign and just released the film’s DVD. To mark all this recent news, “For the Left Hand” outreach coordinator Stephanie Sunata had a conversation with Quinn and Reich. They shared their artistic approaches and behind-the-scenes insights to both films. They also discussed other topics including the importance of music and arts education, ethics of filming, trauma, and current world events.

Watch the full conversation below:

DVDs are now available for both films. Purchase by clicking the following links:

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