The event will be introduced by Kathy Lavin, director of community relations at Neumann Family Services in Chicago, who is also a mother of a child with a disability. Filmmaker Lane Wyrick will then introduce the film and afterwards give a Q&A/Filmmaker Presentation offering his perspective of over 7 years of research into Bill Sackter's life as well as a behind the scenes look at the documentary.

Also, the Deluxe Edition DVDs will be available after the screening at a reduced price as a benefit to those that come to the theater to see this very inspiring film.

More upcoming screenings include:

Doctoberfest Documentary Festival - Gloucester, Mass. - October 14, 15, 23

Yes Cinema - Columbus, Indiana - October 19

The Flicks Theater - Boise, Idaho - October 21

City High School - Iowa City, Iowa - October 22

Western Illinois University - Macomb, Illinois - October 24

Vermont International Film Festival - Burlington, Vermont - October 23, 25, 28

The Fleur Cinema - Des Moines, Iowa - October 30 through Nov. 5 (Weeklong screening)

Cedar Lee Theater - Cleveland Heights, Ohio - November 3

St. John Lutheran Church - Newhall, Iowa - November 8

Auburn Public Theater - Auburn, New York - November 22

More dates to come soon...

To learn more about Upcoming Screenings visit the BillSackter.com website at: http://www.billsackter.com/Upcoming_Screenings.html

Over the past month, I have been starting the process of booking screenings in independent movie theaters across the country, and "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" will have its first week long theatrical run at the Joyo Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska starting Friday September 11th (also my birthday).

All screenings at the Joyo Theater will be at 7:30 p.m., and I will be at the Friday and Saturday opening giving a Filmmaker Presentation and Q&A (and will have the Home Use DVDs available at a reduced price after these screenings).

Upcoming Confirmed Screenings

Joyo Theater - Lincoln, Nebraska - Sept. 11-17 (week long theatrical run)

Times Cinema - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Sept 17

OFS Documentary Film Festival - Olympia Washington - Sept. 20

Iowa City Senior Center - Iowa City, Iowa - Sept. 21

Music Box Theatre - Chicago, Illinois - October 14

The Flicks - Boise, Idaho - October 21

Western Illinois University - Macomb, Illinois - October 24

Vermont International Film Festival - South Burlington, Vermont - Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 (screening dates TBD)

St. John Lutheran Church - Newhall, Iowa - November 1

The Arc of Greater Cleveland - Cleveland, Ohio - Early November

-More dates to come soon-

(for full details, go to: http://www.billsackter.com/Upcoming_Screenings.html)

A great way you can help in making these screenings successful is to send me an email at Lane@BillSackter.com and let me know what screening you will be attending (or if you know any people, media, churches in the area of the screening), and I will send you back a special email about that specific screening (with pictures, descriptions, dates and times) that you can forward on to anyone you know in the area that might like to attend.

"A Friend Indeed" is an incredible experience with an audience in a theatrical environment, and I encourage all of you to come to these events in your area and also bring a friend, co-worker, family member, etc. 

Please bring a friend to "A Friend Indeed"!

For more information, visit http://www.BillSackter.com

In late February, “A Friend Indeed – The Bill Sackter Story” was screened in the Omaha Film Festival which was held in a brand new theater complex – The Great Escape Theaters – in Omaha, Nebraska.

"A Friend Indeed" voted #1 Audience Favorite
at the Omaha Film Festival

Drawing a wide audience for both screenings, from avid festival-goers to families with people with disabilities, “A Friend Indeed” was voted the “#1 Audience Favorite” of the Omaha Film Festival, and as part of the prize was given a third screening immediately following the awards ceremony.

Then in early April, “A Friend Indeed” was voted the “#1 Audience Favorite” and won “Best Documentary” in the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. This festival, featuring indies to Hollywood films was held at the Collins Road Theaters.

Lane Wyrick receiving #1 Audience Favorite Award from Scott
Chrisman at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival

The documentary received a standing ovation at both the screening and the awards ceremony.

"A Friend Indeed" has now been voted the "#1 Audience Favorite" in 4 festivals (Kansas Internat'l Film Festival, Hardacre Film Festival, Omaha Film Festival, and the Cedar Rapids Indep. Film Festival).

You can read about the festivals and other screenings at: http://www.BillSackter.com/Previous_Screenings.html

Over the past few weeks, I have been going through all the additional film and video footage and photographs that accumulated over the course of creating the documentary.

When I was in the middle of editing the documentary I had amassed over 50 hours of source material, and further on in the process I had edited the documentary down to 11 hours of really great usable material!

Of course the final documentary is 90 minutes, so I will have lots of this wonderful and insightful "additional material" as extras on the Home Use DVD, which will add a considerable new dimension to the whole experience of "A Friend Indeed".

Along with the full documentary, the DVD for "A Friend Indeed"
will also have over 2 hours of bonus material

Here are some of the features of the soon-to-be-released Home Use DVD: The full award-winning documentary, an insightful Director’s commentary track, lots of additional footage of Bill & friends, new interviews, deleted scenes & audio recordings, the World Premiere Event at Hancher Auditorium, behind the scenes footage at the orchestra recording session in Seattle, theatrical trailer, biographical information, and more…

With over two hours of additional material it is going to be a “must have” DVD for your collection and will add a lot to the experience of “A Friend Indeed”. For more information, go to: http://www.BillSackter.com/BuyTheDVD.html

Monday April 13 is the annual Bill Sackter Day celebration, held to commemorate Bill’s birthday.

There will be a special event sponsored by the University of Iowa School of Social Work which includes a celebration at Wild Bill’s Coffee Shop at 3 p.m. in North Hall, and then at 6:30 p.m. a screening of “A Friend Indeed” will be held in room W151 in the Pappajohn Business Building. The screening is free and open to the public.

Go to http://www.BillSackter.com/Upcoming_Screenings.html for more details.

Arc of the US to Publish National Article About Documentary

Last November, “A Friend Indeed” was screened at the Arc’s National Convention in Albuquerque, NM. The Arc has nearly 800 Chapters across the US, serving people and families with disabilities.

Lane Wyrick was speaker and screened "A Friend Indeed"
at The Arc's National Convention

Now the Arc of the US is featuring the documentary in an upcoming article in “Insight Magazine” that goes out to 100,000 Arc members across the country. The article will be published later in April, and will be the first publication to give “A Friend Indeed” national recognition.

If you know of publications that would like to review the documentary please email me with your ideas at Lane@BillSackter.com

New Video Clips on BillSackter.com Website

There have been many updates and improvements to the BillSackter.com website. Most notably along with the 3 minute trailer, there are three new videos: “See the first 4 minutes of ‘A Friend Indeed’”, “The Audience Reaction at the World Premiere”, and “Lane Wyrick’s Bio”.

If you haven’t stopped by the website lately (http://www.BillSackter.com), please watch these videos, especially the “First Four Minutes” which is on the main page just after you enter the site.

Website owners: I’ve also posted embed codes so that you can feel free to post these videos on your website as well to help spread the word. You can find the embed codes at: http://www.BillSackter.com/Press_and_Promotional_Tools.html

Photo of Bill's Father, Sam Sackter, Discovered

Bill Sackter touched many lives, and it’s been an incredible adventure for me to find undiscovered material and find new people that had experiences with Bill. For instance, at recent screenings I’ve met with people that worked at the preschool in North Hall, people from Faribault Institution that remember Bill, and several people that rode with Bill on the Iowa City bus.

The other great discovery has been to make a connection with relatives of Bill – Bill’s sister Alice had descendants who just recently realized that Bill Sackter didn’t die when he was 7 years old as was the family story, but actually got out of the institution to live a wonderful life in his final years.

Stanley Leff (Alice’s son) recently sent me this previously unseen photo of Bill’s father, Sam Sackter.

I also shared with his family an audio letter that Jack Doepke recorded with Bill that was intended to get to Alice Leff in the mid-70s.

I’m looking forward to sharing the documentary with all of Bill’s relatives in the upcoming weeks and enjoy uncovering any new photos or stories about Bill.

If you have photos or stories related to Bill, please email me at Lane@BillSackter.com .

Or if you would like to share your Bill stories with everyone right now, please feel free to post them on the “Guestbook” at: http://www.BillSackter.com/Bills_Guestbook.html

Now You Can Bring "A Friend Indeed" To Your Town

There are several ways in which you can bring the award-winning documentary "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" to your town.

By hosting a Filmmaker Presentation and Screening, or by purchasing a Public Screening Site License, your organization can share this powerful documentary with your entire community make a huge impact on the perception of people with disabilities. You may also help to bring "A Friend Indeed" to your local independent movie theater as well.

Lane Wyrick Hosting a Filmmaker Screening
and Presentation at St. Olaf College

Go to: http://www.BillSackter.com/Filmmaker_and_Public_Screenings.html for an explanation of some of these concepts, and please call Lane Wyrick toll-free at 1-877-852-9485 to discuss possible options that would work best for your situation.

Major Screening Event In Minneapolis on June 8

A very big screening event will be held at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis on June 8. It’s being called the “Minneapolis Launch of ‘A Friend Indeed’”, and much like the World Premiere last summer, this event will feature many guests including Barry Morrow, Lane Wyrick, Jack Doepke, Tom Walz and more.

This is going to be a wonderful event, with a Q&A afterwards, a chance for everyone to visit with people from the documentary and that knew Bill, and a Home Use DVD signing. Tickets will be $8.

June 8 - Major Screening at Riverview Theater in Minneapolis

More information, as it becomes available will be posted at: http://www.BillSackter.com/Upcoming_Screenings.html

Take care and have a Happy Easter!

All the best,

Lane Wyrick, director/editor
“A Friend Indeed – The Bill Sackter Story”

You may now purchase a Public Screening License for "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" and have an unlimited number of screenings for your organization.

If you are interested in bringing this inspiring new documentary to your area, please read the details here on how you can purchase either a 1-year or a Permanent Site License.

You may either host the screenings yourself, or encourage local organizations, schools or theaters to become screeners of the documentary and bring this heartwarming and inspirational documentary to your town.

Bill Documentary Screening & 20th Anniv. Celebration of Rain Man

On January 17th, I travelled to Salt Lake City to be part of a truly amazing event. Created by a true savant artist Stephen Carnegie, the celebration featured the screening of "A Friend Indeed" and a celebration of the real Rain Man, Kim Peek at the Salt Lake City Library, where Kim spends every day reading book after book.

Fran & Kim Peek, Barry Morrow, Stephen Carnegie, Lane Wyrick

The event had many connections, and everything interrelated. First off, I was introduced by Kelly Rooney (Mickey Rooney's daughter), as she recalled when her father first presented his character portrayal of Bill for her, shortly after he learned he was cast for the lead role in the television movie "Bill" (1981), written by Barry Morrow.

Lane Wyrick & Kelly Rooney (Mickey's daughter)

I came to the stage and introduced the screening of "A Friend Indeed", my documentary about the real Bill Sackter, which played to a very enthusiastic audience.

After the screening, I fielded some questions, and was proud to introduce special guests Barry & Bev Morrow.

Barry of course was Bill Sackter's legal guardian and he and Bev with their very kind and generous spirit, took Bill into their home to keep Bill from going back to the institution. Barry originally wanted to create a documentary, but ended up writing a screenplay of their uncommon friendship that would become the award-winning television drama "Bill" (1981) with Mickey Rooney (I completed the documentary "A Friend Indeed" 35 years after Barry first met Bill and began filming their relationship).

Then after lunch, the celebration of the real Rain Man, Kim Peek, began.

Here's the background: a couple of years after Bill had passed away, Barry Morrow was at an Arc convention when he was met by a man who started to recite phone numbers to him.

To his amazement, Barry realized that this man Kim Peek had some incredible talents, but had been misdiagnosed as just mentally retarded and written off by everyone.

What Barry discovered was that Kim had memorized nearly 14,000 books word for word after reading them just once! When he was 8 years old, Kim Peek read the Bible once, and can recite every passage verbatim!

Kim can read a book with his left eye reading the left page and right eye reading the right page at the same time, and in just a few seconds! And he has full retention of everything that he reads!

Barry was determined to bring Kim's story to light, and so he wrote the screenplay "Rain Man", which turned into the Hollywood film starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Dustin came to meet Kim and modeled much of his character portrayal on Kim's mannerisms. I had the great fortune to meet Kim and his father Fran for the first time.

Stephen Carnegie, the creator of this event, with Lane Wyrick

The creator of this event, Stephen Carnegie, is a savant himself, who has undergone great tragedy in his life but has brought himself up from mental illness and homelessness over the past 16 years to put together this inspiring event. He can create photo-realistic drawings amazingly fast using both hands at the same time, and is creating a children's book series based on many of the people that were part of this event.

There were many different people who Stephen brought to stage for the celebration. One of them was Nick Scott who was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident.

Nick bounced back from the tragedy and became a weightlifter, and has become so strong that he is now able to squeeze his abdominal muscles so tight that he is able to get up off his wheelchair and walk across stage with great effort! He did this to the tune of Josh Grobin's "Lift Me Up" to a thunderous standing ovation.

Faith Ecklund was also paralyzed and was told she may not ever speak again, and she came out and sang beautifully!

Then Kelly Rooney took the stage and surprised everyone with a phone call from her father Mickey Rooney who congratulated Barry Morrow and Kim Peek on this wonderful day. I introduced Barry Morrow, and he brought Kim & Fran Peek to the stage.

Kim Peek, Barry Morrow, and Fran Peek (Kim's father)

This whole event was very inspiring for me, and it was a real testament to people overcoming incredible odds in their lives to strive to great heights. I received a lot of praise for the Bill Sackter documentary, and it was amazing how the whole event was interconnected, and ultimately honored the real people behind Barry's "Bill" and "Rain Man" screenplays.

I'm hoping to see the footage of the celebration that was videotaped in High-Definition by Michael Wunsch and the great group at Outpost Worldwide, and hopefully will get a chance to post it at BillSackter.com, because it really was a life-changing event for me.

New Facebook Fan Site for Bill Documentary

If you enjoy Facebook like millions of us out there, you now can join the Facebook Fan Site for "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story".

Please go to this site and click on "Become a Fan". Be sure to check out the Discussion Board, as there are topics that you can post to, like "I met the real Bill Sackter" or "I saw the Bill tv movie", etc. Or you can post a Review if you have seen the documentary.

I will be working on this site more, and add more fun postings as I learn more about Facebook, so please become a fan today!

Photo Of Bill Sackter At Age 7 Discovered

Last summer, there was a remarkable discovery by a woman named Karen Leff. She was doing her geneology, and knew that her grandmother Alice Leff had a brother named Bill Sackter, but she had been told that he died when he was 7 years old. She put Bill Sackter into a search engine and up came my website www.BillSackter.com.

She emailed me and told me that she was very excited at this new discovery, but sad that she never knew that Bill was alive and missed the opportunity to meet him. She even saw the "Bill" tv movie with Mickey Rooney and was deeply moved, but had no idea it was about her great uncle!

Anyway, I told her that seeing "A Friend Indeed" will give her the next best opportunity to get to really know Bill Sackter, and she and other family members are excited to see the documentary.

A week ago she emailed me this photo of Bill Sackter when he was about 7 years old! I was amazed at how similar he looked to the actor, Mason DeGrazia, that we had portray him in the opening of the documentary! I'm looking forward to screening the documentary for Karen and the rest of her family.

Upcoming Screenings

"A Friend Indeed" will be screened 3 times at the Fairfield Film Expo in Fairfield, Iowa. Friday February 6 at 7 p.m., Saturday February 7 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Lane Wyrick will attend all the screenings, and will speak at 2:30 p.m. Saturday after the 1 p.m. screening.

It will also be playing at the Omaha Film Festival in Nebraska on Friday February 27 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday February 28 at 5:30 p.m. Lane Wyrick will also attend these two screenings.

For more details and to see what future screenings are coming, please go to Upcoming Screenings at the BillSackter.com website.

Sign Up For Bill DVD NotificationThe creation of the Bill documentary "Home Use" DVD is underway, and will feature the award-winning documentary, plus tons of extra footage, photos, interviews, director's commentary, and much more.


The release date is not set yet, and depends on a number of factors, but if you would like to know when it is ready for purchase, please go to the Buy The DVD link and sign up for DVD release notification, so you will be the first to know by email that it is available.

If you are not already receiving these blog entries in your email, please sign up for the Email List.

"Take care and I hope you get a chance to see "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" soon." - Lane Wyrick

"A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" had a three day screening at the Englert Theater in Iowa City on October 1, 4, & 5.

Lane Wyrick attended all three screenings with Q&A afterwards, and Tom Walz also provided insight to the appreciative crowd. There were several people that were in the documentary that were able to see "A Friend Indeed" for the first time.

Citizen Advocates shows Bill documentary

On October 16, Wyrick presented the documentary to Citizen Advocates of Washington County, in West Bend, Wisconsin. Mark Brunner, President of Citizen Advocates had planned the screening for several months, which was held during their annual meeting and recognition banquet at West Bend - A Mutual Insurance Company's brand new conference facilities.

Projected simultaneously on two screens, the documentary was especially relevant, as the mission of Citizen Advocates is to find people in the community to be partnered with a person with disabilities, and the story of Barry and Bill resonated with the audience. Brunner was so pleased with the way that the documentary communicated the purposes of their organization, that he has already planned for another screening on March 28, 2009 where Wyrick will again be present to screen the film.

The Arc's National Convention in Albuquerque

Wyrick flew to Albuquerque to present the documentary to The Arc's National Convention on November 6. This is the largest Arc meeting held annually, and Wyrick spoke and presented "A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" in its entirety.

People from Arc organizations from around the country heard about the documentary for the first time, and it gave new meaning to their "National Bill Sackter Award" which was presented the following evening...now they know the real Bill Sackter.

This national event also marked the beginning of the availability of the documentary for Public Screenings and Filmmaker Presentations.

Wyrick also met with Geraldo Rivera who was giving the keynote address for the convention. While Rivera had to leave before the documentary presentation, Wyrick was able to give him a copy of the Bill Sackter DVD...maybe sometime he will see it with encouragement from someone out there who has seen the documentary and knows Geraldo. : )

The DVD creation is beginning...

It is now mid-December, and I am starting the process of gathering the vast amount of extra footage/deleted scenes, photos, and a huge variety of material that will be on the DVD (along with the award-winning documentary).

This DVD will be completed in the future - the date is not set, but if you would like to be notified when the DVD is released, please go to the Buy The DVD link at the BillSackter.com website.

Upcoming Screenings

There will be a very special screening of "A Friend Indeed" in Salt Lake City on January 17, which will also commemorate the 20th Anniversary of "Rain Man". Both Wyrick and Barry Morrow (who wrote the screenplay for "Rain Man", and was Bill Sackter's legal guardian) will be at the event. Also, the event will honor Kim Peek, who Barry modeled the character that Dustin Hoffman played in the movie.

Also, on January 7, there will be a screening at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

To see what future screenings are coming, please go to Upcoming Screenings at the BillSackter.com website.

If you are not already receiving these blog entries in your email, please sign up for the Email List.

1) Upcoming Screenings – Englert Theater in Iowa City on October 1, 4, & 5

2) Bill Documentary gets standing ovation and voted “#1 Audience Favorite” at Kansas International Film Festival

3) Winner of “Best Documentary”, “Best Iowa Film” and voted “#1 Audience Favorite” at Hardacre Film Festival

4) Bill Documentary screens where it all began, at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis

Upcoming Englert Theater Screenings

“A Friend Indeed – The Bill Sackter Story” will be screening on Oct. 1, 4, & 5 (Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday) at the historic Englert Civic Theater in Iowa City. All screenings start at 7:30 p.m. – after brief introductions, the 90 minute documentary will be shown, followed by Q&A with Director/Editor Lane Wyrick.

Come see what critics and audiences alike are calling “A Must See Film”, in this emotional true life documentary on events that happened right here in Iowa City.

Tickets are just $10 and are available at the Englert Box Office (221 E. Washington Street), by phone 319-688-2653, or online through www.Englert.org.

You may purchase tickets on the night of the event. (Part of the proceeds will go to the Extend the Dream Foundation, an organization that employs and empowers people with disabilities.)

Kansas International Film Festival

On September 23, “A Friend Indeed” screened at the Kansas International Film Festival, and received a standing ovation. This highly competitive festival featured world class documentaries and top notch independent and Hollywood films. It was given the top festival award as it was voted the “#1 Audience Favorite” of the entire festival. Lane Wyrick attended the festival and hosted a Q&A after the screening.

....

"A Friend Indeed" was honored with the Audience Award trophy and will also receive a one-week theatrical screening at the Glenwood Arts Theater in Overland Park, Kansas, from Friday Oct. 3 through Thursday Oct. 9. For ticket and show time information, please visit www.FineArtsGroup.com or call 913-642-4404.

It also received some great festival press:

"Watching this movie made me a better person...It's a story of redemption and uplift that immerses us in a gentle soul's very personal world. I guarantee you will find yourself bawling." Bob Butler - Kansas City Star Newspaper....

"My personal favorite and the sleeper hit of the (Kansas International Film) Festival is 'A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story'...It will touch your heart and bring you to tears." Rating 4 stars (out of 4) Keith Cohen - Entertainment Spectrum & The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

"There were few dry eyes in the house at the conclusion of the screening. Lane Wyrick has demonstrated a special gift in revealing Bill's life so completely, and the world needs this film." Rating 5 stars (out of 5) Deborah Ground Buckner, ANEVibe.com

Hardacre Film Festival

At the 2008 Hardacre Film Festival on August 2, “A Friend Indeed” was winner of “Best Documentary”, “Best Iowa Film” and it was voted the “#1 Audience Favorite” of the festival.

This competitive festival in Tipton, Iowa is the longest running film festival in the state, and it featured documentary and narrative productions from around the world.

In a review of the Bill Sackter documentary, Hardacre Festival Director Travis Alden said “It’s a documentary that’s just super-well-done. It’s very moving, very emotional. I’m not embarrassed to say it brought me to tears. It really renews your positive outlook toward the human spirit.”

Minikahda Club Screening

On September 28, “A Friend Indeed” played at a very special venue – the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, in the very room where Barry Morrow first met Bill Sackter 37 years ago.

Back in 1971, Bill Sackter was a pot scrubber at the Minikahda Club, and Barry’s wife Beverly was a cocktail waitress at the club. At a staff Christmas party, Barry finally met Bill in main ballroom at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis. After that meeting, Barry and Bill quickly became good friends and thus began the real life story that would garner national attention, two award winning tv movies, and now the real life documentary “A Friend Indeed – The Bill Sackter Story”.

Lane Wyrick at Minikahda Club

It was a very successful screening and in attendance were many club members and staff of the Minikahda Club, as well as several people that were in the documentary, including Barry Morrow, Jack Doepke, Dawn D’Hanson, and Steve Buetow, and Lane Wyrick.

Plans are now underway to have screenings in many locations around the country. If you would like to bring "A Friend Indeed" to your area, please email Lane@BillSackter.com and it would be helpful if you could suggest some good theaters or other locations that might be able to accommodate a screening, or let me know of people/groups that I could contact that might be interested in hosting a screening.

For more information please visit www.BillSackter.com and please sign up for our email list if you haven't already.

All the best,

Lane Wyrick