FARMINGTON – University of Maine at Farmington proudly commemorates Veterans Day 2009 with a screening of the Maine-made film “The Way We Get By,” which has played to sold-out audiences across the country. The film will be shown at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Lincoln Auditorium, UMF Roberts Learning Center, with a personal introduction by Warren Cook, CEO of Saddleback Resort in Rangeley and the film’s executive producer.
Theodora J. Kalikow, UMF president, was instrumental in bringing the timely film to the Farmington campus. “We are so pleased to be able to share this moving film with our community on this important day,” said Kalikow. “This is a story that speaks to everyone, regardless of age or politics.”
Started by Maine filmmakers on a tiny budget and supported by Cook because he believed in it and wanted to see the story told, the film features the work of three elderly volunteer greeters as they gather daily at the Bangor Airport in Maine to thank American soldiers, departing to and returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, for their service.
The three greeters, when not at the airport, wrestle with their own problems of failing health, depression and mounting debt. Yet, as the story unfolds, it becomes a celebration of these three unsung heroes and a meditation on patriotism, aging and giving to others.
Directed by Aron Gaudet and produced by Gita Pullapilly, “The Way We Get By” has won numerous awards across the country. It is the recipient of the prestigious SXSW ’09 Film Festival Special Jury Award, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival’s Audience Award, the AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival SILVERDOCS Award and many others. It has also been recognized as the “Best Documentary” at numerous film festivals around the country and is being considered for an Oscar nomination.
Cook is CEO of Saddleback—a four-season resort and real estate development in Rangeley, Maine. He is also co-founder of Maine Network Partners and Common Good Ventures and active in funding and non-profit work. He served in the Marines during Vietnam after graduating from Dartmouth College. His son, a career Marine officer who has served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been greeted by the volunteers when he traveled through Bangor.
The screening of “The Way We Get By” is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the UMF President’s Office. More information on the film can be found at http://www.thewaywegetbymovie.com/
