ULTIMATE DOCS COMPETITION

A LION IN THE HOUSE

USA, 2006, 225min., English

Director: Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar
Producer: Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar
Cinematography: Steven Bognar
Editing: Steven Bognar, Kevin Jones, James Klein, Mary Lampson, Maime Meyers
Music: David Murphy
Sound: John Mays
Production Company: Reverse Shot
Print Source:
Jeff Reichert/Neal Block
Reverse Shot
49 W. 27th St. 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Tel.:: 212 924 6701
Fax:212 924 6742
e-mail: Jreichert@magpictures.com / nblock@magpictures.com


A LION IN THE HOUSE

This riveting and emotional doc follows the lives of five extraordinary children and their families as they battle pediatric cancer in Cincinnati's Children's Hospital. Filmed over a period of six years, this touching epic is a fine example of total immersion cinema. Despite the wealth of material, the soulfulness of the story as it chronicles the diverse families from the trauma of diagnosis to the physical toll of treatment, grips the viewer from and doesn’t let go until long after the credits roll. As it documents the stresses that can tear a family apart as well as the courage of the children facing the possibility of death with honesty, dignity and humor, the film also dares to the tough question: When is enough, enough? When should a parent say no to additional treatment for their child and accept death? Yet for all the harrowing days, A Lion In The House abounds with the spark and rebellious attitude of kids and teenagers determined to keep their spirits unbroken by either their disease or its arduous treatments. With sensitivity and raw emotion filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert put viewers in the shoes of parents, physicians, nurses, siblings, grandparents and social workers who struggle to defeat an indiscriminate and predatory disease.

Steven Bognar
Husband and Wife directors with Julia Reichert. Steven Bognar has written for the Independent Film & Video Monthly and Indiewire, and has worked for 12 years as a media arts educator in schools, teaching media literacy to thousands of kids. His film received a number of awards worldwide.

Filmography:

A Lion in the House (2006), co-directed by Julia Reichert;
Gravel (2003), short;
Picture Day (2000), short;
Waiting for Marty (1999), TV, short;
Personal Belongings (1996);
Welcome to Censornati (1990).

Julia Reichert
Reichert is a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Feature Documentary. Parallel to her filmmaking career, Julia Reichert has worked for years building the independent film community. Filmmaker Magazine recently named her one of the godmothers of American Independent film. On a national level, Reichert co-founded New Day Films, a distribution co-operative for independent films, and The Film Fund, a foundation that supported the making of social issue media, and which led to the creation of the Independent Feature Project. Reichert is also Professor of Motion Pictures at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Filmography:

A Lion in the House (2006), co-directed by Steven Bognar;
Emma & Eliva (1991);
Seeing Red (1983); co-directed by James Klein;
Union Maids (1976); co-directed by James Klein;
Methadone: An American Way of Dealing (1974), co-directed by James Klein;
Growing Up Female (1970), co-directed by James Klein;

SUNDAY, APRIL 29 AT 12:00 PM./GALLERY THEATRE