A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story

Screenings in Fall/Winter 2009

From September 2009 to the end of the year, there were numerous screenings of "A Friend Indeed" in a wide variety of locations, with more to come in 2010.

Here's a listing of the screenings during Fall/Winter 2009:

Times Cinema in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Capitol Theater in Olympia, Washington

Senior Center in Iowa City, Iowa

Music Box Theatre in Chicago, Illinois

Yes Cinema in Columbus, Indiana

The Flicks Theater in Boisie, Idaho

City High School in Iowa City

Vermont International Film Festival in Gloucester, Mass.

Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois

Luther College in Decorah, Iowa

Fleur Theater in Des Moines, Iowa

Arc of Greater Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio

St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall, Iowa

The Music Box Theater Marquee in Chicago

The Music Box Theater Marquee in Chicago

The documentary has been gaining recognition and inspiring audiences at every screening, and through these screenings a whole new and innovative distribution was developed.

It's called the "Screen It Yourself Package" which will allow people and organizations around the country to "Bring A Friend Indeed to their City".

Iowa Independent Film Festival - Clear Lake, Iowa
Sat. July 18, 2009 - 2 p.m. & Sun. July 19, 2009 - 4 p.m.

"A Friend Indeed" wins the "Best Documentary Award" at the Iowa Independent Film Festival held in Clear Lake, Iowa. With an enthusiastic audience at both screenings, Filmmaker Lane Wyrick presented the documentary and hosted a Q&A after the screenings.

The awards ceremony, held on Saturday night featured many filmmakers and actors from both Iowa and Hollywood, where Wyrick was presented with the trophy. (There was no Audience Award at IIFF, so "Best Documentary" was the top award available.)

Iowa Independent Film Festival to screen A Friend Indeed

Riverview Theater - Minneapolis, MN
Major Screening & DVD Release Party
Monday June 8, 2009 - at 7:30 p.m.

"A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" held it's "Minneapolis Premiere" at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis on June 8, 2009. Taking place in the classically restored theater, "A Friend Indeed" played to a nealy packed house and an incredible crowd reaction.

Back in the 1970s, Jack Doepke often took Bill to a movie at the Riverview, and he suggested this would be the perfect place for the Minneapolis Premiere. We were not disappointed!

Many people from the film were at the event, including Hollywood Screenwriter Barry Morrow, Filmmaker Lane Wyrick, Narrator Sally Wingert, Jack Doepke, Tom Walz, and many other people that knew Bill.

People from a wide variety of backgrounds attended the screening, from people involved in disability groups to church members, people that had read about the screening in the paper, friends of Bill and friends of Jack Doepke and Barry Morrow, to regular Riverview Theater attendees.

Wyrick worked closely with Mike Gude of the Arc of Minnesota to publicize the event to disability groups, and Steve Larson also of the Arc of Minnesota introduced Wyrick at the screening - pre-show article.

Sally Wingert, Jack Doepke, and Barry Morrow at Riverview Screening in Minneapolis

“I think the reason audiences have embraced ‘A Friend Indeed’ is because it is not only very funny and highly inspirational, but it also allows viewers to look beyond Bill’s disabilities and care for him as a human being,” Wyrick said. “It’s a fulfilling emotional experience that people will remember for a long time. A box of Kleenex is highly recommended!”

This was the first night for the availability of the Deluxe Edition DVD, and nearly 200 DVDs were sold immediately following the screening, with many people buying 3 at a time! With such an incredible reaction and desire for the DVD immediately following screenings, Filmmaker Wyrick will now be offering DVDs at all showings of "A Friend Indeed" that he will be attending at a reduced price to benefit moviegoers. The DVD is now available on this website - just go to the Buy The DVD NOW link.

"A Friend Indeed" was digitally projected with a great sound system, and the audience was thoroughly engrossed in the production - lots of laughter, tears, and ultimately inspiration.

"A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" was voted the #1 Audience Favorite at the New Strand Film Festival, in West Liberty, making it the 5th festival that it has been honored with this top award.

The Festival was held Friday May 1 through Sunday May 3, with "A Friend Indeed" being selected as the finale film of the festival that is sponsored by the West Liberty Public Library and the New Strand Theater. Wyrick also received the Iowa Filmmaker Award and truly enjoyed the festival and audience reaction to the screening. Read the article about the festival in the Iowa City Press Citizen.

The New Strand Theater has been recently renovated by owners Todd & Kerri Leach, and features a brand-new digital projection system that was by far the best screening both visually and sound-wise of "A Friend Indeed" so far (they also show Hollywood films in their theater, including ones in 3-D). Definitely check out this independently run theater if you get a chance: http://www.NewStrand.com.

Another screening has been planned at the New Strand Theater for July 11 - find out more here.

"A Friend Indeed" was voted the #1 Audience Favorite and also won Best Documentary in the 9th Annual Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival held on April 3-4 at the independently run Collins Road Theater in Marion, Iowa.

Lane Wyrick with Festival Director Scott Chrisman shortly after
being presented with the "#1 Audience Favorite" Trophy

"A Friend Indeed" was selected to be screened amongst 30 films from indies to Hollywood produced films in this established festival. It was shown twice during the festival, receiving a standing ovation at both the evening screening and the awards ceremony.

Lane Wyrick hosted a Q&A after both screenings in this well-attended festival, and enjoyed meeting with many other filmmakers as well as several people from disability groups and families of people with disabilities from the area.

"A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" has now been voted the #1 Audience Favorite in 4 festivals (Kansas International Film Festival, Hardacre Film Festival, Omaha Film Festival, and the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival).

Wyrick also enjoyed attending the festival with Cary J. Hahn, The (former) Iowa Traveler, one of our local tv celebrities who is the new director of KMRY-AM 1450 Radio Station.

"A Friend Indeed" had a successful screening as part of a Social Work conference on Human Dignity at St. Olaf College where Barry Morrow attended shortly before meeting Bill Sackter back in 1972.

Lane Wyrick with Tara Jeno of Cedar House who was the sponsor of the St. Olaf Screening

A few miles north of Faribault Institution, where Bill spent 44 years of his life, the Northfield, MN audience was very receptive to this story of Bill's triumph. Lane Wyrick met many people who were from disability organizations around the state, and also spoke with two people that worked at the institution and remembered Bill. They also spoke of the appalling conditions and treatment of the people confined in the institution.

There was a large crowd that included many people with disabilities that enjoyed the screening

Wyrick spoke to the crowd for around 45 minutes after the screening. Much thanks goes to Tara Jeno of Cedar House, Pam Carlson of St. Olaf College, and the St. Olaf School of Social Work students who made this event possible.

"A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" was voted the #1 Audience Favorite at the 4th Annual Omaha Film Festival in Nebraska.

Lane Wyrick attended 3 days of this wonderful festival held in a real modern movie theater complex, The Great Escape Theater, and enjoyed interacting with the audiences at the two screenings, and an additional screening on Sunday after being voted the #1 Audience Favorite.

A wide variety of people of all ages attended the screenings, including several people with disabilities and their families. There were also representatives from Arc and other disability organizations in Nebraska who enjoyed the documentary and spoke with Wyrick extensively after the screenings.

Omaha Film Festival Directors Jason Levering, Marc Longbrake (Lane Wyrick) and Jeremy Decker

"A Friend Indeed" also received the highest audience rating on b-Side Entertainment, the festival's unofficial tally of audience interest. The Omaha Film Festival competition featured many great documentaries and feature films that were selected amongst hundreds of film entries.

"A Friend Indeed" screening at 10 a.m.
"Rain Man" 20th Anniversary Celebration at 2 p.m.

"A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story" was screened in the morning as part of a day-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Rain Man". Lane Wyrick was introduced by Kelly Rooney (Mickey Rooney's daughter) before the screening to a very enthusiastic crowd. After the screening Wyrick introduced special guests Barry & Bev Morrow, with Q&A in the state-of-the-art facility in the Salt Lake City Library Theater. The event was being videotaped in High Definition by Outpost Worldwide productions, and we hope to have some clips on the website in the near future.

Fran and Kim Peek, Barry Morrow, Stephen Carnegie, and Lane Wyrick at Salt Lake City Celebration

Barry was Bill Sackter's legal guardian, and after writing the screenplay for the made-for-tv movie "Bill" (1981) starring Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid, he went to Hollywood to pursue a screenwriting career. Barry met Kim Peek, the real life inspiration for Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man", and Barry went on to win an Academy Award for his screenplay "Rain Man" starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, which was based on the "mega-savant" Kim Peek, who was honored in the afternoon events.

At 2 p.m., the 20th anniversary celebration of "Rain Man" will begin, honoring Fran and Kim Peek. This is the first time that the Bill Sackter documentary and Rain Man has been celebrated together. The event was the concept of Stephen Carnegie of Salt Lake City who is also a savant who can draw near-photographic pictures at incredible speed and is developing children's books based on many of the presenters at this event.

Top: Lane Wyrick - Kim Peek, Barry Morrow, Fran Peek - Brad Smith, Barry Morrow, Stephen Carnegie
Middle: Nick Scott gets up out of his wheelchair - Barry Morrow
Bottom: Lane Wyrick, Kelly Rooney - Bev Morrow, Faith Ecklund - Stephen Carnegie, Lane Wyrick

Other people that performed included Nick Scott who was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident. He had trained his muscles so well as a bodybuilder that he was able to squeeze his abdominal muscles and get up and stand out of his wheelchair to the tune of "Lift Me Up" by Josh Grobin. And Faith Ecklund who after an accident and being confined to a wheelchair was told she would barely be able to speak, but now is an accomplished singer.

There were many other presenters, and when Kelly Rooney was onstage, she had a phone patch to Mickey Rooney who congratulated Barry Morrow on his accomplishments. Lane Wyrick introduced Barry, and then the event honored Kim Peek and his father Fran.

"A Friend Indeed" was screened at Wartburg College for students, faculty and visitors in the McCaskey Lyceum of Saemann Student Center. Lane Wyrick hosted a Q&A after the screening, for the enthusiastic crowd at this private Lutheran college in northern Iowa.

This screening is the initiative of four students pictured above, Jennifer Czachura, Rachel Kudobe, (Karris Golden - supervisor), Jolene Wierschke, and Kelsey Anderson, as a special college project to discover films about people with disabilities, and was sponsored by the endowed chair in ethics, the Education Dept., Social Work Dept., the student-run entertainment organization and the Wartburg Pathways Center.

The Arc's National Convention - Albuquerque, NM
Thursday November 6, 2008 - Previews at 3:30 session - Full Screening at 6 p.m.

Lane Wyrick gave a presentation on "A Friend Indeed" at The Arc's National Convention in Albuquerque for attendees representing chapters of The Arc across the nation.

Scenes from the movie were shown during the main plenary session, and Wyrick discussed the documentary and Bill's life at the event held at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

At 7 p.m. Wyrick screened the entire documentary to convention attendees, and also announced the kickoff of availability of the documentary for Arc chapters (and the rest of the public to purchase a Public Performance Site License and to have a Filmmaker Presentation of the documentary, allowing the documentary to be screened around the country.

The Arc was very important to Bill, and he made many appearances along with Barry Morrow at various functions to meet with people with disabilities in the last years of Bill's life. During this convention, there were two recipients of the national "Bill Sackter Award" awarded to people with disabilities that were able to make a difference and live productive lives. Bill's legacy lives on, and now people will know the real Bill!

The Arc is a national advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1950, The Arc includes over 140,000 members affiliated through more than 850 state and local chapters across the nation. More information at The Arc's Website

Citizen Advocates of Washington County- West Bend, Wisconsin
October 16, 2008 (7:00 p.m.)

Citizen Advocates of Washington County is a group based in West Bend, Wisconsin that works with their community to make "matches" between people with disabilities and other people or organizations in the community. Mark Brunner, President of CA, organized the screening for the annual meeting of their group which was held in the brand new West Bend Mutual facilities, who sponsored the event.

Wyrick screened "A Friend Indeed" to a very enthusiastic crowd that was three times larger than their usual annual meeting, and discussed the film afterwards with many of CA's sponsors, people with disabilities and their families, and members of the community that have been matches.

Wyrick and Brunner discussed having further screenings in early 2009 to generate interest in the community for people to become matches, and using the documentary as a way to communicate that message since the help Bill received by caring individuals changed his life in such a dramatic way.

"A Friend Indeed" had a successful screening run at the Englert Theater in Iowa City. Recently restored to its original beauty, the classic Englert theater drew in a new crowd of people in Bill's hometown, many of them new to the Bill story. Receiving a standing ovation on all three nights, Lane Wyrick hosted the Q&A session afterwards, along with Tom Walz. .

"A Friend Indeed" received a standing ovation at the Kansas International Film Festival at Glenwood Arts in Overland Park, Kansas and was voted the "#1 Audience Favorite", and received the Audience Trophy along with a one-week theatrical screening at the theater from Oct. 3-9. --- The theatrical screening was a great success, so "A Friend Indeed" was held over for a second week!

Kansas International Film Festival Director Brian Mossman and Lane Wyrick
shortly before the screening of "A Friend indeed - The Bill Sackter Story"

In its film festival debut, "A Friend Indeed" was the winner of "Best Documentary", "Best Iowa Film" and was voted the "#1 Audience Favorite" at the Hardacre Film Festival in Tipton, Iowa. Lane Wyrick was present in this competitive international film festival.

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.”

World Premiere - Hancher Auditorium - Iowa City
June 7, 2008 (7:30 p.m.)

A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story had its World Premiere at Iowa City's main entertainment venue Hancher Auditorium.

An enthusiastic crowd of 1175 people from all across the country came to see the first public screening of the final 90 minute production. The response was overwhelmingly positive and the documentary received a standing ovation.

In attendance were Academy Award Winning screenwriter Barry Morrow and his wife Bev, filmmaker Lane Wyrick, music composer Peter Bloesch, Jack Doepke, Tom Walz, Rabbi Jeff Portman, and many of the principle cast members and contributors. Following the screening, Lane Wyrick, Barry Morrow, Peter Bloesch and Jack Doepke hosted a panel discussion.

The reception, sponsored by the University of Iowa School of Social Work, followed in the lobby. Many people that knew Bill in person, as well as those that had no knowledge of Bill's story or the Mickey Rooney tv movie "Bill" all had a chance to mingle and discuss the film.

This great event, which is captured on video and will be posted in the "Videos and Photos" section of this site soon, was the last performance to be held at Hancher Auditorium. Three days after the screenings, the building was evacuated and within a week, the Floods of 2008 destroyed much of the building, causing $13 million worth of damage. We all wish for a speedy recovery of Hancher, as it is a wonderful place for all kinds of professional performances.