Landmark Film Called "Uncle Chaim" to Hit Stores
Multi-Racial and Religiously Diverse Groups Unite with the Ultra-Orthodox to Rid Stigma of Mental Retardation and Illness
(PRWEB) June 2, 2005 -- A family secret. Faint memories...of another. One
left in the shadows and locked in the past. Abandoned. Once loved, now lost to
the anonymous and impersonal halls of a private hospital, denying all dignity to
the gentle, middle-aged resident, Uncle Chaim, a scuba mask perched precariously
on his face...wishing to be liked, wishing to come home...
This is a
story of embarrassment, recrimination, reconciliation and tolerance in the world
of the Ultra-Orthodox, where the stigma of mental illness still hangs as a thick
fog, as is the case in cultures world over, causing family and community to be
blind to the gifts before them.
This story is what brought an ethnically
and religiously diverse group together for this labor of love. Mark Bellows, the
nephew of the late Nobel Laureate novelist, Saul Bellows. Tevo Diaz, an
award-winning Catholic cinematographer from Chile. Sound man Rick Mowat, who has
worked with Woody Allen. Adrian Lovell, a gifted Caribbean-American editor. Dan
Ferron, an Irish makeup artist. Dominic Pesce, an Italian-American composer.
Healthcare professionals, African-Americans, Italians, Latinos, Catholics,
Protestants, Muslims, a Rabbi with a production company, and a Hasidic man with
a mission. That mission - to break down the walls of the stigma of mental
retardation and mental illness.
With such a fabulously diverse and
devoted cast and crew, it's no wonder that the film's universal message about
love and acceptance strikes a profound chord with audiences of all religions and
nationalities.
This is a story of two brothers from an Ultra Orthodox
community. The younger one Abie, healthy and normal, struggling to maintain the
illusion of a traditional family; the older, Chaim, mentally challenged -
shunned, and shut away in an institution by his embarrassed family, even kept
secret from Abie's young son. Trouble begins when Chaim pleads with his brother
to come home for a special gathering. Will Abie continue to ostracize his
brother out of shame? Only through a series of startling events would Abie
realize that his differently abled brother's love, charity - even piety - are
greater than his own.
Now available on DVD and VHS through SISU Home
Entertainment, Inc in all music (such as Tower Records), internet and Judaica
stores or visit www.UNCLECHAIM.com. To order, contact SISU Home Entertainment,
Inc at 212-947-7888. Available for the educational market as well.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb244721.htm