ALTON – The organizers of Rock the Hops are partnering with the St. Louis International Film Festival to bring yet another promising documentary screening to Alton.
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Following the screening of Bing Liu's “Minding the Gap” at the Post Commons, Drew and Hope Mader were contacted by representatives of the St. Louis International Film Festival to host another screening – this time at Old Bakery Beer Company. This move makes Alton officially a part of the larger footprint of that festival. This time, the movie shown will be a St. Louis-produced film called “Dirty Laundry.”
“We are so honored to have been a part of getting Alton on Cinema St Louis's radar, and we're thrilled that they have chosen Alton to be a part of the official St. Louis International Film Festival footprint,” Hope Mader said in a Facebook message. “This is a big deal. Alton has some great elements in place that can help elevate our town to a film destination, and being included in this festival brings us one step closer. It's another great component to add to the arts and entertainment scene here in town. [It's] something different and new, which is what Drew and I are all about. These sort of unique events will continue to steer Alton in the direction of being a tourist destination.”
Outside of being produced in St. Louis, the film has local ties to the area and was produced by local law firm owner, John Simmons, who is listed as its executive producer. It is centered around the use of asbestos in America and its need to be discontinued. Featured in the film is exposure of asbestos to people across the nation, including at Shell Oil Company where the main focus of the family begins.
The film follows two cousins bicycling across the country after their grandmother's surprising death from a rare form of cancer, the release stated. They went across the nation looking for answers and “uncover a trail of corporate disinterest and broken families, bound together by a common thread – asbestos exposure and the death sentence of mesothelioma.”
“It's just one of those things that's right under everyone's nose – literally, and it's important to bring awareness to and to join in the fight to ban the use of asbestos products in America,” Drew Mader said.
“Many people are unaware of the dangers of asbestos,” Hope Mader said. “This documentary sheds some light on that. With much of the film centering around Shell Oil, it really hits home for many of us here in the Riverbend, myself included. My dad was an insulator at Shell, and in my former career, I had to undergo training to identify potential asbestos-containing products.”
The screening is free and open to the public, and will take place at Old Bakery on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. It is directed by St. Louis Director Conor B. Lewis with an Altonian, Zack Johnson, as the assistant director.
Johnson said the film is deeply connected to family, adding Simmons is not only the executive producer, but he is also family, adding he is an uncle to Johnson and Lewis and is a grandson of the film's main character, Iva Lewis.
"He helped us make this film, because he cared about her as much as we did and he cares about the issues as much as we do," Johnson said in an email.
Seating is limited, and people can RSVP at https://bit.ly/2xY74Vw
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