Two half hour documentaries by Elizabeth Sher and Maggie Simpson Adams
In a celebration of art-making and aging, local filmmakers Elizabeth Sher and Maggie Simpson Adams profile the lives and success of two East Bay inspirations in “Edith and Weezie: Age is Just a Number”. Through these two short documentaries, Sher and Adams provide insight into what is possible when we cast aside life’s hurdles to make room for our futures.
Each film is twenty minutes long with Q&A following.
Edith Hillinger: Collaging Cultures a film by Elizabeth Sher tells the story of Berkeley artist Hillinger’s life beginning in Berlin, escaping to Turkey with her parents when the Nazis came to power, emigrating to Canada, then to New York City and finally landing in Berkeley, CA. Her artwork in collage is inspired by the Arabic patterns and colors of her childhood. Her lifelong interest in botany, led to work in watercolors where she examines the smallest aspects of petals and leaves to “make the insignificant significant.” Lame since polio struck her as an infant, now in her ninth decade, she continues to live a full life of travel, friends and, of course, always art.
Weezie Mott: Still Cookin’ a film by Elizabeth Sher and Alameda resident Maggie Simpson Adams, profiles beloved Alameda hero Weezie Mott. The film covers Weezie’s upbringing in Colorado, to joining the Navy as a nurse in WWII, to living with her naval attaché husband Howard, in Turkey and Italy. Weezie finally landed in “this pretty, pretty island of Alameda” where she founded her cooking school. Now in her 10th decade, she continues to run Weezie Mott’s Cooking School from her home. Weezie Mott: Still Cookin’ is the third collaboration between Sher and Simpson Adams.
ARTIST BIOS
Elizabeth Sher is a longtime Bay Area filmmaker and Professor Emerita from California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC) where she taught art and media arts for more than 3 decades. Her films have been honored at festivals nationally and internationally, and have aired on public television and cable. Her art is represented by Mercury Twenty Gallery in Oakland. More information at www.ivstudios.com
Maggie Simpson Adams is a filmmaker and installation artist. Her films have screened at festivals nationally and aired on public television. She also teaches computer science and media arts at Mission High School in San Francisco. More information on Facebook at Rituals of Remembrance Movie.