The Sax Man premieres at the 2014 New Jersey International Film Festival at Rutgers University on Saturday, June 7!

The Sax Man premieres at the 2014 New Jersey International Film Festival at Rutgers University on Saturday, June 7! 

Here is an interview I did with The Sax Man Producer Todd Bernak:

Nigrin: Your documentary film The Sax Man is the exhilarating story of Cleveland's beloved street musician, Maurice Reedus Jr., and his fall from the heights of acclaim to the humility of the street. Tell us a bit about your film and why you decided to make it.

Bernak: We came across this interesting character in wearing bright suits, swanky sunglasses, and playing a saxophone. Just the look of him made us decide that he would be an interesting person to do a story on. And so we approached him to learn more and see if he'd be willing to participate. During the process, we discovered that he had played to stadiums of tens of thousands back in the 70s and that his father was a Grammy Award winning sax player. We also discovered that since those days, he's made a place for himself as an iconic street musician and has become a meaningful part of people's experience of life in the city.  We hope that this film reminds us all to follow our dreams and realize how truly interconnected and important we all are to each other.  We hope it reminds us that everyone has a story and that everyone makes their own contribution to the larger Story, the Story of which we are all a part. 

Nigrin: How long did it take you to complete the film and what has been viewers reaction to it so far?

Bernak: It took us about a year to write and prepare for production, then just over a year and a half to complete production, and just over 6 months to finish editing. At this point, we've had incredible responses from audiences. Every screening we get laughter, tears, gasps, and applause.  I can't think of a more satisfying reaction than what we've had so far, and I'm excited to share the film with many more audiences to come!

Nigrin: Where there any memorable stories in getting the film finished or any other info about your film you can pass on to us?

Bernak: One of most memorable stories was the very first day of production in the middle of winter. Everyone was all geared up and excited to get things started, but one thing was missing...The Sax Man. Admittedly, he's not the best at keeping his schedule organized and we learned that lesson the hard way when we spent the first hour of our initial production day looking for him on the frigid streets. After almost giving up, our sound guy decided to turn on his shotgun mic and point it off in some random direction, when he said, "Hey guys...I think I hear a saxophone..." So we had him chase the sound until we finally caught the Sax Man right before he got on the RTA to go to some other appointment. I stopped him just in time and was like..."Hey Maurice! You forget something?" His response was, "Oh, that was today? Oh ok, let's go." From then on we made sure that someone picked him up and brought him to production.

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Three wonderful short films will be screened prior to The Sax Man on Saturday, June 7 at the New Jersey International Film Festival.  Here is more info about this screening:

The Innovator – Sean McCarthy (San Jose, California)
In this animated short, a boy with special powers pays a visit to No Creativity Park, the land imagination forgot. 2014; 2 min.

Moving Out – Sean McCarthy (San Jose, California)
A young woman stuck in her own head recalls her failed romances while a mysterious new friend helps lead her to the one that will capture her heart. 2013; 5 min.

The Sound – Sacha Iskra (New York, New York)
In this innovative short film, a man experiences his world primarily through the sounds of New York City. When he makes a critical decision to protect the woman he loves, the urban soundscape turns from a musical score into an indictment of his choices. 2014; 14 min. With an introduction and Q+A session by Director Sacha Iskra!

The Sax Man – Joe Siebert (Willowick, Ohio)
The exhilarating story of Cleveland's beloved street musician, Maurice Reedus Jr., and his fall from the heights of acclaim to the humility of the street.  When he receives a surprise opportunity to reunite with his old band and to take to the stage, the man known only as The Sax Man to all those who heard his saxophone wail on the street corner, gets one more shot to show not just the audience, but more importantly himself, who he really is... 2014; 84 min.

Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University,
71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey
$10=General; $9=Students+Seniors; $8=Rutgers Film Co-op Friends
Information: (848) 932-8482; www.njfilmfest.com

Free Food courtesy of Jimmy Johns will be given out prior to this screening of the New Jersey International Film Festival!