Phoenixville Man Releases Acclaimed Documentary: Report

BY BRIAN MIKSIS

A powerful new documentary film created by former Phoenixville resident, Brian Miksis, gives us a glimpse into the world of a young, vibrant Phoenixville teenager and his friends growing up in the 1980s. The film entitled “Life is Fair...” debuts on Dec. 29 at The Sellersville Theatre as the opening event for local band, The Mighty Manatees.

The film follows a young man, Jeffrey Jones, with his family and friends on a life changing journey through his battle with brain cancer. The journey’s outcome is a legacy powered by fundraising efforts and is still alive today in the form of an annual college scholarship, benefitting Phoenixville Area High School students.

The connection between the popular Philadelphia area based band, The Mighty Manatees, the film’s subject Jeff Jones and creator Brian Miksis may not seem obvious at first, but Miksis’s and Jones’s family members have been collaborating with The Mighty Manatees for years. In fact, the band was an instrumental part of the initial fundraising efforts to launch the scholarship in Jeff’s name, back in 1991. The band, along with other local musicians Living Earth and Jim Femino, provided the entertainment for a fundraising event in the summer of 1990, which is captured in the film. Now, 25 years later, Miksis, the Jones family and Manatees band leader Will Hodgson are coming together again to raise funds for this great cause. The evening is also a special one for Will and the band, as they celebrate 30 years as a local institution.

“It’s a great honor,” said Miksis, who will be on hand to introduce the film. “When Will invited me to do this, it just made perfect sense as we both have a lot to celebrate.”

The film features an interview with Hodgson as well as archival Manatees performances.

The concert and film screening event will take place at the Sellersville Theatre, in Sellersville, on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Doors open at 7 p.m. The event begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling the Sellersville Theater box office at 215-257-5808, or online at http://www.st94.com.

This is a fundraising event. Proceeds benefit The Jeffrey Allan Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund. Visit http://jajms.org for more information.

To find out more about Brian Miksis, visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0586688. To find out more about The Mighty Manatees, visit https://themightymanatees.com.