On the 86th Academy Awards' Oscar shortlist,
the Jason Cohen film, Facing Fear,
is a documentary short that runs the gamut of human experience
from hate and suffering to forgiveness and redemption.
December 28, 2013 5:00 pm US/Pacific
Facing Fear a Jason Cohen Film.
Special Screening held at the Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles, CA -
Jason Cohen's film, Facing Fear, is a provocative look at what can transpire when hatred and violence meet honesty and forgiveness.
On the surface, Cohen's Facing Fear is an absolutely powerful, educational tool. His combination of storytelling, beautifully shot photography, and gentle presentation of
the principals' first-hand experiences, makes the film a great source for teaching lessons of life, understanding and the power of change. But, the film's staying power does not
solely lie there.
It is a film that becomes ever more intriguing and holds within it a fascination: How is it possible that over the course of time and space two people on opposite sides of a violent event would
find themselves in a forced confrontation of the same subject matter? Here, Cohen delivers.
From start to finish, Facing Fear is riveting. Director Cohen brilliantly brings the viewer current to where the principals are now by utilizing a one-on-one/back-and-forth conversation by both
Tim Zaal and Matthew Boger. With frankness, they openly, yet delicately, share their painful pasts that ultimately brought them face-to-face by a violent act. One as perpetrator. The other as victim. Then, only after the harsh truth of the past is laid out to the viewer, does
Jason Cohen bring the dynamic of Matthew and Tim to present day.
The film seems to draw to a close without an ending and it is just as well that it does. The stories told in this documentary short are still evolving, changing and growing; and, in some way, the open ending reflects
the adage that the stuff of life is truly ever-changing.
Facing Fear is a definite must-see. Having won numerous awards from Outfest to Arclight to Dos NYC and more,
it is now on the
86th Academy Awards Oscar Shortlist for documentary short! And for good reason; for, in the span of
less than half an hour, painful memories are told and lives are exposed to be better understood as the viewer is engaged and becomes eager to learn the answer to the question: "How!?!" How, from such hate, pain, and ugliness, could the power of
forgiveness create a never-ending story?
The Museum of Tolerance held a special screening of Facing Fear on December 10th. In attendance were Director Jason Cohen and the principals, Tim Zaal and Matthew Boger. There was a fantastic Q&A held and The "IN" Show
was granted the opportunity to interview Mr. Cohen with Mr. Zaal.
You can learn more about Facing Fear online at FacingFearMovie.com. You can also like them on facebook here and
follow them on twitter here. If you find you can
make it to the Irvine Film Festival, you should definitely try to catch the film there.
Film: FACING FEAR | Documentary Short
Directed by: Jason Cohen Written by: Jason Cohen Producers: Jason Cohen, T.M. Christopher Director of Photography: Svetlana Cvetko Editor: T.M. Christopher Original Music Composed by: David Kesler Total Running Time: 23 minutes
PR: TCDM-ASSOCIATES
Q&A
Photographs taken by The "IN" Show.
Gus Summers is the Host and Broadcast Producer for The "IN Show, an entertaining broadcast that covers all things exciting and enlightening.
When Gus isn't busy covering current events and interesting people, you'll see him out and about enjoying all that the City of Angels has to offer.
For any questions, comments, or program ideas, he can be reached at gus@theinshow.com.
