A new local documentary, COVENTRY PEACE PARK: A NEW BEGINNING, premieres exclusively on PBS Western Reserve on Friday, Dec. 12, at 8:30 PM. The film tells the story of a Cleveland Heights playground from its development and construction by a team of volunteers in the early ‘90s to the present day, where it stands newly revitalized.
Kara White of Hemlock Films is the co-producer/director of the film. She is an Emmy-winning filmmaker who has received awards for Writing, Best Documentary, and Technical Achievement, along with multiple film festival awards. Her earlier films — available to stream now with a subscription to PBS Western Reserve Passport — include SPACE CHASE USA, RISE ABOVE: TUSKEGEE AIRMEN and BEYOND THE POWDER.
Q&A
Q: “PEACE” in Coventry PEACE Park is an acronym that gets to the heart of the story. What does it stand for?
A: People Enhancing a Child's Environment. The volunteers who built the original park in the ‘90s came up with it.
Q: What initially interested you in telling this story?
A: I wanted to work with Building Heights, a non-profit organization, and their program that teaches high school students how to make documentary. Nancy Levin from the Cleveland Heights Public Library had this idea and presented it to them. I really like the community and volunteer aspect of the story to make their neighborhood a better space for everyone.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you during the making of the film?
A: Just the experience that the original builders of the park, who were all volunteers, went through to get it built in a wet and muddy weekend.
Q: The film begins with a frame that says, “Heights Middle School Shorts Presents.” How did the footage from the ‘90s come to you? Was it really from a middle school video project?
A: The footage from the ‘90s was filmed by Chris Hagen. He decided he was going to film the whole process and put together a documentary about it. Heights Middle School Shorts is the name of the Building Heights program to teach kids how to be filmmakers. Chris allowed us to use his footage for our film.
Q: There were over 400 people involved in the original building process. How many people did you talk to for the making of the film, and how did you go about selecting your interviews?
A: I believe we interviewed around a dozen people. We started with our first contact, Jack Valancy who is on the board with the libarary and was one of the original builders. So he provided us a list of people he thought would provide the best insight and stories of building the park. So we contacted as many of those people as we could.
Q: Early in the documentary, one of the organizers talks about driving by the park all these years with a sense of pride. Beyond the value of public spaces, one of the main messages of the film is about our ability to foster belonging through collective action. What do you hope viewers who may not live near the park will take away from the documentary?
A: That they can affect change in their own neighborhoods. It is possible for people to come together and accomplish a common goal to make their neighborhoods a better space to live.
Q: Your film BEYOND THE POWDER tells the story of the first Women’s Air Derby. You also contributed to the making of another recent PBS Western Reserve documentary, ICON IN THE SKY: 100 YEARS OF THE GOODYEAR BLIMP. What draws you to the stories of the sky? Do you have a personal connection to flight or to pilots? What makes filming in the air uniquely challenging or uniquely rewarding?
A: I have a passion for telling stories about the people that made a mark on aviation history. There are so many stories of strength, bravery and tenacity within the stories from aviation and its history that I love to tell.
My Grandpa was a WWII airman who flew in the Pacific in B-24 bombers as a tail gunner. He would share his stories and photos and I fell in love with them, so he shaped who I was and showed me what I wanted to do with my future.
Over the years of filming aviation-related documentaries, I have met some wonderful people and get to share the stories that have been forgotten. Especially the stories of women in aviation, like the Women Airforce Service Pilots from WWII and the first women air racers in 1929, that are truly inspiring. I love the idea that if I can reach even one person and it resonates with them, then it's worth it. Filming in the air is a challenge. My producing partner and Director of Photography, Adam White, is a pilot and he handles coordinating the air-to-air filming with all the pilots involved.
Q: You've traveled all over the country for the making of your films. Why is Northeast Ohio still home base for Hemlock Films? Do you find the region rich in material for storytelling?
A: Adam and I are from Ohio, so we love it here. There are so many stories in Northeast Ohio, including a lot of aviation-related ones. Cleveland used to be the center of the world for aviation, so there is a lot to tell in that regard. Not to mention all the other history that is here.
Q: Why do you choose public media to distribute your work?
A:We believe in public media and its rich storytelling — that it can reach the most amount of people in the country above any other network. And we want the stories we are telling to be heard by as many people as possible. It's really the best platform to be held up with all the other programing PBS provides.
Q: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to share about COVENTRY PEACE PARK?
A:The story of the people who built the PEACE park is incredible. The amount of work and dedication that went into providing a fun, safe space for their community is just inspiring.
