Documentary filmmaker Chris Szewdo will be present at the Strand Theatre in Old Forge on Friday and Saturday, August 22 and 23 for special screenings of his award-winning documentary film, Eye on the 60s: The Iconic Photography of Rowland Scherman.
The film follows Scherman, a noted LIFE magazine photographer, as he recalls events and revisits sites that made the 1960s a remarkable era of American history.
Szwedo’s 88-minute film gives viewers a glimpse of the opportunities afforded the photographer, who at an early age, became the first Peace Corps photographer and the official photographer at the August 28, 1963 March on Washington.
Scherman was ever-present in the 60s music scene, documenting Bob Dylan’s 1965 performance at the Newport Folk Festival, the first American concert of The Beatles, as well as singers Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell and the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival for LIFE magazine.
Throughout the decade he also photographed political figures, including Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and a host of celebrities.
Szewdo, who has had a lifelong fascination with cameras, first met Scherman in August 2011 when he randomly visited an Orleans, MA gallery where the photographer’s work was on exhibition.
After being introduced to Scherman, he knew he wanted to make a film about him and his journeys.
“As a child of the 1960’s whose life was shaped by the decade, I was instantly motivated to make a film about the free-spirited Scherman who had a remarkable access to a wide range of celebrities and events of the era,” he said.
The totally independent project began amazingly quickly in September 2011 with the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps in Washington, DC.
Remaining footage was shot in Newport, RI, Boston, MA, Bethel, NY (the site of the Woodstock Festival), New York City, Berkeley, CA, Santa Fe, NM and Outer Cape Cod.
The film was released in 2013 with critical acclaim.
It was an official selection at the 2013 Sidewalk and Edindocs Film Festivals, and also at the Fairhope Film Festival where it was the winner in the Best Documentary category.
Eye on the 60s will play at the Strand from August 22 to 28, with Szwedo available on August 22 and 23 at the 4 and 7 p.m. screenings to introduce and discuss the film and the life of Rowland Scherman.
To view an extended trailer of the film, go to: Vimeo.com/ondemand/eyeonthe60s/66046480.