Director: Richard Kane Producers: Richard Kane, Melody Lewis-Kane
Description:
What defines a great American? For artist/activist Robert Shetterly, it's a citizen who courageously confronts issues of social, environmental and economic fairness. Shetterly has painted 270 portraits of such Americans, past and present, with a quote inscribed into the dark background. These "Americans Who Tell the Truth" have been exhibited throughout the United States for almost two decades. This is both a story of Shetterly's art and activism and a history lesson in what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. In bringing Shetterly's message to a wide audience, the filmmakers aim to spark a national conversation on truth telling.
Biography:
Richard Kane is an independent director whose work is focused on the intersection of art and contemporary American life. Previous film releases include, J. Fred Woell: An American Vision, I Know a Man ... Ashley Bryan, Imber’s Left Hand, and 15 others, all part of the Maine Masters collection, a New England Emmy-nominated series of portraits that airs on public television. With partner Melody Lewis-Kane, their company, Kane-Lewis Productions, has worked for National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the White House Office of Technology Policy among many others. Kane-Lewis produced the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s 50th anniversary film Protecting the Nature of Maine and Rock Solid: The Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium and the classic award-winning documentary M.C. Richards: The Fire Within.From 2007-2016 Richard served as chair of the Maine Film & Video Association.
Melody Lewis-Kane is a potter, arts educator and filmmaker and is the primary consultant on all arts and education films produced by Kane-Lewis Productions.For Imber’s Left Hand Melody’s role was co-producer, interviewing several subjects and participating in all editing reviews. She was the producer of the M.C. Richards: The Fire Within and produced a series of arts–in-education teacher training films for the John F. Kennedy Center Education Department.Melody produced and co-wrote Arts & History: Storytelling funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Kennedy Center Education Department.
