​The Filmmaker

Having spent the past few months back among the Harand family, I have found that more than ever, it is the time to do a film about these people and this place.

 

For me, it is profoundly moving that after all these years, they have taken me back into their lives and their hearts so completely and unconditionally. I thought that they would never grant me permission make this film since they had turned out so many more famous filmmakers. But true to form, the Harand family has once again placed their trust and belief in me and my talent just as they had when I was a child. Once again they have given me a belief in myself to make this film.

 

I believe that this film will have an appeal for any audience: anyone who likes kids, has kids, or is a kid, anyone who loves the American songbook, anyone who has found a place like this, and anyone who is searching for a place like this.

 

The children are extraordinary. And seeing the children performing Gershwin or Berlin is just priceless.

 

I believe that using musical theater numbers as a vehicle to tell the true story of the lives of these incredible sisters is unique to documentary film.

 

 

 

What drove me forward was the absolute conviction that I needed to make this film; that in some way, all of my work experience and artistic sensibility has led me to this moment in my life and career.

Cheryl Ross Mitchell