How did a man’s passion for cooking lead to healing and redemption?
This is the focus of a documentary called Mikey, produced by three Carleton students. Mike is a recovering alcoholic who works at Krackers Katering, a local social enterprise that hires people with barriers to employment, such as alcoholism, mental illness, or disabilities.
The students shot this piece as part of a graduate journalism course on video documentary film-making.
Says grad student Emma Loop: “We first discovered Krackers Katering, the company for which Mike works, and thought that their business mandate was very interesting. All three of us also have a strong research interest in mental illness. Then, once we met Mike, we were fascinated by his life’s story and happy to see that he was willing to relate his experiences to us.”
Adds grad student Maya Hamovitch: “By working in a leadership position at Krackers Katerings, Mike was able to combine something he loves — cooking — with responsibilities that keep him focused throughout the day. As he says in the film, this helps him avoid situations where he might be tempted to drink more. It’s also an important part of his overall routine, which he says is vital to controlling his alcoholism.”
Undergraduate student Jessica Wong says it was great to work with the two grad students. “Each of us took the lead on a different role (director, producer, editor) but it truly was a group effort with each person bringing their strengths to this collaboration. We all approached this project with excitement and determination, and learned a lot in the process. It was a fantastic experience!”
The students said they didn’t realize how emotionally taxing shooting the film would be. “We expected long hours, but not the feelings associated with invading a subject’s life for a week. There was a sense of intimacy that we had to invade in order to accurately capture Mike’s story. When you enter someone’s home, work, and relationships, it can be both very rewarding and heavy at times.”
Loop and Hamovitch said that this experience bodes well for future employment. “Journalism is evolving to the point that the distinction between print and broadcast journalists is eroding, so no matter where we end up working after school, we will most likely put all our skills to good use.” Hamovitch has already landed a job she will begin after graduation at a national news broadcaster, and Loop is now working on a video documentary about the city of Detroit for her master’s research project.
Mikey will be screened on January 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 2200, River Building.
At the same time, you can see two other video docs from Michael Ostroff’s class. Life by the Hands is the story of Christen Bennett, a young mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer just days after giving birth to her son, and her journey to regain her confidence after a mastectomy; and Justice for Deepan is about a Canadian-born man with a troubled past who faces deportation and fights to win his citizenship back.
You can find more details or register for the event online by clicking here.
Monday, January 13, 2014 in Grad Student Research, News
Share: Twitter, Facebook
