Art From The Heart

Wolfgang Busch, Marjorie Hill, and Sonya Lockett gather to commemorate World AIDS Day 2007

2007-12-05T03:17:00.000-08:00

Organizers of the Fifth Annual New York AIDS Film Festival held a special Red Ball fundraiser and awards event on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2007. The event honored the agency Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC), the fashion design house Heatherette (for their collection at LIFE BALL 07), Miss Universe Riyo Mori (whose platform is AIDS), and Black Enterntainment Television (BET). Before the festivities got under way, Wolfgang Busch, director of the documentary How Do I Look, stood with GMHC's Chief Executive Officer Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., for a photograph.

Accepting the recognition bestowed upon BET by the New York AIDS Film Festival was Sonya Lockett, vice president for Public Affairs.

"A True Lesson In Humanity" - the second feature length documentary by Wolfgang Busch

2007-11-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

According to a Jan. 25, 2007, post on the Winter Guard International website, a historical event took place at the 80th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2006. During the parade, a nation-wide audience of parade watchers were witness to a special performance by the Special Needs Color Guard of America. And there to capture footage of this ground-breaking event was the acclaimed director, Wolfgang Busch.

This past November, the Special Needs Color Guard of America (f/k/a the Florida Special Needs Color Guard) was invited to perform in the 80th Anniversary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It was the first time in history that a group of developmentally disabled young adults have ever been invited to participate in this American tradition! While performing in NYC, well-known producer and director, Wolfgang Busch was impressed with the dynamics of the group. He is now coordinating a documentary on the many achievements and exceptional participants of this guard. There is no doubt a documentary will help continue this color guard's message to the world of "bridging the gap."

Following the performance during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mr. Busch spent the remainder of 2006 and most of 2007 collaborating with the Special Needs Color Guard of America and their sponsors to create the second feature length documentary for Art From The Heart Films. The DVD of this inspiring documentary, A True Lesson In Humanity, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com.

To learn more about A True Lesson In Humanity, please visit the Official website for the Special Needs Color Guard of America.

Gay Theme Films at the 15th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival

2007-11-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

HarlemOneStop.org has published a short-list of gay-themed films to be screened at this year’s African Diaspora Film Festival. Included is How Do I Look.

How Do I Look is an award-winning documentary about the Harlem “Ball” community. This documentary feature, directed by Wolfgang Busch, has been previously screened at many Gay and Lesbian film festivals around the world, most recently at Lisboa 11 in Lisbon, Portugal. Recently, How Do I Look has begun to be picked up by “straight” film festivals. In September 2007, the 10th Anniversary Africa in the Picture Film Festival in Amsterdam featured How Do I Look. Now, to coincide with World AIDS Day on December 1, Art From The Heart Films is proud to announce that How Do I Look will be screened at the 15th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival.

With this showing at the African Diaspora Film Festival, How Do I Look will further demonstrate its growing cross-over appeal to “straight” audiences.

HarlemOneStop.org presents information on leisure-time events and attractions—historical tours, music, dance, theatre, fairs, festivals, outdoor activities, dining, shopping and more—for the Upper Manhattan area (Central Harlem, El Barrio, Manhattanville, Morningside Heights, Washington Heights/Inwood, and West Harlem/Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill). HarlemOneStop.org is a cultural tourism initiative of the Hamilton Heights West Harlem Community Preservation Organization (CPO). It is funded by The Cultural Tourism Initiative, a project of The Arts & Business Council Inc., and The New York State Council on the Arts.

Profile of filmmaker Wolfgang Busch by Sun-Sentinel Newspaper

2007-11-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker caught off guard and finds the bigger picture

By Sherri Winston
Lifestyle Columnist
October 24, 2007

Wolfgang Busch dedicated 10 years of his life to completing his first documentary, How Do I Look. But his latest project, which he completed in a year, could become the calling to which he'll dedicate the rest of his life.

The debut of his new "baby" received all-due fanfare. At least 300 guests filled the Tamarac Community Center on Saturday for the premiere and to pay tribute on the documentary's stars.

A True Lesson In Humanity shows the behind-the-scenes life, vitality and hope of a spunky group of young people with an assortment of physical and mental challenges. The Special Needs Color Guard of America, a division of the Florida Special Arts Center, made headlines last year when they needed to raise nearly $50,000 in a short amount of time in order to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Busch met the South Florida group and their indefatigable leader, Ellen Kleinert-Cohn, when they traveled north for the parade.

"The first thing I remember about meeting them," says Busch, "was their spirituality, their energy. I'm big into that so that was important to me."

Busch and Kleinert-Cohn hooked up after a succession of friends, including best-selling true-crime author Aphrodite Jones, led them to each other. Kleinert-Cohn had been overwhelmed by the progress her group had made from in its inception eight years ago to performing on a national stage. She'd sought someone who might donate their time to document the experiences of her amazing group.

"I'm a person who believes everything happens for a reason. I believe Wolf came into our lives and we had this connection and it was wonderful. It happened for a reason."

And perhaps that reason was to help Busch, a native of Germany, realize his true calling. Now the filmmaker wants to become the next executive director of the Florida Special Arts Center.

Busch says he grew up with a cousin who had a disability. He was drawn to the Special Needs Color Guard because their story can "raise awareness about people with disabilities," by showing how young people who'd been overlooked stood up and proved they were bigger than their physical and mental challenges.

"I followed them around [New York] for the whole week, filming them at practice, going everywhere with them," Busch says. Now he's planning to show the DVD at festivals and other screenings. He adds that the $20 cost of the DVD will be used as a fundraiser for upcoming color guard activities. "So it all goes directly back to the kids," he says.

The behind-the-scenes look is engaging. Young people push past the odds by twirling props, following formations and proving they not only follow the beat of their own drummers, but they can keep the beat with the masses, too.

All of which has inspired Busch to envision future projects with participants working as production assistants or helping with other creative tasks when he becomes executive director.

Which leads us back to Saturday night. The excitement was palpable, and that's not just fancy talk. You could really feel the energy, the aliveness of the event.

My eyes scan the faces of participants, parents and friends. Everyone here is so accepting, and the focus this night is to extend the acceptance beyond this room.

Kleinert-Cohn opened the evening saying, "Our goal is to bridge the gap between the general and special populations.

"That's why this DVD is so important. That's why the work that Wolfie did is so important. It shows people that these are capable kids."

Busch adds: "It shows what these kids can do if you just give them a chance."

"How Do I Look" Directed by Wolfgang Busch

2007-11-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a slideshow of selected photographs of the dancers and artists featured in, and the director of, How Do I Look.