As I head down the road towards the end of the tunnel for production of IMPACT-Jewish Boxers in America, I'm amazed at all of the fantastic people I've met along this journey. My eye injury, a detached retina while preparing for the initial shooting of the film has been remedied and my eyesight is back to practically normal stages. Ironically, it is an injury that is very similar to what most boxers get after been being battered in the head time and time again. I've certainly lived this part to it's fullest but have achieved a project that I feel confident will get some attention in the festivals and through religious schools and temples. The men I've met while shooting this film are rug-id warriors with heart. Something they all have in common that rings true in all of them. These men have a silent understanding before going into battle that consists of extreme focused concentration and determined excellence at being the best they can be in their sport. But what has also been something true that I've noticed is their warmth and sincerity. The Ed Gersh's and Ron Lipton's have incredible stories that make you understand what personnel struggles they have gone through individually. I commend them all. My crew was second to none and thanks must go out to Chip King, Seymour Stewart and Robert King, Jr. for all of their support in the field while shooting IMPACT. The replication of the film has been made and we will begin distributing copies to a select group for inclusion into festivals and award ceremonies hoping to find a descent home for this project. As usual, the help of Kurt Hoss and the many composers that contributed to the project include Yaron Gershovsky and Romulous from 2ACCESS in Canada all giving their best to underscore this project with melodies that ring true in tough and at times tragic lives. Thanks again to Cletus Seldin and Ed Gersh, Dmitriy Salita and Ron Lipton. A special thanks to author Douglas Century who bound these stories together through his narration and oral histories of Barney Ross and Benny Leonard. We are bound to the stories of warriors who find time at the end of the day to offer up a bit more heart than many a man would think about in a soldiers story. Each of them all I owe a tremendous amount of appreciation and thanks for allowing me to be their fly on the wall. It was an experience I shall never forget.
JFN
