Freeheld 2007
Previous FilmsFREEHELD is a dramatic short documentary about Laurel Hester, a homosexual police officer. Hester protected the citizens of Ocean County, New Jersey for 25 years but is forced to stop working after she is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She wants to give her pension to her life-partner Stacie, but is denied this right by her elected officials – the Ocean County Freeholders. The documentary follows Hester until the very end as she battles with both cancer and justice as she fights to leave her pension with Stacie.
The Filmmakers
Cynthia Wade, Director
Cynthia Wade directed and shot the five-time award-winning HBO documentary SHELTER DOGS, which was broadcast in seven countries. She directed and edited the award-winning 1999 Cinemax documentary GRIST FOR THE MILL, which was called “a jewel… extremely comical” (Variety) and “excellent… a delight” (The Hollywood Reporter). Wade was co-producer/cinematographer for the 1998 PBS documentary TAKEN IN: THE LIVES OF AMERICA’S FOSTER CHILDREN, which won a prestigious duPont Columbia Award for Excellence in Journalism. Wade has been Director of Photography for PBS, HBO/Cinemax, A&E, Discovery, The History Channel, MTV, AMC, Oxygen, and TNT. She has made dozens of films for corporate and nonprofit clients, including Intel, the National Guard, and Job Corps. She teaches advanced cinematography at the New School. She holds a BA cum laude from Smith College and an MA in Documentary Film Production from Stanford University.
Vanessa Roth, Producer
Vanessa Roth produced and directed the 2007 award-winning documentary THE THIRD MONDAY IN OCTOBER, and co-produced and co-directed the award-winning 2004 PBS documentary AGING OUT, which is the center of a multi- million-dollar national foster care outreach campaign sponsored by the Annie Casey Foundation. Roth produced and directed the 2002 award-winning film CLOSE TO HOME, which premiered at Sundance and aired as a prime-time special on the Discovery Health Channel. Her 1998 PBS film TAKEN IN: THE LIVES OF AMERICA’S FOSTER CHILDREN won the coveted duPont Columbia award. Ms. Roth recently produced and directed the A&E special 9/11’S TOXIC DUST and is now working with Dave Eggers on a feature documentary about teachers.
Matthew Syrett, Producer
Matthew Syrett has co-produced and marketed three of Wade’s films. He is a known strategist and producer specializing in interactive and video media. He has worked as Vice President Grey Interactive and the LinkShare corporation helping some the largest companies in the world market their products. He is a well-regarded author on media strategy, having written articles published by MarketingProfs.com, CRM Today, and Belisaurius.com. Syrett holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA in Anthropology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.