July 31, 2019
Kristina Smith
Marketing Committee chairman
American Presidents Film & Literary Festival
Fremont, OH 43420
800-998-7737, ext. 217
ksmith@rbhayes.org

 

A short film on Nixon’s interaction with war protestors to be shown at film festival

FREMONT, Ohio – A film about President Richard Nixon’s strange interaction with war protesters on a 1970 night will be shown this fall at the American Presidents Film & Literary Festival.

“Nixon’s Coming,” directed by Scott Calonico, is one of the short films that will be featured at the festival Friday, Oct. 4 – Sunday, Oct. 6, at various locations in Fremont.

A schedule of showtimes and tickets will be available at americanpresidentsfilmfestival.org.

“Nixon’s Coming” examines a bizarre moment in Nixon’s presidency that took place on May 8, 1970.

Days after the Ohio National Guard killed four college students at Kent State University – and less than two weeks after the invasion of Cambodia began – the president took an impromptu, late-night walk to the Lincoln Memorial with Manolo Sanchez, a White House valet.

Nixon stumbled across dozens of student protesters at the site, with whom he engaged in a strange, rambling debate. This documentary is largely based on the never-before-published photos of a protester, Bob Moustaskas, and memos recorded by Nixon later that day.

            This film will be shown during the short film block throughout the weekend at The Strand Concert Theater in downtown Fremont. The block will include five other short films with run times ranging from 7 and a half minutes to 28 minutes.

            Each of the films selected for this festival has some connection to the American presidency and touch in some way, directly or loosely, on the themes of people, places, politics and power.

            Awards will be given for the best feature-length film, best short film, best production, and people’s choice. Attendees can vote for their favorite film through the people’s choice contest. Ballot boxes will be located at each theater.

The American Presidents Film & Literary Festival is the only film and literary festival in the United States to focus on the American presidency. It will take place at The Strand Concert Theater, Fremont Middle School, the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Birchard Public Library, and Live Edge Center.

In addition to films, the festival includes a cooking class with a former White House chef, talks by authors and historians, an escape room geared toward teens, lantern tours of the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums’ grounds with living history presenters, a red carpet event with a keynote talk about Adrian Miller, author of “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet” and more.

The American Presidents Film & Literary Festival is organized by the Liberty and Learning Foundation, Fremont City Schools, Birchard Public Library, Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, and Downtown Fremont.

The festival is committed to providing a place for expanded national and international understanding of the history and current events that have and continue to shape and influence the President of the United States. Utilizing the site and community of America’s first presidential library and museum, filmmakers, film professionals, and authors will inspire audiences to explore, understand, critique and analyze the people, places, politics, and power surrounding the American Presidency.

For information, visit americanpresidentsfilmfestival.org and follow on Facebook and Twitter at @ampresfilmlit.