May 21st, 2015
Press Release: Midwest Premiere of Searching for Eddie Running Wolf
Who is Eddie Running Wolf? Many asked that question along the road as two likable documentarians searched for the elusive Native American artist. Legend told the tale of an artist so talented that he could carve anything out of a piece of wood. Rumors swirled throughout Aspen, Colorado, of a local Indian who raised a 125-pound tundra wolf to keep as his pet and companion. His flowing locks of black hair were believed to have mystical powers over the female persuasion. In 1998, Eddie Running Wolf is commissioned by an avid art collector and Randian Objectivist to carve a life-size female marble nude of Ayn Rand’s iconic heroine Dominique Francon from The Fountainhead. 12 years later, the statue remains unfinished. But
who ultimately controls the art: the one who commissions it, or the artist who designs it? Will Eddie honor his contract and finish his masterpiece? Or will his personal life and a dose of insanity get in the way of true greatness? What would Howard Roark do?
The illuminating, unnerving and unforgettable documentary, Searching for Eddie Running Wolf, is having it’s Midwest Premiere on Saturday, May 30th at The Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville, IL. The film was directed and produced by Naperville resident and filmmaker, Thomas Hartmann. The film has been in production since 2009 and is currently having a successful film festival run both domestically and internationally. Searching for Eddie Running Wolf had its World Premiere at The Thin Line Film Festival in Denton, TX.
After viewing the film at Thin Line, one reviewer wrote, “Searching for Eddie Running Wolf – is one of the most powerful and interesting character studies – in real time – that perhaps has ever been assembled, compiled and presented in a documented cinematic fashion. I would say that it’s a profound and truly amazing work and it will take you through an emotional journey that very few films can ever hope to deliver.” Film reviewer Stanton Brasher wrote, “This film is a bittersweet kind of crazy...Searching for Eddie Running Wolf … works so well as a study of art, friendship and family. At moments, it is warm – humorous even. Other times, it’s so shocking that it leaves viewers wondering is this real life?” Reviewer Tracy Bays-Boothe wrote, “Searching for Eddie Running Wolf is a raw exploration of the creative process and the intimate life of an artist tempered with controversy, mental illness and loss.”
In March, the film had its California Premiere at The American Documentary Film Festival in beautiful Palm Springs, California. In July, the film will play at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada during the Anthem Film Festival, part of Freedom Fest, the world’s largest gathering of free minds. Most recently, Searching for Eddie Running Wolf was officially selected to screen overseas at the prestigious DokuFest, The International Documentary and Short Film Festival, held in the picturesque and historical town of Prizren, Kosovo.
The Midwest Premiere of Searching for Eddie Running Wolf will be a red carpet and black tie affair held in the Wizard of Oz Theater at the luxurious Hollywood Palms with cocktail hour, screening and Q&A with the filmmakers. Director Thomas Hartmann and Producer Juan Montelongo will be present to answer audience questions about the making of this emotional rollercoaster of a movie. Hartmann and Montelongo previously produced the award winning Iraq War documentary, Triangle of Death, which won the Founder’s Choice Award at GI Film Festival in 2009 and was nationally televised on cable’s The Military Channel. Searching for Eddie Running Wolf is Thomas Hartmann’s directorial feature debut. Thomas currently works as the owner and creative director at Blink of an Eye Productions, a boutique film production company based in the Midwest and has been producing award winning films, commercials and event videos for the past 15 years. You can learn more about the film and view the official movie trailer by visiting www.searchingforeddierunningwolf.com.
