
By Stephanie Ornelas
When beloved father and husband Eli Timoner, founder of 1970s Air Florida, told his wife and three kids that he'd made the decision to die, they were stunned and terrified. In his 90s and in failing health, Eli was not just ready, but determined to medically terminate his life. During a mandatory 15-day waiting period, his daughter, Sundance Institute alum and filmmaker Ondi Timoner, decided to document his final days, but not for the purpose of making a film. It was more of a personal project.
I didn't intend to make a documentary about my father or his death, says Ondi. I was actually working on a scripted film at the time. I didn't want to mediate anyone else's experience.
But something inside her said she had to film her father. My memory is not that great, and I try to film everything I love that brings me passion.
When it came time to put a memorial video together, Ondi had tons of great footage in front of her and knew she was on the verge of something great. So, she decided to make a short that ultimately turned into a feature documentary.
The film documents Eli's final days while shining light on his legacy and the impact he made on those around him. He was often called an innovator who was known for changing the rules, especially when it came to racial segregation within the union.
But it also casts light on disability disrimination as the film tragically recounts the moment Eli's own airline asked him to step down because it was a bad look to have a CEO who was in a wheelchair. This brought immense shame to Eli, and that indignity was something that shaped the message behind this film.
He misunderstood the value of his life, says daughter Rabbi Rachel Timoner. He held too much shame. We all should have the ability to look at our shame and unload it, she says.
A huge message I hope the viewers get from this film is that sometimes we can misunderstand success. We are so much more worthy than we think we are, Rachel adds.
The family's heart-wrenching journey to find closure sends an incredible message of love, legacy, and dignity, and shows how grief looks different for everyone.
Assisted death is a very sensitive topic and viewers were curious how, as a rabbi, Rachel navigated that. During the post-screening Q&A, she boldly addresses what Jewish law forbids and her own opinions on the subject.
After going through this experience with [my father], and from having congregants who wished that they had this choice, because they were suffering terribly for a very long time, I think we should consider that holding life sacred can be done by reducing suffering at the end of life, says Rachel.
If we craft these laws carefully and have these conversations in our religious/spiritual traditions with great sensitivity, we can consider whether sometimes the extended agony of dying could be relieved in a way that actually enhances the dignity and honor of life. And I would like to see more of us have that conversation.
North America Stories
21/05/2022
TORONTO At a time when broadcasters are facing increased security risks, the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) has issued updated cybersecurity recommendations fo...
21/05/2022
EXTON, Penn. The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has unveiled some of the key content themes for Cable-Tec Expo 2022, chaired this year by ...
21/05/2022
NEW YORK New forecasts from Kagan, the media research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence, suggest that the ongoing move from console gaming to cloud-based g...
21/05/2022
Can You Write an Uplifting Song About the Climate Crisis? Student Zitong (Selina) Zhang talks about the inspiration behind her new song Life, a meditation o...
20/05/2022
--
By Stephanie Ornelas
No question, drones are impacting the way many filmmakers approach cinematography today. Whether in television, biopics, documentar...
20/05/2022
--
By Stephanie Ornelas
Streaming services have become one of the most popular ways to watch films. The convenience and flexibility that streaming offers,...
20/05/2022
Tragedy is often accompanied by triumph, on scales both big and small. As the wo...
20/05/2022
DALLAS AT&T and Dish have announced an internet distribution agreement that will allow Dish to offer AT&T Internet services, including AT&T Fiber with Hyper-Gig...
20/05/2022
CANNES The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is for the very first time hosting a virtual production space, a development that marks a new milestone in t...
20/05/2022
INDIANAPOLIS NTT and Penske Entertainment have announced that they will be providing an enhanced, more immersive experience for INDYCAR fans in time for the 106...
20/05/2022
The Paramount upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall largely focused on its new streaming platform, but it was a broadcast staple that offered the event its them...
20/05/2022
Streaming grew 10% globally in the first quarter, with consumption continuing to shaft to big screens, particularly smart TVs, according to a new report from Co...
20/05/2022
Nielsen said it is now including more streaming devices and providers in its deduplicated connected TV viewing measured by its Digital Ad Ratings....
20/05/2022
Streaming's share of television viewing rose to a record 30.4% in April from 29.7% in March, Nielsen said....
20/05/2022
The CW has released its fall schedule, with new shows The Winchesters, Professionals and Walker Independence, among others, in the lineup for the first time....
20/05/2022
Viamedia, an independent ad company serving local cable operators, said it launched its Parity Ads Platform, which simultaneously inserts regionally targeted ad...
20/05/2022
Digital entertainment and games executive Andrew Schneider was named president of Genvid Entertainment and CMO of its parent company Genvid Holdings....
20/05/2022
The CW will air The Black Pack: Excellence, a special celebrating Black excellence, the network said, and commemorating Juneteenth, Sunday, June 19. The CW wi...
20/05/2022
Cinedigm's Digital Rights Management unit said its AsianCrush unit has been launched on Comcast platforms including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass TV....
20/05/2022
The CW presentation began with a bang, as Stevie Wonder opened things up. Wonder slid in a few CW is the way! calls during Superstition , then gave way to Ma...
20/05/2022
NEW YORK Nielsen's The Gauge is reporting that streaming reached another record high in April, capturing 30.4% of total TV viewing and surpassing its previo...
20/05/2022
LONDON Amazon's Prime Video has announced that it has invested more than £1 billion ($1.25 billion) in the U.K. on TV programming, movies, and live sport si...
20/05/2022
WASHINGTON D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF) has announced that renowned actor and television personality Mario Lopez ...
20/05/2022
NEW YORK The cross-media local advertising company Viamedia has launched its new Parity ADS Platform....
20/05/2022
BURBANK, Calif. The content localization and distribution services provider Pixelogic has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Korean dubbing s...
20/05/2022
Advances in extended reality have already changed the way we work, live and play, and it's just getting started.
Extended reality, or XR, is an umbrella ca...
20/05/2022
Behind the Mic: Dan Orlovsky Joins ESPN's No. 2 Commentary Team for Monday N...
20/05/2022
FCC Denies Wireless-Microphone Makers' Plea for Vacant Spectrum Availability The action also spotlights new WMAS spectrum-efficient wireless technology By...
20/05/2022
MLB, ESPN Take Player-Miking to a New Level Ballplayers on the field are happy to share what's on their minds By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Friday, May 20,...
20/05/2022
PBR Caps Epic Season With World Finals in Fort Worth, Preps for Inaugural Team S...
20/05/2022
Back to All News
Fares Fares Makes His Directorial Debut With A Day and A Half for Netflix
Entertainment
20 May 2022
GlobalSweden
** Group photo and indivi...
20/05/2022
Back to All News
Heartstopper Will Return to Netflix with a Second and Third Season
Entertainment
20 May 2022
GlobalUnited Kingdom (Great Britain)
Netflix ...
20/05/2022
News | May 20 2022
Working together to build primary school children's soft skills
A new generation had fun learning about working together when volunte...
20/05/2022
On the surface, Mai Tai is an easy-to-program, fine-sounding virtual analog subtractive synthesizer. But let's dig deeper-and unlock its unique FM synthesis...
20/05/2022
Building next-generation intelligent vehicles requires an AI infrastructure that pushes the cutting edge.
Electric vehicle maker NIO is using NVIDIA HGX to bui...
20/05/2022
The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has honored WRAL News with three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, including one for Overall Excellence. T...
19/05/2022
As the U.S. military looks to arm small teams and individual operators at the edge of the battlefield in remote, austere environments with better access to the ...
19/05/2022
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku and Element Electronics have announced the launch of their first-ever outdoor TV, offering consumers the chance to stream content for outd...
19/05/2022
Google is teaming with one of the nations largest local TV station owners, Scripps, to help create local news content....
19/05/2022
Ryan Seacrest kicked things off at the Disney upfront presentation, at Basketball City on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Only one company has a century'...
19/05/2022
YouTube moved its Brandcast presentation to upfront week and took on the television networks....
19/05/2022
B+C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing TV...
19/05/2022
After decades as the head of ad sales for CBS, it s hard to picture Jo Ann Ross returning after COVID to Carnegie Hall and pitching streaming....
19/05/2022
CBS has shared its 2022-2023 schedule, which features new dramas East New York, Fire Country and So Help Me Todd, and competition series The Real Love Boat....
19/05/2022
The Republican Senate primary race in Pennsylvania is still too close to call, with TV doctor Mehmet Oz with a slight lead at 402,629 votes to David McCormick s...
19/05/2022
Eric Meyrowitz, executive VP and group head of Hearst Television, has been named chairman of the NBC affiliates board. He succeeds Emily Barr, Graham Media Grou...
19/05/2022
HBO Max and Discovery Plus, brought together when Discovery acquired WarnerMedia...
19/05/2022
NEW YORK A new report from Nielsen has found a significant increase in the representation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander in streaming T...
19/05/2022
PITTSBURGH NEP Group has announced that its U.S. Broadcast Services team has released a new mobile unit, Supershooter 6, powered by NEP's Broadcast Control ...