RADIO FISHTOWN

The only one-man radio station in the country, battles corporate avarice and an FCC Goliath who threaten his only love, his broadcast license. Introduced by Morning Pro Musica host Robert J. Lurtsema, the viewer is transported from the quaint fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, to the serried streets of New York City in an effort to track a solitary, radio broadcaster. Simon Geller, always heard but rarely seen, is remembered by listeners who both hated and revered him. A recluse who spoke to thousands, creating an island of individuality in a sea of soul destroying sameness. Earning 58 cents an hour, this craggy broadcaster becomes a Manhattan millionaire! Alive with Classical music, Radio Fishtown creates a shifting, non-linear portrait of this enigmatic man while debunking the myth that working people don't listen to Classical music.

Produced and Directed by Henry Ferrini
Associate Producer: Jud Wilson
Written by Ken Riaf
28 Minutes. Color VHS.

Please send a check for $35 ($30 + $5 shipping), your name, mailing address and desired film title to Henry Ferrini, 5 Wall Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.

POEM IN ACTION: a portrait of Vincent Ferrini

"Early in life, Ferrini discovered the poem was an intoxicant and he's been drunk ever since."
—Fred Whitehead

Poem in Action is the eye of a filmmaker, sneaking into the world of Vincent Ferrini and exploring the poet's renowned committment to the unity of art and life, "the living poem." Says Robert Creely: "Ferrini has spent his life coming to clarity, to the deceptively seeming simple statement of what it is to be alive." Poem in Action portrays the forces which forged this seminal post-modernist poet: his life as an immigrant's son and factory worker, the Great Depression, the Communist Party, and the poetics of place. Living down the street from the poet provided the videomaker (his nephew) an opportunity to capture the spontaneity of the man and the ever changing landscape of their home in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Vincent's magnetic presence and unyielding creativity make for an energizing example of the artist in the community. Not the poet as reclusive or diffident but as spokesman, social activist, teacher, and historian.

With Paul Metcalf, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Truman Nelson and Peter Anastas.

Written, Photographed and Directed by Henry Ferrini.
Edited by Joe Cultrera.
Music by David Trooper.
58 Minutes. Color VHS.

Please send a check for $35 ($30 + $5 shipping), your name, mailing address and desired film title to Henry Ferrini, 5 Wall Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.

WITCH CITY: salem witches, evangelical preachers, greed...and business as usual

"Fascinating. Very entertaining."
—Michael Apted, Director: Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, 35-Up

"...personal and provoking."
—Anne Driscoll: Boston Globe

"A brutally honest look at what 'Salem Town' has become, 300+ years after the Witch Trials..."
—Peg Aloi: Witches Voice

"sad, funny and revealing look at how Americans honor their history."
—Video Librarian

"Very funny and very smart. Should play in Salem every day and every night forever."
—Bo Smith, Film Curator: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

"It's a disgusting piece of work. A low-budget piece of trash."
—Bif Michaud: Owner-Salem Witch Museum

Salem, Massachusetts exists as both a city and a metaphor. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 sent 20 people to their deaths. It also sent the phrase "witch hunt" into the American lexicon. Witch City is a darkly humorous multi-level exploration of Salem. Today, tourists flock to the city's "Haunting Happenings" Halloween celebration, where a Disneyesque version of history is served by wax museum owners and t-shirt hawkers. Wiccans make their own religious pilgrimages and evangelical Christians use street theater to wage a holy war against them. Lost in the revelry and chants is a true story of heroism. Witch City is a cautionary tale about the consequences of co-opting history.

With appearances by Arthur Miller, Elie Wiesel and Laurie Cabot, "The Official Witch of Salem."

Produced by Picture Business and Ferrini Productions.
?? Minutes. Color VHS.

Witch City is available for purchase from Picture Business Productions.