Wally Altes hosts a lively discussion about living, working, and doing business in New York's Capital Region and Tech Valley. Tune in to find out what factors, trends, and developments may affect you!

THE SINGING REVOLUTION

Airdate: Monday, May 5th at 7:30pm
Repeat: Sunday, May 11th at 12:30pm

Jim and Maureen Tusty have made many corporate training films. The Singing Revolution is their first effort in making a major documentary. The Singing Revolution, is an inspiring account of one nation's dramatic rebirth. It is the story of humankind's irrepressible drive for freedom and self-determination. The producers join Wally to discuss the film and how it came to be made.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

JAMES TUSTY and MAUREEN CASTLE TUSTY co-produced, co-wrote, and co-directed The Singing Revolution. The film is an execution of their vision, inspired by teaching two filmmaking courses in Estonia in 1999 and 2001. This is the Tusty's first feature film. Prior to The Singing Revolution, they have separately and together produced hundreds of programs, including television programs and documentaries, TV commercials, and corporate films for some of the largest corporations in the world including Coca Cola, GE, and IBM.
The body of their work has been honored with over 100 national and international awards. Both have extensive international experience, having shot films in over thirty countries around the world. Maureen's work has been seen on PBS and globally in film festivals such as Warsaw (Poland), Gothenburg (Sweden) and the US International Film and Video Festival. Maureen is an adjunct faculty member of Tallinn University in Estonia, where she teaches film production. Jim has prior experience with Eastern European production. He produced several Russian language programs for McGraw Hill that were shot in multiple locations in Russia in 1986 and 1988, and immediately after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, he produced a fifteen-part series on free market economics for Hungarian television. Jim's father was born in Estonia, and came to the United States as a child in 1924. The Singing Revolution premiered at the Black Nights Film Festival in the Republic of Estonia where it received an unprecedented fifteen-minute standing ovation. The film went on to become the most successful documentary film in Estonian box-office history. Maureen Castle Tusty and James Tusty together run Mountain View Productions, Ltd., under which banner The Singing Revolution was produced.

WALLY'S COMMENTARY

"One of the themes you may have noticed about our shows is a desire to chronicle companies which are international players in their respective areas. The story of The Singing Revolution, an internationally acclaimed movie documentary, directed and produced by local residents Jim and Maureen Castle Tusty, continues that theme. We should all take great pride in the Tustys accomplishment. The Singing Revolution is an inspiring story of Estonia, a small country whose desire for independence and nationhood overcame years of
occupation, repression and cultural genocide. And that story was brought to life and to international attention by two residents of the Capital Region who used the resources and knowledge gained from their business. We owe a great deal to Jim and Maureen for telling this story of Estonia, a country most of us cannot find on the map. But the story is also one of tribute to Jim and Maureen for their passion in undertaking and completing this daunting task. And to them I say thank you on behalf of our community and that's my bottom line!"