EDMONTON - Joe Viszmeg is gone but the Edmonton filmmaker's memory is being marked tonight at the Local Heroes film festival.
In a tribute to the award-winning Viszmeg, who lost his battle with cancer last June at age 42, festival organizers are offering a free screening of his film City of Champions at 7 p.m. in the Princess Theatre.
"We should pay tribute to Joe. He embodied what I think is important about filmmaking," said Norm Fassbender, a friend and colleague, who produced the Champions feature film, directed by Viszmeg.
"Joe was a leader. He still is a leader."
The filmmaker, who left behind a wife and two children, remains an inspiration to the arts community.
"He had integrity," said Fassbender. "He had this can-do attitude that made you believe it could be done and it could be done here. More importantly, he said not only are there stories here in Edmonton, Alberta and Canada, but we should tell those stories."
Fassbender said Viszmeg is also remembered for his humour in the face of adversity, his refusal to give up despite medical predictions that he should have died several years earlier and his ability, both professionally and personally, to realize what was important in life.
"He just had a way of dealing with people and things that's really rare, that I associate with older people who have a sense of what life's really about," said Fassbender. "He had a way of transcending all the little things that cloud everybody's day to day dealings with each other. He was very clear. He was an absolute pleasure to be around."
Viszmeg won a Gemini for his 1995 documentary, In My Own Time - Diary of a Cancer Patient, detailing his heart-wrenching struggle with cancer. He won another award for his 1999 follow-up, My Healing Journey: Seven Years with Cancer.
In City of Champions, Viszmeg and Fassbender helped create an award-winning piece despite having very little money. With a strong appreciation of Edmonton, the 70-minute tale focuses on trailer trash Wes, his life with his girlfriend and dreams of success. Wes endures a series of misadventures when he meets up with cash-heavy Dixie and a bored housewife, Gabrielle, who happens to be a bank robber.
More Artists
