[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 31 (Saturday, February 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2202-S2203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO CLAUDIA BECKER

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Vermont is constantly made a better 
place by some of the extraordinary people who come there and add to the 
talents of our State.
  One such person is Claudia Becker. She has restored the Big Picture 
Theater in Waitsfield along with her husband Eugene Jarecki. The 
theater has become a center for the people of the Mad River Valley, and 
Claudia has shown a sense of conscience in films she has shown at Big 
Picture.
  Marcelle and I have been privileged to know Claudia for years and her 
husband Eugene for years before that. Marcelle, as an acting justice of 
the peace, even performed their marriage. We have enjoyed watching 
their home grow in Vermont, as well as the addition of two of the most 
beautiful children anyone could wish for.
  Recently, Seven Days in Vermont wrote an article about Claudia and 
what she has done with her film festival. I ask unanimous consent that 
the article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    ``Big'' Deal--Film Fest Founder Claudia Becker Gets the Picture

                           (By Candice White)

       On a recent sunny afternoon, several cars, many with ski 
     racks, pulled into a large dirt parking lot at the corner of 
     Route 100 and Carroll Road in Waitsfield. Children pulled off 
     brightly colored ski hats and unzipped puffy jackets as they 
     led their parents through sturdy wood doors. Above, bold red 
     and black letters inscribed on a round, Art Deco-style clock 
     identified the building as the Big Picture Theater.
       Inside, the petite proprietor, Claudia Becker, was hustling 
     from one task to another. She swept the wooden floor of the 
     large, windowed cafe-lounge, dusted the player piano, crossed 
     to the carpeted hallway to help an employee count a cash 
     drawer, and answered both the theater phone and the personal 
     cell phone hooked to her corduroys.
       A young man and his blonde girlfriend--friends visiting 
     from Becker's native Germany--appeared and greeted her. After 
     a quick exchange of words in German, the man walked behind 
     the bar to the kitchen area and began polishing silver, while 
     his girlfriend took over the broom. Becker darted back to the 
     concessions area and, with a warm smile, greeted the line of 
     customers arriving for a 4 p.m. matinee of Charlotte's Web.
       The past year has been a whirlwind for Becker, 39, in her 
     new role as owner of the Big Picture Theater. When she bought 
     and renovated the former Eclipse Theater last spring, she 
     already had a full plate: two children under the age of 6, a 
     marriage to filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry 
     Kissinger, Why We Fight), and an acclaimed film fest. Lately, 
     Becker's velocity has increased as she gears up for the 
     fourth annual Mountaintop Film Festival. The human-rights-
     based marathon runs at the theater starting this Wednesday, 
     January 10, through Sunday, January 14.
       The fest presents 10 documentary films and three dramas, 
     all addressing issues of national and international concern, 
     from the toll of the Iraq war to Bombay's child sex trade to 
     civil disobedience during the Vietnam War. It showcases 
     personalities, too. The opening night gala features a 
     reception with filmmaker Henrietta Mantel before the 
     showing of her film on Ralph Nader, An Unreasonable Man. A 
     Q&A with Nader himself

[[Page S2203]]

     via lcam follows. Olympia Dukakis, who stars in the drama 
     Day on Fire, is expected to make an appearance at one of 
     her two film screenings (Thursday and Saturday at 8 p.m.). 
     Filmmakers James Longley (Iraq in Fragments), Milena 
     Kaneva (Total Denial), and Alex Gibney (Enron: The Movie) 
     are all scheduled to appear. And Jarecki, whose 2005 doc 
     Why We Fight won a grand jury prize at Sundance, will 
     teach a three-hour media lab on Sunday at 1 p.m. Three 
     nights of live music and a Friday night community potluck 
     dinner round out the five days of brainy cinema.
       Mountaintop grew out of a serendipitous meeting five years 
     ago between Becker and Kimberly Ead, now festival manager. At 
     the time, Becker was a teacher--she holds a master's degree 
     in special education from the University of Munich--and an 
     informal consultant to her husband's filmmaking. But she was 
     looking for new pursuits that would express her ``deep sense 
     of political concern.'' Ead, who was working on antiwar 
     issues at Burlington's Peace and Justice Center, offered just 
     that. ``Claudia and I really connected,'' Ead remembers. ``We 
     combined her contacts in the film industry and my work as an 
     activist to create the festival.''
       Both women have a strong commitment to educating youth 
     about film and filmmaking, and it shows in the festival. This 
     year, students from area high schools, including Harwood 
     Union, Mt. Mansfield, Burlington and Vergennes, will be 
     bussed in for special screenings. ``I'd like to add more 
     educational components to the theater,'' Becker says, looking 
     to the future, ``like a media literacy program and a 
     documentary filmmaking program.''
       And the future looks bright, judging by the success of the 
     festival so far. Becker points to an increase in ``the level 
     of recognition. . . and in the turnout. The festival has 
     established itself as one of the premier film festivals in 
     Vermont.''
       One positive change is that the fest is no longer a 
     renter--this is the first year Becker has owned its venue. 
     After the previous owners shut their doors, Waitsfield locals 
     kept talking about the need for a community space. Becker 
     decided she needed to buy the theater and make it a viable 
     epicenter of the Mad River Valley. Vowing to spend every last 
     dime she had, she purchased the building, hired a 
     construction crew, and began a major renovation.
       In May 2006, Becker re-opened the theater and unveiled the 
     transformed space: an open-kitchen cafe with a full bar, old-
     fashioned soda fountain, and Internet lounge; a newly 
     renovated smaller theater with flexible seating, to be used 
     for both movie showings and community events; and a largely 
     untouched traditional movie theater.
       Becker's vision for the aptly named Big Picture was a 
     ``local gathering place with a global dimension,'' she says. 
     ``And I wanted the name to reflect my personal desire for 
     teaching, discourse and thought exchange.''
       Her political beliefs aren't just talk. Becker demonstrates 
     her commitment to the ``local'' by letting organizations rent 
     the space at a price that often just covers her costs. To 
     accommodate area events, she formed a partnership with the 
     nonprofit Open Hearth Community Center, which ``wouldn't have 
     a home without Claudia,'' says Open Hearth program manager 
     Kirstin Reilly. ``She has worked with the board to create a 
     space that is useful for the community's needs.''
       Becker has brought an eclectic mix of first-run and 
     documentary films, thought-provoking discussions, music, 
     comedy and art exhibits to Big Picture. Last fall, New 
     Hampshire comedian Cindy Pierce drew a huge crowd for her 
     show on the mysteries of women's sexuality. Soon after, the 
     theater filled up again for a discussion of international 
     security issues with former U.N. weapons inspector Scott 
     Ritter.
       Becker says she's still working on balancing her political 
     passions with the need to turn a profit. ``It has been a real 
     learning experience to find what works and what doesn't,'' 
     she admits. ``Live music continues to be a challenge. But 
     when we bring in a political speaker, the place is 
     packed.''
       Becker seems to have found a management style that suits 
     her: a nonhierarchical organization that still allows her to 
     jump in and be the boss when needed. And when friends and 
     family visit, they're put to work. Jarecki is often seen 
     pouring beers behind the bar. The couple's daughter Anna has 
     baked cookies to sell in the cafe.
       ``When I was hiring, I was very careful to find people who 
     had a positive attitude and a predisposition for 
     multitasking,'' Becker says. Her core team is composed of 
     women: Ead; theater manager Jo-Anne Billings; and chef Amanda 
     Astheimer, who aims to deliver on Becker's international 
     culinary vision. Several men work as projectionists and 
     concessions staff.
       All hands will be on deck during this week's film festival. 
     ``I am looking forward to it all being over, just so I can 
     take a breath,'' Becker says.
       But she also recognizes that a busy theater is the best 
     reward. Becker defines success as ``seeing people having a 
     great time; working with and within the community; feeling 
     that I am doing something that is greater than myself.'' If 
     she can bring new issues and ideas to filmgoers' attention, 
     so much the better.
       ``I want to open people's minds and inspire discourse,'' 
     Becker says. ``I don't believe I can have an impact on what 
     people do with the information, but I feel it is important to 
     get it out there.''

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