Compelling Feature 'Forgetting Dad' at Library Thursday

“…one of the top independent docs of the decade.”

—Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute

“Forgetting Dad,” the special Jury Award winner at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam, will be screened in the Room on Thursday, June 30th at 7 p.m.  The free program, presented by the Library and the , will also feature filmmaker Rick Minnich who will introduce his film and conduct a Q & A with the audience. 

Minnich is an American filmmaker living in Germany who will be visiting his sister Jan and her family in Pasadena. Jan appears in the film and will be present at the program. Another family member, Yasi will be making the refreshments. The screening is one of the stops on the “Forgetting Dad Father’s Day Tour” which will also feature showings in Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, and San Francisco.

Jan Minnich Emamian is a realtor who lives with her husband Payman and their daughter and son. She enjoys spending time on the baseball field with her son and the golf course with her daughter, as well as actively participating at their schools and assisting a variety of charities. She can also be seen running around town. In fact, she recently ran the Pasadena Half Marathon.

Payman Emamian is a broker who specializes in investment properties. He immigrated to the United States in 1977 and spent his childhood in Burbank. He and Jan were married in 1993. It was when Payman and Jan were dating that they were told of Richard’s accident. They flew to Davis, where Richard was living with his second wife, Loretta, and their two young children. The first time Jan saw Richard he didn’t recognize her, and it shocked her. “He looked at me as if a Girl Scout had knocked on his door to sell him cookies. I was a perfect stranger to him!”

 It quickly became clear that the marriage between Richard and Loretta was crumbling too. It took several visits to find Richard an apartment and secure his social security benefits. When Rick decided to make a film documenting the journey of their family, it was initially met with mixed emotions, but eventually the family became supportive. Jan describes the making of the film as painful, but still a bonding experience for the siblings. “We are all proud of the work Rick has done to bring our family’s journey to the world and remain hopeful that it will help other families.”

 “Forgetting Dad” has already been shown on television in many countries including Brazil, Canada, Sweden, and India. The jury statement from the 2009 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival in China proclaimed “The director takes a step-by-step way to tell a story which is closely related to every one of us...The film is warm and thought-provoking.”

The Library Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street. No tickets or reservations are necessary. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and refreshments will be provided.