January 8, 2019

 

(SARASOTA, FL) – Sarasota filmmaker Frank DiCesare is pleased to announce that the Southeast Texas Arts Council of Beaumont, Texas has signed on as an official sponsor of “Blacksmith,” awarding the film a grant to assist its future marketing efforts. 

​

DiCesare, who is president and CEO of Oskar Films in Sarasota said, “I would like to thank the Southeast Texas Arts Council their generous investment in ‘Blacksmith.’ With their help, the film will continue to build on the many successes it achieved in 2018. We are grateful for their support.”

 

Sue Bard, SETAC’s executive director, said Oskar Films has produced a work of art in “Blacksmith.”

 

“There is much to learn from this short documentary,” Bard added. “We support the work of artists like Frank DiCesare and encourage him to keep filming!"

 

SETAC’s grant marks the second sponsorship of its kind for “Blacksmith.” Last January, the film received sponsorship from the Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau.

 

Produced in conjunction with Lamar University, “Blacksmith” is a 16-minute documentary that highlights the work of Rob Flurry, the resident blacksmith at the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum (http://www.lamar.edu/spindletop-gladys-city/index.html) in Beaumont, Texas. Unlike the blacksmiths portrayed in the media today, Flurry’s craftsmanship is that of the old-school artisan – no expensive equipment; no modern forge in which to work. Instead, Flurry relies solely on nature’s elements of fire, iron, air, and water (along with his own strength) to hammer out beautiful creations within the smoky furnace of his shop. 

 

“Blacksmith” was filmed in the tradition of poetic documentary on a Nikon D3s DSLR camera.

 

The past year has been a busy and rewarding one for “Blacksmith.” In April, the film was awarded the prestigious Special Jury Award Remi at WorldFest – Houston International Film Festival. The award is given to films that score in the top 4 percent of a particular category. "Blacksmith's" award was in the category of short documentary (under 60 minutes).

 

In May, “Blacksmith” made its premiere on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Japan markets. 

 

In July, “Blacksmith” received global distribution through Filmhub, a B2B marketplace for filmmakers and streaming services based in Santa Monica, California. 

 

Currently, the film is available for streaming and/or purchase in more than 60 countries worldwide.

 

​