"Otto," the otter in Grotto Park, Fergus Falls, is one of the "world's largest" otter statues that is featured in "World's Largest" - a documentary about small towns with big things. The film will be showing one-time only at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28 at A Center for the Arts' Fergus Theatre, 124 W. Lincoln Ave., downtown Fergus Falls.
Tickets at the door are $6 for adults and $3 for students and children. And, fresh popped popcorn is only one dollar a box at The Fergus Theatre! For more information about this and other upcoming events, contact AC4TA at 218-998-ARTS (2787) or visit www.FergusArts.org.
Hundreds of small towns across the U.S.A. claim the "world's largest" something - from 15-foot fiberglass strawberries to 40-foot concrete pheasants. Odd, funny and sometimes beautiful, the statues stand as testaments to the uniqueness and importance that people feel about their communities. "World's Largest," a feature documentary directed by Amy C. Elliott and Elizabeth Donius, visits 58 such sites.
"Our intention ... was to create a portrait of a changing place and time - small-town America at this moment," says Elliott. "The result is a multilayered tapestry of dozens of first person accounts that are candid, poignant, funny and sad; peppered with the images of these often beautiful statues and the vanishing worlds they were built to represent."
Elliott and Donius, friends since childhood, have been working together on film and video projects for years. Other collaborations include the feature film "Headless" and numerous segments on "Split Screen," the television show hosted by John Pierson that aired on The Independent Film Channel. A professional photographer, Elliott's work has appeared in countless publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. Donius is the former Executive Director of the IFP/Chicago and also worked for the PBS documentary showcase P.O.V.
About AC4TA - A Center for the Arts sponsors a wide range of programming, including local, professional and touring performers, live theatre, music, dance, movies, visual arts exhibitions, workshops and literary events. Located in downtown Fergus Falls in the Fergus Theatre, it is also home to the Mighty WurliTzer Theater Organ, one of the largest pipe organs in the upper Midwest!