Student's movie premieres at film festival
By Joy (May) Sherman
Every day for Anderson University senior Tyler Stutzman is uncertain. Perhaps that’s why he chose the title “Uncertain Tomorrow” for his autobiographical film about his battle with Acute Mylogenous Leukemia (AML). The 52-minute documentary chronicles Tyler’s bone marrow/stem cell transplant, including one week of preparatory chemotherapy and the post-transplant rehabilitation.
After his disease diagnosis in March 1999, early chemotherapy could not prevent a relapse the following November. Doctors at the University of Michigan, where Tyler received treatment, suggested a transplant. Of his three siblings, his sister, Vanessa (then a freshman at AU), was the best candidate. She jumped at the chance to help, though her participation would mean injections to “beef up” her stem cells and a long four-hour procedure where her cells would be extracted. With a donor located, the transplant was set for July 2000.
The transplant meant Tyler would have to take some time off from college. His mother, Vernane, suggested he find something creative to do with his time; the video diary project was born. “It became my way of escape, something to pass the time,” Tyler says.
Interviews with consulting physicians and daily updates became part of Tyler’s routine during the next year. Additional conversations with other transplant recipients supplemented the daily log of events.
He also consulted his brother, Preston BA ’92, who works for Blue Yonder Films in California, as the project grew. Preston weighed in on questions about what kind of equipment to purchase, what interviews to shoot and the overall editing process. He also shared some of the filming responsibilities, as did other family members. But Tyler’s primary vehicle for shooting footage was the tripod erected by his bedside.
The film covers the duration of one year. It does not ignore difficult moments, as Tyler vents frustration about medicines that cause him increased hyperactivity, slurred speech and excessive nausea. Completion of the piece took almost two years, including the addition of some monologue, some medical animation and originally scored music.
In October Tyler’s film received recognition from the Heartland Film Festival as the 2002 President’s Choice award winner. Heartland, founded in 1991, is a nonprofit organization created to honor filmmakers. This year, 350 films were submitted and 26 of those were selected by a panel of industry professional to be shown in the festival. “Uncertain Tomorrow” ran viewings daily in one of several theatres in Indianapolis during the weeklong festival Oct. 17-25.
This isn’t the first accolade the documentary has received. The Worldfest International Film Festival honored him with their Platinum Award.
“My hope is that this [film] won’t just be of help to me, but to everyone who goes through the process. My goal is for it to reach the widest possible audience; it has a message that’s inspirational. It’s a way to keep remembering, but a tool to teach others, too.”
For an update on Tyler’s current condition, visit his Web site at planettyler.com.
