Sickies Making Films: New Documentary Explores Reasoning Behind Censorship & Movies

Movie poster courtesy Sickies Making Films, Facebook. Art by Robert A. Emmons Jr.

A LOVE LETTER TO THE MOVIES,

Sickies Making Films looks at our urge to censor films and asks why? We find reasons both absurd and surprisingly understandable. Using the Maryland Board of Censors (1916-1981) as a lens, as well as archival materials, classic film segments, and interviews with filmmakers and exhibitors who were subjected to censorship, this documentary examines the recurring problem of censorship in America.

Running time: 84:30

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Behind the Film:

Joe Tropea | director, producer, writer

Joe Tropea earned a Masters in Historical Studies with a concentration in Public History at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He currently works at the Maryland Historical Society where he is the Curator of Films and Photographs and a co-founder of the Preserve the Baltimore Uprising Archive Project. In 2013 he co-directed the award winning documentary Hit & Stay: a history of faith and resistance.


Skizz Cyzyk | director of photography, producer

Skizz Cyzyk has been making films since 1983 and has worked for numerous film festivals since 1997. His filmography includes documentary features Icepick To The MoonHit & Stay and Freaks In Love; documentary shorts David Fair Is The KingAlfred Jarry & ‘Pataphysics and Little Castles; music videos for Young Fresh Fellows and Beach House; and many more.


Robert A. Emmons Jr. | editor, producer writer

Robert A. Emmons Jr. is the Associate Director of the Digital Studies Center and an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Fine Arts Department at Rutgers University-Camden. His 2014 film, Diagram for Delinquents, is about Fredric Wertham and the comic book panic of the 1940’s and ‘50s. It has played at various comic book conventions including Wizard World Chicago and the San Diego Comic Con. His previous films include the award winning Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza (2007), and De Luxe: The Tale of Blue Comet (2010).


Jennifer A. Ferretti | producer

Jennifer A. Ferretti has a BFA in Photography from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and a MSLIS from Pratt Institute. Her career has been focused on research methodologies of artists, managing digital collections, and born-digital archiving. In addition to her contributions to films, including producing Hit & Stay(2014), she specializes in born-digital media preservation.


Jeff Krulik | archival research, producer

Jeff Krulik is a director of independent films and a former Discovery Channel producer. Krulik’s work frequently explores the fringes of popular culture from an enthusiastic and appreciative point of view. He has been making documentaries since 1986 and knows the National Archives like the back of his hand. His film and video work includes the cult phenomenon “Heavy Metal Parking Lot,” Led Zeppelin Played Here, “Hitler’s Hat,” and “Earnest Borgnine on the Bus.”