The Genius of Caring

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Anna and I have been busy traveling and sharing our new documentary Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird). We were deeply honored by the response at recent screenings. In June alone, it has screened at five festivals on three continents and was honored with three awards, including the Audience Award at the Nantucket Film Festival!

It has been profoundly moving to watch audiences connect with  Anna's beautiful friendship with this incredible woman. Interestingly, carrying Yo out into the world has brought us into a beautiful full-circle moment with he Genius of Marian. We were actually in production for both projects at the exact same time—roughly between 2009 and 2013.

While the two films are structurally and tonally quite different, their thematic DNA is completely intertwined. Both are deeply intimate portraits that explore the power of artistic creation, the complex dimensions of family, and what it means to hold onto a sense of self when facing the end of a life.

Lately, during our post-screening Q&As, I’ve been watching Anna answer questions about grieving and the grief process. One of the most beautiful reflections she has been sharing is how remarkably present Yo feels in our lives right now—a striking contrast to the years immediately following his passing, when she couldn't even bear to look at the footage we had filmed. It has been a powerful reminder that grief is never a static state, but an ever-changing process.

Through these screenings, we are learning to navigate those waves alongside our audiences, finding that these films continue to live, breathe, and teach us new things years after the cameras stopped rolling.

A Beautiful Homecoming on Martha's Vineyard

With those overlapping themes of family and memory in mind, we recently had the immense privilege of bringing The Genius of Marian to our new island home community.

We partnered with the MV Center for Living for a special island screening this July. It was an incredibly moving evening. Sharing this personal story here, surrounded by our new friends and neighbors, many of whom have walked or are walking this small road, was special. The screening was followed by a rich Q&A and a panel discussion featuring local dementia and geriatric professionals, alongside local caregivers. Hearing the stories of local caretakers amplified the very heartbeat of what we tried to capture on film all those years ago, and we look forward to bringing more events like this to the island.

Thank you for your continued belief in our work and for helping us leverage the power of independent film to foster community healing and conversation. Please consider donating again to support our work.

Warmly,

Banker White

Co-Director / Filmmaker

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Thank you so much for being such an incredible and supportive community. We love reading your stories and reflections!

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

Banker and Anna's new film, Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird) premiered last Friday at Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival. Much like The Genius of Marian, this film is a tribute to family, aging with dignity, and the quiet power of love. We were honored to the only documentary in the festival's main competition.  

Audiences loved the film and the jury agreed awarding Yo the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. was a magical week. We can't  imagine a more spectacular way to introduce Yo to the world. Here is what the just had to say, "

In a year of cinema that often looked outward at a fractured world, we were captivated by a film that looked inward—into the architecture of memory and the sanctity of friendship. 

We have chosen to award the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the creative ensemble of Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird).   

This film packs a punch through its extraordinary visual language. By constructing a meticulously detailed world of miniatures and puppets, the filmmakers have created a space where time does not end, but transforms. We were moved by how it treats a personal process of mourning not as a silent tragedy, but as a joyful, defiant act of creation. It is a vibrant tribute to a woman who lived by her own rules, and a reminder that through art, those we love can remain forever rebellious and free.

To our Genius of Marian family: thank you for continuing to support stories that find the light in the most personal of places. We can’t wait to share this beautiful love letter of a film with you.