The Miami Seashore native is making a movie in regards to the homosexual uncle who served in World Conflict II

Miami Beach-born and raised Minor Accident of War director and producer Diane Fredel-Weis and her 96-year-old uncle Edward Field. She adapted his poem to make the film, which tells the story of a gay man and a B-17 airplane navigator during World War II. The short animated film is in the mix for an Oscar.

Elise Bloom

76 years ago this week, Lieutenant Edward Field had an experience few can imagine, let alone survive.

Field, then 21 and now 96, served as the navigator of a B-17 during World War II. In 1945, while on a mission over Berlin, his aircraft was hit with anti-aircraft flakes and crashed into the freezing North Sea. Field clung to a raft in the water and made the decision to hold on and live.

Edward’s niece, Miami Beach-born Diane Fredel-Weis, said this happened on the day the U.S. Air Force carried out its largest raid against Nazi Germany. She paid tribute to his service by directing and producing a film.

The animated short film “Minor Accident of War” is a work of love, said Fredel-Weis. It won the 2020 Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Miami Jewish Film Festival and is now fighting for an Oscar.

This frame comes from the animated short film “Minor Accident of War”. The film tells the survival story of Edward Field, a gay man and navigator of an airplane that was shot down over the North Sea during World War II. His niece Diane Fredel-Weis is the director and producer of the film.

“I was looking for ideas for my next short film and I remembered a poem my uncle wrote about his survival during World War II and thought it could be adapted,” she said. “When I approached him with the idea at the end of 2018, he was immediately enthusiastic.”

What makes the story even more inspiring is that her uncle was serving in the military at a time when gay men were exposed to extraordinary discrimination.

“I felt it was going to be a message showing that my uncle, a gay man, heroically bombed our country 27 times during the war in the fight against fascism and white supremacy. Risking your life every time.

“You could say the film has been in the works for 75 years. Edward lived it, wrote it, and told it. A trifecta in filmmaking and makes it all the more convincing. ”

Edward is an award-winning poet and writer living in the East Village of New York City. His 45-year-old partner died in 2018.

“Up until now none of his poems had been adapted,” said Fredel-Weis.

“We produced the film in 2019, and it received overwhelming recognition at film festivals around the world. It’s a great honor to have it in the mix for an Oscar.

“One of the reasons I wanted to get Edward’s poem on screen was because the Trump administration was discriminating against transgender military personnel on duty at the time. I believe that anyone who wants to serve our country and who meets the requirements should be able to do so. “

Fredel-Weis said she envisioned the short film with contemporary graphic animation. After months of asking movie buffs and combing the internet, she finally found Polish animator Piotr Kabat.

“As soon as I saw his style, I was blown away. It was exactly what I was looking for. The fact that he lived in Poland near Warsaw did not discourage me as I felt we could work together remotely. “

Kabat was very interested in the project. He turned to the Krakow-based sound designer Michal Fojcik from “Loving Vincent” and also came on board.

“Alex Gimeno, a friend of mine and the creator of ‘Ursula 1000’, is the composer. Alex Kupershmidt, a Disney animation veteran (‘The Lion King’ and ‘Lilo and Stitch’) joined as an animation consultant, and David Finch, a longtime collaborator of mine, was a co-producer, ”she said. “My son Gabriel Weis and my nephew Stephen Cyr also took part in the production.”

Cindy Bryan, an 8th Air Force expert, was the researcher for the film.

Fredel-Weis was born and raised in Miami Beach and went to Miami Beach Senior High. While studying journalism at Florida International University, she worked for Channel 10 / WPLG-TV, where she won an Emmy.

After moving to Orlando to work for Walt Disney World, she moved back to Los Angeles to write and produce movie trailers at Walt Disney Studios.

“This project has been an incredibly rewarding experience, especially when working with my uncle,” she said.

“Edward is as remarkable today as he was during the war, from his creative talents to his bravery to his compassion and sense of humor. He’s my inspiration in many ways. ”

The 10-minute film is online at https://vimeo.com/minoraccident

Ransom alumni help Grove families

Ransom Everglades School alumni, Carlos Dominguez, Ryan Holtzman and Kevin Grossfeld, continue to follow the school founder Paul C. Ransom’s mission to give something back and together lead the REACH Too Committee to help needy Coconut Grove families.

They work with The Barnyard, a neighborhood community center in the heart of Coconut Grove Village West.

Coconut Grove Cares operates The Barnyard, which offers free after-school and summer programs for children ages 5 to 12 with financial and domestic difficulties.

“Working closely with Barnyard’s CEO, Sylvia Jordan, and Barnyard’s board member, Jula Tuellmann, we came up with the idea of ​​having a special vacation family dinner that any of the 30 current Barnyard families can enjoy,” said Large field.

“A key component of this initiative was that the meals were prepared by a local catering company called Tips Good Eats,” he added. “Tips is led by a mother named Tiffany, whose child is on the barnyard program. We believe that by helping local families and empowering Tiffany, we have had an opportunity to make a positive impact on the local community beyond the holidays.

“We hope this initiative will further raise awareness and awareness of Tiffany’s business and that as her business grows, she will be able to rent and buy supplies in her community.”

The salty donut provided desserts, he said.

The Ransom Everglades Alumni Can Help Too committee worked with Barnyard parents and local caterer Tiffany from TIPPS Good Eats Barnyard (left) to bring vacation meals to Coconut Grove families in need. The committee includes Carlos Dominguez, Ryan Holtzman and Kevin Grossfeld. Center is Autumn, a barnyard student. Vicki Williamson

REACH stands for Ransom Everglades Alumni Can Help, and in January the group donated and delivered over 250 reusable masks to students and family members at the Barnyard and St. Albans Child Enrichment Center.

“Our REACH Too committee has been very busy to say the least,” said Vicki Carbonell Williamson ’88, Ransom’s director of alumni relations. “We are thrilled to be building such meaningful relationships with our local community.”

Help at www.coconutgrovecares.org

Community cats can get free help

Thanks to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the Cat Network will offer free sterilization and other services to the first 85 cats in the Miami-Dade community in February. For reservations, send an email to [email protected].

The program includes spay or neuter, compulsory earplug, feline virus and rabies vaccinations, and injections to treat antibiotics and pain. Residents can view additional services at www.thecatnetwork.org

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