A Binding Truth is a fascinating story. Where did you find Jimmie and De, and how did their story ultimately become a documentary? Louise Woehrle: I’m so happy you found it fascinating! I was in New York screening my previous documentary, Stalag Luft III – One Man’s Story. My two cousins, Katie and Ellen Holliday from Charlotte, NC, attended the screening event. Katie is married to De! She asked if I had my next project lined up. I said no, but I had an idea. Then she asked, “What about Jimmie and De’s story?” I responded, “Katie, that’s a big story to take on,” but I thought more about it and ran it by my Executive Producer, Jay Strommen. He said, “Do we want to make a difference? And, of course, I said, “Yes.” So the next thing I knew, we were on a plane to Charlotte to meet Jimmie and De. After that meeting, things really took off fast. A high school friend of De’s, Jock Tonissen, coordinated a luncheon and invited people he thought would be interested in Jimmie and De’s story. We had created a sizzle reel by that time and a 2-page summary. A man named Chuck Hood approached me and said he wanted to help, and wow, everything took off from there. Chuck took on the fundraising with Lauren Batten; the rest is history. The support from the Charlotte community has been incredible. The money was raised through donations, except for the start-up capital by Jay Strommen. Our fiscal sponsor is FilmNorth in Minneapolis, which I have used on many projects.
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