Grant Garry's MEET ME WHERE I AM Wins Audience Award For Best Documentary Feature At Dances With Films Festival 2023

"Meet Me Where I Am," a timely and intimate look about moving through grief, was honored with the Audience Award for Best Documentary at this year's Dances With Films (DWF) Festival, which ran June 22nd - July 2nd at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. Grant Garry the director was on hand to accept the award, along with editor James Slaven, Anthony Rapp and David Kessler. The film was produced by Stacy Roque, Lisa Kauls and Sharolyn Schmiederer.

Told through individual stories with families, and grief experts, the documentary features a variety of people dealing with grief including actor-author Anthony Rapp (Broadway's RENT, StarTrek: Discovery), author and grief expert David Kessler (Finding Meaning, ABC GOOD MORNING AMERICA contributor) and actor John Farley ( the brother of late comedian Chris Farley). All three men attended the world premiere on Sun July 2, along with writer director Grant Garry, to share their experiences dealing with grief, both personally and collectively, in a country reeling from multiple tragic events in recent years. The 86 minute documentary also featured a mixture of families, counselors, grief advocates and experts including Ron Marasco, Julie Shaw, Cynthia O'Neal, Donna Schuurman, Jana DeCristofaro, Lisa Kauls, Mike Reynolds, Ken Ithiphol, Alicia Forneret, Julisa Golden, and Natalie Kazarian.

Director Garry has always been curious about grief, from his first experience when his grandmother died when he was a teenager to his most recent loss, the death of his uncle.

"After being contacted by our film's executive producer, Lisa Kauls, and hearing her story, I knew her grief and others' grief must be witnessed, he recalls. "I was honored to sit down with some of the world's most renowned grief experts as well as individuals with lived experiences. The rare opportunity this film provides is that the expert talkers also have unique experiences of grief themselves, " says Garry.

Jackie Tepper, a Producing Partner and Documentary Programming Chair of Dances With Films, is also a Film Industry vet who was very moved by MEET WHERE I AM. "Grief is a subject matter that everyone can relate to, and this film is a much needed thoughtful exploration of how we deal with and process loss," Tepper said, adding "If talking about this challenging subject matter that we all experience helps in any way to normalize one's process of coping, then the film has done its job, and hopefully brought even the smallest sense of peace to those who need it."

Garry is continuing to enter Meet Me Where I Am in Oscar-qualifying film festivals and to secure a major distribution deal for the film. His newest project with Slaven is a documentary about the world's most polarizing beverage: coffee.

"For this film, we traveled to Guatemala and farmed coffee beans," said Garry. "We also went to New York's famed Zabar's Deli and traveled around the world to visit various coffee houses.

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