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ReelAbilities Film Festival Speaker Leonard Maltin

Hollywood Film Critic Living with Parkinson's

Join us for a special screening of Hal and Minter followed by a discussion with film critic Leonard Maltin.

Leonard Maltin, one of the world’s most respected film critics and historians, will reflect on our featured film, Hal and Minter, as part of the ReelAbilities Film Festival Cleveland @ Akron. Maltin will also share his personal Hollywood story as a writer and TV personality and his journey living and thriving with Parkinson’s disease.

Now an annual Akron event, ReelAbilities Film Festival: Cleveland @ Akron promotes awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with different abilities through film and community.

In this evening's film, Hal and Minter, poet Hal Sirowitz has been living with Parkinson’s disease for almost twenty-years, but he continues to be vibrant and creative. He was one of the most popular poets in the United States in the 1990s and a regular on MTV and one of the original performers at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe. Hal and his partner -- the writer Minter Krotzer -- have become advocates for people and families struggling with Parkinson’s disease. They regularly share their experiences and creative work through blog posts and articles. *24 min *Mature language and subject matter

One of the world’s most respected film critics and historians, Leonard Maltin is best known for his widely-used reference work Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, its companion volume Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide and 30 years as film critic on Entertainment Tonight. In 2015, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Inspired by actor Alan Alda’s announcement of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Maltin publicly shared his own diagnosis in 2018. Speaking out about the disease that has affected Michael J. Fox, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt and others in public life, including the late Robin Williams, Johnny Cash, Pope John Paul II and Muhammed Ali, Maltin declared that "it’s not a death sentence, not anywhere even close to that."

A prolific author and movie historian, his books include The 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, Maltin has been the recipient of awards from the American Society of Cinematographers, Anthology Film Archives, and San Diego’s Comic-Con International. Perhaps the pinnacle of his career was his appearance in a now-classic episode of South Park.

Sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of films and movie history, Maltin will reflect on RAFF featured film Hal and Minter in addition to living — and thriving — with Parkinson’s disease. Join us for a candid discussion that provides the perspective of the individual living with a progressive disease.

Check out Leonards new book Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood.  Release date October 12th 

The Friends of Main Library will be set up in the Atrium with Leonard's 2018, Hooked on Hollywood: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom and bookplates.

Registration is requested, but not required.  For questions or additional information you can reach the Culture & AV desk at 330.643.9015 or cadiv@akronlibrary.org.

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