Award-winning documentary by SEMO grad to be aired locally

~ The film tells the story of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.

"The World's Greatest Fair" sold out several hours before its premiere viewing at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.

Additional viewings were sold out at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and the St. Louis Tivoli Theater.

Now area residents will have a chance to see "The World's Greatest Fair" on the local cable access channel. Three showings of the documentary, co-directed by a former Southeast Missouri State University student, will be aired at various times next week.

Scott Heugerich, who graduated from Southeast in 1990 with a mass communication degree, and Bob Miano co-directed "The World's Greatest Fair." Mike Stroot, the executive producer of the documentary, is a member of Southeast's National Alumni Council.

The two-hour documentary tells the story of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair through human participants, diary entries and photographs. The film was funded by Civil Pictures, a not-for-profit production company with the goal of preserving history through film.

"It's a historically accurate and beautifully produced documentary," said Jim Dufek, a video productions professor at Southeast Missouri State University. "When I first watched it, I was mesmerized."

Because of the university's connection to Heugerich and Stroot, Dufek said, the production company granted permission to broadcast "The World's Greatest Fair" on the local cable access channel.

"It's a very interesting story, and even if you're from Seattle you will be able to appreciate it," Dufek said.

The documentary was a two-year project, with close to 150 volunteers involved, Heugerich said. "We wanted to make sure that we were creating a documentary that could be viewed for years into the future," he said.

"I believe all Missourians will find this interesting because the 1904 World's Fair represents one of the defining moments in the history of our state," Heugerich said. "Millions of people traveled to St. Louis to visit the fair, and there is no doubt that many of them traveled from Southeast Missouri."

The university has a collection of items that Louis Houck bought from the 1904 World's Fair, including chandeliers hanging inside Academic Hall. "This documentary has such a great connection to the area and the university," Dufek said.

The documentary has received numerous awards -- including the CINE award, which was previously won by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ken Burns.

The next Civil Pictures documentary, about the Gateway Arch, is in production and is expected to premiere at the Fox Theatre this summer.

For more information on "The World's Greatest Fair," visit www.civilpictures.org.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246

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Want to watch?

What: "The World's Greatest Fair"

Where: Local cable access Channel 5

When: 5 p.m. Sunday, 12 p.m. Wednesday, 7 p.m. Feb. 25