In the Spring of 1995, Derek Freese graduated from Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communications with a degree in Film and Media Arts. He spent the summer working to save up for a move out to Hollywood, every filmmakers dream. The following fall he made the move, but after being in Hollywood for just two days, Derek passed away from juvenile diabetes, an illness he had suffered from since he was a young teen. Though the family was devasted, they began to think of ways that they could “preserve his memory for a while” (David Freese, Personal Interview), says Mr. Freese. They thought of possibly giving out a prize to the senior project class every year.

The following year in 1996, the family gave a cash prize of around $700, this was before the foundation was started. At the end of 1996, Derek’s parents Amy and David went to visit their dear friends Allen and Renee Tepper in San Diego, what the Freese’s did not know was that the Tepper’s were going to change their lives forever.

After some conversation around Derek and the foundation that the Freese family was looking to create, the Tepper’s offered to donate Amy and David a quarter of a million dollars to what we know today as the Derek Freese Film Foundation. In the words of David, “all four of us started crying immediately” (David Freese, Personal Interview), this allowed the family to make the foundation official in 1997 and award filmmakers for the past 23 years. In 2013, the foundation launched the Derek Freese Documentary Fund where they award a filmmaker in the final production stages with funds of up to $35,000 to finish his/her film.

The reason for launching the fund was to grant the opportunity for filmmakers across the country with the chance to be awarded funding for their projects but also to award this money in greater amounts so that eventually the family can cease operation and be done with the foundation. This decision was made about 15 years into the foundation as the Freese’s sat down and took a look at their lives and had to make a decision of whether or not to continue on with their works. With David and Amy growing older and their daughter Amanda now balancing her work and family life, it became more difficult each year as they had other things going on, but it also was an emotional experience each year, “and after a certain point, nobody knows who Derek was.” (David Freese, Personal Interview). If the Freese’s had not decided to set up the fund than the money put into the foundation would have seemed to never run out. David expressed that the family is pleased with this decision and feel that after 25 years, in 2021 their work will be finished.

Derek’s father, David has represented the foundation for all of its 23 years. David is an adjunct professor at Derek’s alumni and Philadelphia’s own, Temple University. With a course load of fine art photography and film, he has had the opportunity to work with the very students that have the opportunity to receive that senior film award. Aside from carrying on his son’s legacy, David has devoted his life to teaching and his own personal photography. Publishing two books East Coast; Arctic To Tropic and West Coast; Bering To Baja, David’s work is well known, also being featured in various other publications and is admired by many. As David’s teaching career is nearing its end, his photography career will only grow.

David and Amy Freese, along with their daughter Amanda have been working with the film community in Philadelphia for years. Through the foundations they’ve been able to help several amateur filmmakers and continue to inspire the youth. As the face of the Derek Freese Film Foundation, David does an amazing job at introducing the foundation, telling Derek’s story and allowing the legacy of Derek’s life to live on through him and the work that the Freese’s have done through the foundation. For the past 24 years, the Freese’s have contributed greatly to the film community of Philadelphia on an annual basis.

            When Derek was a young boy, he discovered a love for film and wanted to be a filmmaker. This love derived from spending much time at the movies from the time he was about 3 years old. For the Freese’s, this was a regular time for family bonding, exposing Derek and his sister Amanda to complex and “risqué” films such as Star Wars. Many parents would have never taken their children to such films, but David and Amy understood and appreciated the art of filmmaking, so it was no surprise that Derek chose this path. His influence not only came from his parents, but also from the people he surrounded himself with, this includes close friends some of which also followed a path in the film world. David expresses that one of Derek’s childhood friends has gone on to become a screenwriter out in Los Angeles.

Initially, Derek’s interest in film was broad, he was unsure of the genre and role he wanted to take on. Through conversation with David, he explains that he helped Derek direct his way from acting to directing and from there Derek chose his path of documentary film. David explains that throughout school, Derek did not share much of his work with his family, though David tells me of a time Derek created a screenplay about a story his grandfather had once told him. The story takes place during World War II, Derek took this story, which is true and fictionalized it, creating this screenplay that everyone enjoys. David told me the short version of the story;

“He interviewed my father in law at the time, my father in law was a WWII veteran and he told this amazing true story where he was stationed in England with the air force as a meteorologist and so he got to fly a lot with the some of the pilots and this one pilot asked him to go up with a couple of other guys because you need a certain amount of people to fly a plane and once they got up in the air the pilot told them to put parachutes on and jump out of the plane because he was going to crash the plane and kill himself” (David Freese, Personal Interview). This screenplay is the one piece of Derek’s work that the family has in their possession.

            Aside from the fund, the Derek Freese Film Foundation has taken part in multiple projects and has hosted or been involved in film festivals for two decades. They have also provided funds for The Human Trial and The Submarine Kid. They work with Temple University on a continuing basis with two annual events. The foundation awards two seniors $1,500 each for exceptional films that then will be showcased at the Diamond Screen Film Festival.

The Derek Freese Youth Media Film Festival is another festival that Temple University hosts each year in Derek’s honor. This supports young filmmakers ages 12-18 across the Mid-Atlantic region. The festival offers multiple categories of awards for many students to have an opportunity to win some award for their works. Although, the awards for this festival are not that of money, it gives these young students confidence and inspiration to continue following the path to making their dreams come true. It also gives them an experience to network with other filmmakers, have the chance to experience Temple as well as a chance to add their awards and participation in the festival onto their resumes.

            The Fund chose to partner with the Greater Philadelphia Film Office in assistance with choosing the finalists and eventually the winners for the award every two years. With the help of Joan Bressler, a staff member at the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, they accept each application and watch each film where they then choose the five finalists. From there, there is a board of directors which of course includes the Freese family, who watch the films and together choose the winner. The fund gives this award away every other year, the winners have been; 2013: Alive Inside, Michael Rossato-Bennett, 2015: Almost Sunrise, Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco, 2017: Garry Winogrand All Things are Photographable, Sasha Waters Freyer and the 2019 Memphis, David Zucker. “With the documentary award, 3 of the films that we selected have went on to win major awards, film festivals, public television shows and so on. So the 3 films and then the 4th film we’ve picked this year we are very proud of and we’re hoping that’s going to do well.” (David Freese, Personal Interview).

This film is about a young man with cerebral palsy whose disability is not as severe as many you might see, he is active and working and seems to do very well with the exception of some speech and walking issues. David continues to explain how the young man falls in love with a young woman who is an opera singer from Texas and from there the film is about the dynamic of their relationship as they cross paths with one another. With both of their life stories being so different and intriguing as well as the complexity of who they are, David explains how it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and that they are eagerly anticipating the end of the film.  

            The family has put forth great effort to honor their beloved Derek and his dream but have also provided assistance in making other young filmmaker’s dreams come true. “That was the whole point of it, to give young filmmakers such as Derek a chance to complete a project or fund a project” (David Freese, Personal Interview). The Freese family will conclude the fund and foundations works in 2021, they estimate by this time the money put into the foundation will run out. Around the same time, David explains how he plans to retire and focus on his photography more and enjoy the rest of his life at home with wife Amy. As their daughter Amanda will have the opportunity to focus on her life and career as well as spend more time raising her children with her husband.

In regard to the foundation’s success, the family feels so much gratitude for the work they have accomplished. Throughout the past 23 years, this money has been used to support and award young filmmakers like Derek. David feels that Derek would be extremely proud of the work his family has done; they have helped so many young filmmakers in the Philadelphia area get a little closer to fulfilling a dream that Derek always had. This is such a rewarding experience for the family, and they are extremely grateful of the opportunity to celebrate Derek’s life.

            After 24 years of life without Derek, the Freese’s have taken their pain and grief and turned it into a legacy in Derek’s name. Hundreds of people have been impacted through this story and the work that has been done through the foundation with the help of family friends, Allen and Renee Tepper. When the family will conclude their works in Derek’s honor, they will have had 5recipients of the $35,000 award and around 50 or so Temple graduates who have received the annual award for a senior filmmaker. With other awards and projects in-between, they have contributed greatly to the Philadelphia film community who, in the eyes of the Freese’s, will forever carry on Derek’s Legacy which is more than his family could have imagined. “We know it’s something Derek would think very highly of… He would love it” (David Freese, Personal Interview).

Bibliography

Derek Freese Documentary Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2019, from https://www.derekfreesefilm.org/.

Freese, David (2019, October 16). Personal Interview.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.davidfreesephoto.net/info.html.