MN Sneak Preview | Director Mara Pelecis Present
Lyrical, intimate, and sometimes humorous, Souvenirs is a moving eulogy in film. Following her father’s suicide, director Mara Pelecis reveals the hidden layers of Ivars ‘Andy’ Pelecis’ elusive mental health, as his case for service related mental illness is reopened post-mortem.
Seeking to understand Why he was the way he was, Mara finds healing in the lives and stories of other war veterans, including Rolling Thunder bikers, National Guard members, Vets for Peace, and Native American veterans. Combining her father’s Bolex film footage and photography together with her documentation of him and their family for nearly 20 years – this is a true story of the impact of war on a veteran and family over decades.
Emerging from her studio practice as an installation artist, Māra has been making films since 2000. A graduate of St. Olaf, she received her MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago. She created her first feature documentary “between Latvias” on a Fulbright in Latvia, where both her parents were born.
