In 1991, an iconic film changed Jennifer Townsend’s life. Not only did Thelma & Louise inspire her to drop her former husband’s last name, it caused Townsend to launch a research project to see if other viewers also had strong emotional responses to the film. Email was not available so a press release went out to magazines and newspapers across the country. A few printed the short blurb about the project, leading to readers requesting questionnaires. Most mailed their responses to Townsend, while some responded by voicemail on a dedicated phone line. “I had planned to write a lengthy article about the responses and what the film had meant to me, but it just didn’t feel like the right time to put it all together,” Townsend recalls. “Decades later a lightening bolt struck. Those responses should become a film. I liken it to when Thelma & Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri told an audience the story came to her all at once, like getting punched in the heart. It was the same thing for me.” So this retiree in her 70s set out to make her very first film. Two Films/One Powerful Story Townsend’s efforts paid off. Her documentary, Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise, had its world premeiere at the Cinema At The Edge (CATE) film festival in 2017. Clips from Thelma & Louise serve as a catalyst for personal stories by viewers who were impacted by the film, as well as two of the male actors (Christopher McDonald and Marco St. John) and film editor Thom Noble. Those appearing in the …
