Bill von Zehle (pictured), stars in the documentary "Sergio"
The HBO award-winning documentary film “Sergio” will be presented by The Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society’s Documentary Film Series on Saturday, August 21, at 7:30 p.m. at The Playhouse. The special guests for the post-screening Q&A are U.S. Army Master Sgt. William von Zehle, who stars in the documentary, and HBO producer Nancy Abraham. Von Zehle is a Ridgefield resident and former Wilton Fire Chief (1987 – 2002).
He has been a volunteer fireman with the Ridgefield Fire Department since 2002 in between his Army active duty time in Iraq and Afghanistan. This film is part of The Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society’s Documentary Film Series and is sponsored by The Ridgefield Press, HBGroup, Sony XDCAM HD and Cohen and Wolf, P.C.
“Sergio” is the story of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nation’s “Go-To- Guy” who is described as a cross between James Bond and Bobby Kennedy. On August 19, 2003, a terrorist bomb struck UN headquarters in Baghdad, marking the first time the world organization had become the target of terrorism. The documentary features harrowing testimony from Sergio’s fiancée and from U.S. Army Master Sgt. Bill von Zehle, a military paramedic who risked his own life to save Sergio Vieira de Mello. The film includes footage shot on the day of the bombing and vivid reenactments of the rescue attempt.
With visceral immediacy, documentary director Greg Barker recreates the events of that infamous day that shocked the world. As the story goes, Sergio de Mello was about to finally settle down with the woman he loved when the call came in 2003 to rise to the occasion and handle yet another crisis. Persuaded by Kofi Anaan, Condoleezza Rice, and Tony Blair, Sergio reluctantly became the U.N. Ambassador to Iraq, his most treacherous post and a mission in which his own life would hang in the balance. Sergio Vieira de Mello, the charismatic and complex UN “High Commissioner for Human Rights”, could descend into the most dangerous places, charm the worst war criminals and protect the lives of the ordinary people to whom he devoted his life. Based on Pulitzer Prize winner Samantha Power’s biography, Sergio: One Man’s Fight to Save the World, the documentary is a poignant portrait of the dashing U.N. diplomat who served in the United Nations for more than 30 years.
For reserved and general admission tickets for “Sergio” ($10 adults, $7.50 seniors, $5 students under 18) and additional information about The Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society programs, call the box office at 203-438-5795, or go online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main St., Ridgefield, CT 06877.
