NOMINEE: EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING - Emmy Awards® | Oscars Shortlist for Best Documentary Feature | THE UNFORGETTABLES - Cinema Eye Honors
End of Life • Death and Dying • Human Life and Human Dignity • Love and Human Connection • Jewish StudiesDate of Completion: 2021 | Run Time: 101 minutes | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript & Discussion Guide | Director: Ondi Timoner | Composer: Morgan Doctor | Story Producer: Jenny Hochberg
Behind a white picket fence, on an unremarkable suburban street, we discover Eli Timoner, who founded Air Florida, the fastest growing airline in the world in the 1970's. During his final days, we discover his extraordinary life filled with incredible success and devastating setbacks, and most importantly, an innate goodness which won him the enduring love and support of his family. Through stunning verité footage recorded by his middle child, LAST FLIGHT HOME takes audiences on a heart-wrenching ride through Timoner’s life, illustrating a modern day success story built on the power of human connection. Two-time winner of the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize (DIG!, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC) Ondi Timoner returns to the festival with an intensely intimate verité film about her family’s harrowing journey to find closure. As they open up their lives to offer an enlightening view of a universal experience, they demonstrate the grace and connection that can emerge from embracing death. Through laughter and joy, they share a lasting legacy which demonstrates how we might live, even as we die.
The film deals directly with the concepts of life and death and shows someone who has lived with physical pain for most of his life. Though these are difficult concepts, one of the messages of the film is to not shy away from them, they are important as much as they are heavy.
The Daily Show | Trevor Noah, Host
"You have captured a human being in a way that few films have captured anybody. You’ve told a story that I think millions of people, not just in America but around the world will connect with."
The New York Times | Ben Kenigsberg, Contributor
"Boundlessly humane [...] Amazingly intimate."
The Guardian | Peter Bradshaw, Film Critic
"Heartbreaking and unexpectedly complex."
IndieWire | David Ehrlich, Film Critic
"Warm, open, and unexpectedly gentle."
AWARDS
Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence | DOC NYC
Best Feature Documentary Award | Dallas International Film Festival
Filmmaker Impact Award | Hamptons Doc Fest
Best Documentary Feature | Woodstock Film Festival
KWFF Critics Award | Key West Film Fest
Best Documentary Feature Nominee | Girls on Film
Documentary Screenplay Nominee | Writers Guild of America
Audience Choice Prize Nominee | Cinema Eye Honors
The Unforgettables | Cinema Eye Honors
Documentary Feature Film Shortlist | Oscars
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking Nominee | Emmy Awards