Lakewood Filmmaker Brings His Movie Home

Adam White has taken his new film about the Tuskegee Airmen around the country.

Now the Lakewood man is bringing it home to Northeast Ohio.

“Rise Above” will be screened at the Cleveland National Airshow, from Sept. 3 through Sept. 5.

The film was produced by White’s company, Hemlock Films, for the Red Tail Squadron, a branch of the Commemorative Air Force Museum. 

White said his film is meant to educate people about the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first African-American fighter pilots who trained and fought during WWII. 

The entire film is shown in a state-of-the-art mobile theater; completed with a 170 degree curved screen to put you in the airplane — with actual aerial photography footage from the era.

White said the movie was based on a film he produced in 2007 for PBS called “Red Tail Reborn.” 

“The museum featured in that film then wanted me to do something more, something more immersive,” he said. “I've always had an interest when it came to warbirds, and aviation. As I met folks in the Airshow world, I learned more about the Tuskegee Airmen and the CAF museum and knew there was a story there — a good story that had little exposure back four years ago.”

Many of the scenes from “Rise Above” were shot in Cleveland, using area actors and crew. The remaining material was filmed in Minneapolis and Virginia. 

“While it has been personally rewarding to work on material like this, there's a great satisfaction to utilize the talented actors and crew people in Northeast Ohio,” White said. “Each time I produce a film here, those folks make me look pretty good.”