Last Flight Home
Director and Producer Ondi Timoner, Producers Jenny Hochberg and David Turner
Logline
When an ailing aviation innovator decides to medically end his own life, his close-knit Jewish family must discover how to lovingly honor his wishes while also grappling with their own doubts and fears as they enter unimaginable new terrain. During the 15 day waiting period dictated by California law, Eli Timoner and his loved ones retrace his remarkable but challenging journey to discover what true love looks like and help him shed the shame he’s carried for forty years—culminating in the Viduyi, a Jewish deathbed confessional. As documented by his middle child, Eli’s kin face their own wrenching challenges—from the rabbi daughter who must juggle her role, to the daughter and son who must mix and administer the lethal cocktail, to the wife who must negotiate a cavalcade of emotions. Shot in intimate verité, Last Flight Home is a visceral, cathartic meditation on what’s most important in our experience here on earth, how to come together as a family, and the grace that can emerge from embracing death.
This project was selected to participate in the JSP-Good Docs Education-Impact Program. To learn more about screening opportunities, click here.
Phase of Support: Post-Production
Project Links
Ondi Timoner - Director, Producer
Ondi Timoner is an internationally-acclaimed filmmaker whose work focuses on “impossible visionaries” (and LAST FLIGHT HOME is no different.) She has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice, for DIG! (2004) about the collision of art and commerce and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC (2009) about the loss of privacy online as predicted in a bunker in NY over the turn of the millenium. Both films were acquired by MoMA NY for its permanent collection. Since then, Ondi’s created award-winning films / series such as COOL IT about climate change, BRAND: A Second Coming about Russell Brand, JUNGLETOWN about an intentional community in remote Panama, COMING CLEAN about the opioid crisis, and MAPPLETHORPE a film she also wrote and produced about Robert Mapplethorpe starring Matt Smith (recommend the Director’s Cut on Hulu). She’s currently directing a feature about the disruption and decentralization of finance.
David Turner - Producer
David Turner began his career as the founder of Film Canopy, a sustainability-themed content production company, where he managed the business, and wrote, directed, shot, and edited narrative and documentary content. His interests in environmental sustainability and storytelling led him to Panama in 2016, where he worked with Interloper films to support production of the VICELAND documentary series, JUNGLETOWN (2017). He transitioned full-time to Interloper Films in 2018, where as a producer he’s been responsible for the development and production of various documentary feature and series projects, including the recently-released COMING CLEAN (2020) – a film about America’s opioid crisis, and upcoming Interloper series/feature documentaries BETWEEN US, REPLIKA and @WALLSTREETBETS.
Jenny Hochberg - Co-Producer
Co-Producer Jenny Hochberg started her career in Chicago working as a Documentary Content Producer for various clients covering live events and charitable foundations. She gained experience working for Documentary companies such as Ruthless Films and Jane Doe Films formally known as Chain Camera Pictures. She eventually transitioned to working for Interloper Films as an Associate Story Producer for working projects such as BETWEEN US, REPLIKA, and @WALLSTREETBETS.
Project logline and bios courtesy of the grantees.