Mid-America Emmy Award-winning Fair Field Productions, whose series of historical films about Fairfield have garnered both popular and critical acclaim, is premiering its latest documentary in June. The last film focused on Parsons College and won five awards at the Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards Gala. Fair Field Productions’ latest film, When Maharishi Came to Town, premieres June 20–22 at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, and promises to be another not-to-be missed experience.
“Most of our premieres have been packed,” says producer and director Dick DeAngelis. “We’ve earned a lot of trust from the City of Fairfield and Jefferson County. We try to tell it straight up. In other words, we don’t take sides. We just tell the history of Fairfield.” And to make sure the film is accessible to everyone, the premiere weekend showings are free.
A community-based, volunteer-supported, nonprofit, Fair Field Productions has produced six comprehensive documentary films as part of the Fairfield History Series, spearheaded by DeAngelis, director of photography Jason Strong, and sound editor Tim Britton. The creation of these documentaries is supported by over 100 local volunteer historians, researchers, movie makers, and storytellers. The Fairfield History Series provides a compelling and insightful window onto the past.
DeAngelis feels that their Parsons College documentary and this current film are two sides of the same coin, illustrating the changing history of the college presence in Fairfield, and the impact both universities have had on the town and the state.
When Maharishi Came To Town covers the period 1972–1975, when MIU was first started in Santa Barbara, California, Parsons’s closing in 1972, MIU’s purchase of the campus in 1974, and Maharishi’s visit to the campus in 1975.
DeAngelis and his team have done extensive research, using rare archival footage and interviewing many people involved in the early days of MIU. The film begins with how the closing of Parsons affected Fairfield and gives some background on Transcendental Meditation as a growing cultural phenomenon popularized by the Beatles and the Beach Boys, with snippets of interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Mike Love.
The narrative then alternates between townsfolk and MIU transplants, providing a nuanced picture of this historic experience. Fair Field Productions interviewed MIU founding president Keith Wallace and notable townsfolk such as Martha Rasmussen and Ron Hunerdosse, as well as some of the earliest students, who arrived from Santa Barbara. “I think a lot of people are going to be really surprised,” says DeAngelis. “The people we interviewed are pretty candid. We have this conservative town, mourning the loss of a college. They’re hopeful about a new college coming. But it was a culture shock. The world didn’t know much about meditation or yoga back then—it was really new and different for Fairfield.”
The film gives a candid look at the resulting culture clashes, as well as instances of outreach and understanding.
DeAngelis says audiences will “get a peek behind the curtain as to what was really going on and why some of the things were the way they were.” He adds, “The whole goal of the Fairfield History Series is to bring more unity—to bring knowledge and information about our past and present, to help us appreciate our geographical ancestors, to learn what shaped our history, and to give insight into the motivations of those around us.”