Charles Abelmann’s latest release of two short documentaries, “Call Me Waya” and “Shifting Paths” illustrate the diversity of his work in crossing borders and cultures to bridge our understanding of the human experience with internal and external challenges. As a new comer to filmmaking after a long career in international development and education leadership, Abelmann’s films are being critically celebrated for their insight and impact, informed by his understanding of both child and adult development. Both his new films look at multi-generational perspectives to understand family but with totally different approaches and in different cultures. Abelmann, a Duke and Harvard alum, values the documentary form to contribute to global and historical understanding, celebrating individual narrative.
Luray, VA, United States, 2nd Apr 2025 – Charles Abelmann’s documentary,
“Call Me Waya” has its world premiere on Saturday April 5th at the Quad Cinema in NYC. The NYC festival has received significant news coverage for the quality of their programming over the last 25 years and discovering new and emerging talent. “Call Me Waya” provides an intimate look into the life of an octogenarian outsider artist, Julian Espinosa Rebollido — also known as Wayacón or Waya. Despite his age, he is prolific, producing fantastical, childlike work that often incorporates found materials, a necessary approach reflecting the state of widespread scarcity in Cuba. The film reflects Wayacón’s extensive body of work, his struggle with substance abuse, his volatile relationship with his family, and the role of Sandra Levinson of the Center for Cuban Studies in bringing Cuban art to the United States and beyond. Abelmann partnered with the Cuban artists for filming and music composition.
“Call Me Waya” is a compelling portrait of self-taught Cuban artist Wayacón (Julian Espinosa Rebollido), weaving together themes of creative resilience, the realities of his context, and a lifetime of work on the fringes of the art world. The film resonates with broad audiences and students alike, showcasing Wayacón’s ability to transform discarded materials into profound expressions of life and memory.”
– Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford Co-Director Chicago Floating Museum and Associate Professor Indiana University Northwest
To know more about “Call Me Waya” visit:
“We are thrilled this April to have A World Premiere of “Call Me Waya“ at the esteemed Havana Film Festival New York (HFFNY) followed by a showing at the Gibara Film Festival in Cuba (Festival Internacional De Cine Gibara) and a community showing in the town where Wayacón lives, Remedios. I make movies to let audiences enter the life experience of others to deepen understanding of our universal hopes and challenges,” says Abelmann.
Abelmann also just released a compelling historical documentary – “Shifting Paths” on his family and their out of Germany path to the United States in 1939.
“Shifting Paths” is a multi-generational story of resilience, tracing the impact of Aryanization on the Abelmann family and how Kamillosan—a once-banned chamomile medicinal product—survives today, though few know of its origins. Abelmann’s grandfather, Arthur Abelmann, founded the Chemiewerk in Bad Homburg Germany in 1920. After Hitler’s rise to power, the Doctors’ Association banned all of Abelmann’s medical products, forcing his grandfather to sell a family business and to send his family to Switzerland on the eve of Boycott Saturday, April 1, 1933. By using first-person narratives, family photographs, letters, and archival footage, the film juxtaposes Frankfurt’s vibrant Jewish life with the rise of the Nazi regime. The film showcases resilience, Jewish heritage, and collective memory, exploring themes of loss, privilege, survivor’s guilt, and discrimination. By preserving personal and historical archives, it underscores the importance of remembering the past to better understand contemporary struggles with immigration and human rights.
“Shifting Paths shows a touching and illuminating multi-generational story about the director’s grandfather’s dispossession of his Frankfurt factory in 1933 and his father’s refugee experience. Using a remarkable range of fortuitously preserved documents and photos, it connects us to a past at once still visible and tangible yet almost lost to the people who live where it happened. The film also is a shining example for us today of what can come of American openness to refugees.”
– Professor Peter Hayes, Northwestern University professor and chair of the Academic Committee of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
To know more about “Shifting Paths” visit:
http://www.abelmannfilms.com
Abelmann brings his experience in education research, policy and practice to his viewpoint as a filmmaker. Abelmann’s career includes work at the World Bank and being the head of school at various public and private schools. An alumnus of Duke University and the Harvard GraduateSchool of Education, Abelmann brings a new perspective to directing and producing documentaries that invoke reflection, dialogue, and action. Abelmann’s earlier film “English Hustle”is part of the esteemed library of New Day Films, a democratically-run cooperative since 1971, renowned for its expansive network of more than 140 filmmaker members.
For further details, connect with Charles Abelmann at cabelmann@gmail.com or
Visit https://www.abelmannfilms.com, https://www.callmewaya.com and
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-abelmann/< /a>.
All films are available for community, university, and school presentations.
