SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass.—The screening of the new, award-winning documentary “Sight–The Story of Vision” was just one of the special events at this year’s Opticians Association of Massachusetts (OAM) fall meeting, which featured an appearance by the film’s director, writer and producer Kris Koenig, along with advisors, David Fleischman, MD and Mark Mattison-Shupnick.

Koenig used the opportunity to bestow two of the film’s three peer-reviewed Telly Awards given for cinematography, documentary and writing to Dr. Fleischman and Mark Mattison-Shupnick for their respective contributions. Mattison-Shupnick is the director of education for the Jobson Optical Group.

OAM executive director Blair Wong said, “As an early supporter of the Sight project, the OAM is very excited to host the Massachusetts premiere of the documentary that has recently aired on many public television stations across the U.S., and we feel honored to be joined by Kris and David, along with Mark.”

The Telly Awards, founded in 1979 to honor excellence in local, regional and cable TV commercials, also recognizes non-broadcast video and TV programs. The awards are among the most sought-after by industry leaders, from large international firms to local production companies and ad agencies. Judges are top advertising and production professionals.

“It is important for me to point out,” said Koenig, “that the film is part of a greater interlinked learning media project that also includes a second-screen mobile app that is used to deliver additional content while watching the film, a companion planetarium film, called “Seeing,” made for full dome planetariums and, a phenomenal eBook written by Mark with tons of information to supplement the content of the film.”

The documentary’s premiere at the OAM fall meeting was supported by some of Sight’s main sponsors, Zeiss and Luxottica. Luxottica provided the attendees with copies of the eBook using fun spectacle shaped flash drives while Zeiss offered guided tours through the nearby Optical Heritage Museum (OHM).

Vision Monday has covered the Sight project extensively, with a summary of the film’s scope and sponsors as well as a look at public television showings for the documentary, which is narrated by Sir Elton John. “Seeing, A Photons Journey Across Space, Time and Mind” is a 22-minute full-immersion planetarium program, which uses 4D animations and video to teach how human vision works. The Planetarium program will be distributed free to 1,500 planetariums around the world through the International Planetarium Society. The documentary is available on DVD.

Zeiss veteran and OHM director Dick Whitney emphasized the importance of the education classes and workshops for opticians offered by the OAM at their seasonal meetings, attended this year by over 300 hundred opticians and close to 40 exhibiting corporate partners.

(L to R) Advisor David Fleischman, MD; Dick Whitney, Zeiss veteran and OHM director; Jobson’s Mark Mattison-Shupnick;
and filmmaker Kris Koenig. 		Opticians Association of Massachusetts’ corporate partners, outside the Southbridge American Optical Co. building.
Whitney gives guests a tour of the Optical Heritage Museum in Southbridge, Mass. (L to R) Koenig, Fleischman and Shupnick sign copies of the new “Sight” documentary’s DVDs.
“Sight” director and producer Kris Koenig presents a prestigious Telly Award to Mark Mattison-Shupnick, Jobson Optical Group’s director of education. The OAM Education Meeting.