Legendary DP Haskell Wexler is the subject of son Mark’s film ?Tell Them Who You Are’ at Doc Fest

Mark Wexler exposes his often-stormy relationship with his father, legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler, in “Tell Them Who You Are,” the film that closes the Chicago International Documentary Festival April 10.

An accomplished photojournalist, Mark Wexler was hesitant to take on his father as a subject.

“My dad casts a big shadow,” Wexler said. “I didn’t want to step into his field and be compared with him.”

Haskell Wexler, now 83, shot such classics as “American Graffiti,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and cinematography Oscar-winners “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Bound for Glory.”

He directed the groundbreaking semi-doc “Medium Cool,” a controversial look at the violence and strife surrounding the anti-war movement and the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The Wexlers go head-to-head in “Tell Them Who You Are,” videotaping each other and hammering out their differences.

“People come up to me and say ?I haven’t spoken to my father in ten years, I’m going to call him up because of your film,'” Mark said. “I couldn’t ask for the film to accomplish more than that.”

Wexler self-financed the production, which shot over 18 months in 2003 and 2004. The film made the short list of 12 finalists for the best documentary Oscar.

“Tell Them Who You Are” premiered last year at the Venice Film Festival. THINKFilm (“Born into Brothels”) won the bidding war at the pic’s Toronto Film Festival North American premiere.

“[THINKFilm distribution head] Mark Urman was weeping and crying when he saw the movie in Toronto,” Wexler said. “After the movie ended he came up to myself and my representative and said ?I have to have this movie.'”

They plan an initial seven-city platform release, opening in Chicago May 15.

“Chicago is a key market given that my dad grew up there, I was born there, my grandfather was from there,” Wexler said. “There are a lot of references to Chicago in the movie, and old pictures of my dad in Chicago. He loves Chicago, as I do.”

Haskell Wexler’s film career spans nearly 50 features

Haskell Wexler comes from a wealthy Chicago family. He had two brothers, the late Yale, who had a youthful fling as a Hollywood actor, and the late Jerry, a real estate magnate (developer of Outer Drive East), who produced “Medium Cool,” and whose second wife, Susan, is Darryl Hannah’s mother.

He attended Berkley but dropped out after one year. During WWII he served as a merchant seaman and then returned to Chicago. Wexler and his father bought a Des Plaines armory and turned it into a film studio. The venture was unsuccessful and Wexler set out to learn about film production, beginning as a cameraman and eventually working up to cinematographer.

Although Wexler initiated his feature filmmaking career in 1959, he had been an in-demand cameraman on commercials, educational and industrial films. Even as he ascended into features, he had a local rep for commercials and was frequently hired by Leo Burnett to lens major ad campaigns.

Wexler was DP on nearly 50 films, and was cameraman for parts of 17 others. His filmography includes “The Hoodlum Priest” (1961), “Angel Baby” (1961), “The Best Man” (1964), “In The Heat of the Night” (1967), “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968), “Coming Home” (1978), “Matewan” (1987), “Colors” (1988), “The Babe” (1992), “Mulholland Falls” (1996), “The Secret of Roan Inish” (1994), “Limbo” (1999) and “Silver City” (2004).?RLR

Wexler, 47, who now lives in Santa Monica, moved here in the early ?90s to study documentary filmmaking with former Columbia College film department chair Michael Rabiger. (Rabiger will be honored with a Career Achievement Award at the doc festival.)

Originally intending to stay a couple months, Wexler remained here for a few years. While here he made his 1996 feature doc debut, “Me and My Matchmaker,” a portrait of Chicago Jewish matchmaker Irene Nathan.

Wexler worked as a photojournalist for more than 20 years, covering assignments for Time, Life, National Geographic, and The New York Times.

“As time went on, I felt a greater urgency to tell stories in a fuller way than stills can do,” Wexler said, “and I wanted to be able to collaborate with other people more.”

Wexler’s hour doc “Air Force One” debuted on PBS national in 2001.

The Chicago International Documentary Festival closing night reception is 6:30 p.m. April 10 at Northwestern University’s Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago. An awards presentations and screening of “Tell Them Who You Are” that Wexler will attend follows at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 for reception and screening, $15 for screening only. See www.chicagodocfestival.org or www.tellthemwhoyouare.com.