Plan F
Casey Hayward

For Ed Marko, being an occupational therapist was “Plan A” but, at the age of twenty, he lost his eyesight to a degenerative disease. Undaunted by his unexpected disability, Marko continued for a while to work as a therapist, but Plan B didn’t exactly work out, and eventually C, D and E turned out to be dead ends as well. By the time he got to Plan F, though, Marko had figured out what was going to be his life’s work: running his own auto repair shop in Cincinnati.

Modest, gruff, and down-to-earth, Ed Marko makes an unlikely hero. He says that he can’t understand why anybody would be interested in his story. The film follows his daily routine as he deals with piles of parts, a pesky cat, uncooperative employees, and the tangled insides of his customers’ cars. As he copes with nuts, bolts, wrenches and bearings, touch — using his tongue as well as his fingers — substitutes for eyes that no longer do their jobs. Plan F offers an engaging visual demonstration of the power of recovery and reinvention when life forces a change of plans.

DVD version has both closed-captions and audio description.

25 minutes
© 2007
Purchase $199 DVD
Order No. QA-495
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-966-5

Awards & Conference Screenings
Southern Winds Film Festival,
Best Short Doc Nomination
Oxford International Film Festival,
Cinematography Award
International Communication Association Conference
River's Edge Film Festival
Athens Film and Video Festival
Indianapolis International Film Festival
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
WorldFest Houston Film Festival, Silver Award

Related Films
Edges of Perception: Eleven-year-old Jessica has Stargardt's, an inherited eye disease. She is legally blind, but with the calm, determined support of her parents and teachers she attends a regular classroom, plays soccer, and is a serious runner. She wants to meet her inspiration, Marla Runyan, a legally blind Olympic runner who also has Stargardt's.

White Cane and Wheels: Carmen and Steve once dreamed of lives on stage and screen, but their plans were cut short by her blindness and his muscular dystrophy. This program is a funny and touching exploration of a relationship filled with frustration, but held together with patience, stubbornness, forgiveness and love.

Acting Blind: Takes audiences behind the scenes as a company of non-professional actors rehearse a play about life without sight. The performers have no problem imagining themselves in these roles: they are blind themselves.

To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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