Skin On Skin: The Rise & Fall Of The World's Largest Furrier (©2024) Fully Let Out Films, LLC 1 of 3
Skin On Skin: The Rise & Fall Of The World's Largest Furrier
Skin On Skin: The Rise & Fall of the World's Largest Furrier is a psychological examination of the people that contributed to creating and destroying an empire.
The story is told by 40 different people involved; Meltzer family members, former Evans Furs Employees & industry partners. Each scene is analyzed by two psychologists, helping us to dig into the WHY of it all.
An empire stitched from glamour and grief, built on silence, undone by time.
For every family still living with what was never said out loud.
Flawed. Imperfect. Fallible. How could they have not seen this coming?
All the glass ceilings they broke; empires they built; none of it could shield them from the tragedies to come. And each time another one would happen, the Meltzer family community would yet again be transformed.
It looks glamourous and perfect, envious even, from the outside looking in, but it isn't.
Thus, may I present, a tragic love letter to my grandmother, her siblings and all descendants that would come along afterwards.
In 1912, after having been 'sold' into marriage by her brothers but now with three children, my maternal great grandparents, Rose & her husband, Julius Meltzer decided to run from their troubles by going to America.
You can run but you can not hide and naturally, old as well as new troubles tagged along.
Things would not go as planned when Rose's depression sends her reeling, thereby infecting the entire family along the way, but each of her then six children would respond to the ensuing abandonment in vastly different ways with vastly different outcomes, thereby forcing an examination of obvious questions; does money care who has it? Which influences outcomes more; genetics or environment? And is there only one direction you can go when you get to the top of the highest peak?
Directors
Scott Hunter
Writers
Scott Hunter
Producers
Scott Hunter
Key Cast
Rose Meltzer, Julius Meltzer, A.L. Meltzer, Herman Meltzer, Thelma Meltzer Sussman, Harold Sussman, David Meltzer
Don't miss PARTS 2 & 3 of this three-part award-winning documentary series!
Also, a deep-dive with writer, director Scott Hunter & the 60-part source material companion PODCAST series in support of the film begins here: youtube.com/@skinonskindocumentary
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scott hunterDirectorwriter, producer, director - https://youtu.be/58ifyr4mZtU
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scott hunterWriterThe Illumination Project(2015)
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scott hunterProducer
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Rose MeltzerKey Cast
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Julius MeltzerKey Cast
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A.L. MeltzerKey Cast
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Herman MeltzerKey Cast
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Thelma Meltzer SussmanKey Cast
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Harold SussmanKey Cast
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David MeltzerKey Cast
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Runtime:1 hour 41 minutes
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Completion Date:September 27, 2024
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Production Budget:5,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Language:English
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Student Project:No
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Liftoff Global NetworkLondon
United Kingdom
October 7, 2024
Official Selection -
Lift-Off Global NetworkAustin, Texas
United States
April 2, 2025
North American Online Premiere
Official Selection -
Total Hifi Experience (T.H.E.) Film FestivalRound Rock, TX
United States
May 3, 2025
BEST COMPOSITION IN FILM AWARD -
Indie Film AwardsStandish
United Kingdom
September 26, 2025
Official Selection -
International Celebration of CinemaStandish
United Kingdom
November 28, 2025
Official Selection -
Megaflix Movie AwardsStandish
United Kingdom
November 7, 2025
Official Selection -
Lift-Off Global Network Toronto Film FestivalToronto
Canada
June 2, 2025
Canadian Premiere
Official Selection -
Athens International Monthly Arts & Film FestivalAthens
Greece
June 2, 2025
Greek Premiere
HONORABLE MENTION -
South Film and Arts Academy FestivalSantiago
Chile
June 17, 2025
South American Premiere
BEST SCREENPLAY FEATURE FILM -
Lift-Off Global Network NY Film FestivalNew York
United States
July 1, 2025
New York Premiere
Official Selection -
Florence Film AwardsFlorence
Italy
Italian Premiere
Official Selection -
Royal Starr Film FestivalBirmingham, Michigan
United States
September 10, 2025
Midwest Premiere
Official Selection -
East Village New York Film FestivalNew York
United States
July 25, 2025
New York Live Premiere
FINALIST -
T.I.F.A. Tiete International Film AwardsSao Paulo
Brazil
July 25, 2025
Brazil Premiere
Official Selection -
Lift-Off Global Network L.A. Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
August 1, 2025
Official Selection -
Silicon Beach FestivalLos Angeles
United States
September 5, 2025
Hollywood Premiere
Official Selection -
Five Continents International Film Fest
August 5, 2025
Venezuelan Premiere
Official Selection -
Lift-Off Global Network Sydney Film FestivalSydney
Australia
September 1, 2025
Australian Premiere
Official Selection -
Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting FestivalLas Vegas
United States
November 7, 2025
Las Vegas Premiere
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Distribution Information
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in search of distributor and funding to produce docu-bio limited series...
Through deep personal and professional examination, Scott Hunter learned about how tyranny from generations ago was affecting him and thus potentially, others in his extended family.
30 years after having been jettisoned by his cousin from his family business where he worked for over twenty years and looking to revisit the people, places, things and events that led to his ouster and eventually the entire organizations' downfall, Scott Hunter and over three dozen others convene to tell their stories, which when stitched together, provide a complete picture of The Rise & Fall of the World's Largest Furrier.
The story of a company where generations of family members followed in relatives footsteps seeking to also capture the glories, fame and fortunes of yesteryear that they subsequently discovered existed no longer.
But, second and third generations statistically kill more family businesses than they perpetuate and, combined with that Meltzer culture infecting every aspect of the business, a perfect storm of changes in society, along with internal family ownership squabbles and a rapidly advancing anti-fur climate, the Evans Fur Company succumbed to multiple pressures, closing 70-years after its' founding by Scott Hunter's Great Uncles.
Skin On Skin: The Rise & Fall of the World's Largest Furrier is Scott's first foray into documentary film, combining all of the skills he learned in multiple business ventures, most unsuccessfully with similar outcomes, which forced him into an examination of, "is it me?"
And this is what he found ....
Multi-generational tyranny, leading to a series of statistically impossible tragedies over a seventy-year period, when combined with my subsequent failures after being kicked out of my family business, forced me to examine my life and that of my family, sending me back in time to look at where it all originated and this is that story; a story which has thus altered the course of my life.
It's not about the places, it's about the people; the people whose blood, sweat and tears helped a visionary build something improbable at the most inopportune of times, the depression era of 1929-1934.
In the end, the people, more than the times wiped out an empire, because yes, I discovered that, when you get to the top of the highest peak, without complete unity, there's only one direction you can go!
So, grab some popcorn, a drink, probably you'll need a tissue and take a journey with me that I've wanted to tell for over twenty years, but wasn't prepared emotionally until now to do so.
Time and time again, I keep coming back to, "genetics loads the gun, but it's the environment that pulls the trigger."
This is a journey I've spent over 5,000 hours on, reconstructing the events as told by the people who lived them; over three dozen of them.
