Port Jeff Mayor Honors Client-9 Documentary Filmmakers

Todd and Jedd Wider–brothers who are originally from Setauket–screened their documentary film about Eliot Spitzer's downfall at April 3 during the Port Jefferson Documentary Film Series. The Wider brothers accepted a proclamation from Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant honoring them for their contribution to the Spring Port Jefferson Documentary Film Festival.

Client-9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer is just another in a series of films the Wider brothers produced with director Alex Gibney. They also worked with Gibney on the documentary Taxi to the Dark Side about the use of torture by the United States.

“It questioned our relationship to torture in the United States,” said Todd of the film.

As producers, the Wider brothers say they are attracted to social political themes. They say film can be a driving force to affect some positive change.

“In some way increase tolerance and awareness,” said Todd.

At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival the Widers have a new film screening called Semper Fi: Always Faithful about a Marine’s investigation into contamination and cover up on a military base in Lejeune, North Carolina that led to a number of cancer cases including his own daughter’s lukemia.

The Widers confirmed they producing another new documentary that will start filming soon. According to IMBD.com the next film in production for the Wider brothers is titled, A Time to Stir, a film that delves into the history of student protests starting with the Columbia student uprising in 1968. Neither Todd or Jedd confirmed that A Time to Stir was their next project saying that they didn't want to reveal the subject of their next film.

The brothers both graduated from Ward Melville High School and they attributed their love of movies to a film history class they both took while still in school.

“Ward Melville gave us both phenomenal education,” said Todd, a 1982 graduate who is now a doctor.

Jedd is a hedge-fund attorney and a 1985 graduate. He agreed that the school gave them both an edge, even in college. Both men went on from Ward Melville to attend Princeton as undergraduates, as did their father and sister.

Todd said that he also had fond memories of Theatre Three when it used to host dances and bands when he was in high school.

“I remember to going to this theater and there was a bar in the basement,” he said.

The brothers both live in New York City now but they said it was rewarding to come back to their hometown and especially to Theatre Three.

“We’re very honored,” Jedd said.