My wife, Bill Perkins (a.k.a. the wife of the late, great, Michael J. Fox), is a writer, musician, and poet. She is the wife of my best friend, David Kaufman, who died last year. I first met Bill at the New York Film Festival in 2000. It was a truly special memory.
Bill was so brilliant that I don’t even know how he did it. I think he probably just had an incredibly active imagination and wasn’t afraid to use it. His ability to think of stuff that sounded like other stuff and make it sound new and fresh and fresh and new and all that jazz made his stories so interesting.
The last time I talked to Bill was before the last time I saw him was during a very sad time for him. He had just lost his best friend, David Kaufman. I loved him so much and he was such a wonderful person. I miss him everyday and I will always think of him whenever I think of the New York Film Festival.
The last time we talked, I mentioned David had been dead for a while. It was almost like he died in a way. It was like he was living in a dream. That is how I felt at the time. I saw him and went to his funeral and was so sad I couldn’t stop crying. I cried so hard I had to sit down and rest.
David was a wonderful person. A loving father, a friend, a brother. He died suddenly of a heart attack a few years ago. I wish he was still alive to take part in this film festival. It was such a nice way to share my friend David’s life with everyone. To me, he was a real hero. He was a guy who just really loved life, and that is what movie festivals are all about.
Davids family was very close and it is hard to imagine how sad it would be to not be able to attend his funeral. We, as a family, are lucky to have found a way to honor his life and his memory. We have a special place in our hearts for David and hope to be able to see the film festival.
I don’t know for sure if this is a tribute to David, but if it is, I’m glad for Davids family. I hope to see the movie festival someday.
I think there is something special about seeing David’s entire family together on a single screen. It was an incredibly moving experience for us. We have lost a wonderful friend but we are all here in spirit.
That is exactly how we felt. We were very lucky to have known David and we are very lucky to have be allowed to see his film festival. We are honored to be there.