Published: August 02, 2008 08:00 pm      

Madonna: film was 'journey of lifetime'

TRAVERSE CITY -- World-famous superstar Madonna made a warm and much-welcomed return to her home state.

"There's a lot of poetic things about me being here ...," Madonna told a packed State Theatre crowd Saturday night. "You know what they say. You can take the girl out of Michigan, but you can't take the Michigan out of the girl."

The evening started with a festive atmosphere under the strong sun as ticket-holders awaited Madonna's arrival outside the Front Street movie house in downtown Traverse City. The scene turned into a raucous reception under the State's starlit ceiling when the star strode on stage. Madonna's appearance to show her documentary film "I Am Because We Are" headlined the Traverse City Film Festival.

Festival founder and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore called the night "historic," praised Madonna's film and lauded her decision to adopt a boy from Malawi. Then, with a nod to her Michigan ties, Moore introduced her to a star-struck audience.

"So without further ado, from Bay City, Michigan, via Adams High School in Rochester, Michigan, please welcome to Traverse City, Madonna," Moore shouted to thunderous applause.

Wearing a demure black dress, Madonna thanked Moore for "inspiring" her and for "going against the grain." She also complimented the sell-out, 540-seat crowd and the northern Michigan surroundings.

"I don't get here enough," she said. "Every time I get here, and I see familiar trees and geography it does make me feel a sense of comfort. So, it's great to be bringing my movie to a place that I feel familiar."

Her father, Leelanau County winemaker Tony Ciccone, was also in attendance.

Madonna said the first person she wanted to see her documentary was Moore. His feedback at first rubbed her the wrong way, but ultimately his advice "was the turning point of the film," she said. Moore encouraged her to make the film a record of her "personal journey," she said.

"I Am Because We Are" is written, narrated and produced by Madonna and directed by Nathan Rissman. It exposes the struggles of Malawi, including disease, poverty, lack of educational opportunities and more than one million orphaned children. There's Fred, who tells the camera, "Everyone needs parents;" Wezi, who is fighting HIV/AIDS; and so many other children, little ones who know suffering and yet hope for something more.

Madonna's narration makes minimal references to her personal life. She mentions her own mother's death when Madonna was a young girl. The film also shows brief footage of David, the Malawian boy she adopted. His health was poor, he had no medicine and Madonna asks in the film, "What was I prepared to do?"

During the film she also talks about how everyone is connected, that each and all are "children of the world."

Madonna was drawn to the African country, in part, because, "It seemed like a country that had hope," Rissman said, after a press screening Friday.

Rissman is Madonna's former gardener and nanny, and the documentary is his directorial debut. About 300 hours of footage didn't make it into the 86-minute film. Drawing a wide audience to see "I Am Because We Are" was a main goal of the filmmakers. It's been shown at the Tribeca and Cannes film festivals.

"That's one of the reasons why we are at this film festival, is because, you know, it's not a film for elitists or a certain group," Rissman said on Friday.

The $25 tickets to the Traverse City screenings sold out in a flash. The estimated $25,000 in proceeds will go to Madonna's charity Raising Malawi and used to help start a girls' academy in the African country, said Philippe Van Den Bossche, the agency's executive director.

Moore said Madonna would return to the stage following the screening to answer questions. While on stage before the film, Madonna kept the laughs flowing from the adoring crowd with jokes about Michigan accents and by trading barbs with Moore about his poor break-dancing skills. But she also expressed how important the documentary is to her.

"This movie means so much to me for so many reasons," she said. "Making this film was a journey of a lifetime."