'Freeheld' wins for best documentary short award
Pension-benefits battle wins Academy Award
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer
Filmmaker Cynthia Wade thought she was calm and collected before the winner of the Academy Awards "Best Documentary Short Subject" was announced on Feb. 25

"The filmmakers behind me were getting really nervous," she said. "I said 'We are all really good filmmakers and this is getting silly.' It was getting out of proportion. Then I heard my husband scream. He never screams. He pushed me from zero to 60."

Then she screamed.Wade's film "Freeheld" took the Oscar for the category.

The 38-minute film chronicles Lt. Laurel Hester's battle with rapidly advancing lung cancer and a stubborn Ocean County Board of Freeholders. Board members balk at letting her leave the pension benefits she accrued over her 24-year career as a law enforcement officer in the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office to Stacie Andree, her partner of many years. The freeholders stonewalled Hester for several months and cited financial concerns.

In the end, they relented, after a phone call from Gov. Jon Corzine. Hester died at 49 several weeks later.

Wade said she thought "Freeheld" might win, but she knew the film faced strong competition from the four other nominated films in the category.

"I felt we had a strong chance, because we've won 13 awards and it's been a very topical story," she said. "'Freeheld' started at Sundance and won there and it has had a really strong year. But until you hear those words, you never know."

"Freeheld" could not have been made without the help of Dane Wells, Hester's police partner back in the 1980s.

"He was absolutely critical," Wade said. "Dane held the key to Laurel and Stacie. Dane was being approached by a lot of media makers when this was going on. For some reason, Dane trusted my voice and let me in when other people were not getting in."

StacieAndree attended the awards ceremony with Wade. She wore a locket around her neck with some of Hester's ashes inside. She was clutching the locket when the winner was announced.

"I am so glad that a part of Laurel was with us," Andree said. "The award brings more attention to the cause. Seeing all the movie stars was amazing, but I am ready to go back to my quiet life in New Jersey."