Pigs fly at JFF

Jacksonville Film Festival
Monday, May 21, 2007
Pigs fly at JFF
Vic Micolucci

Lory Yazurlo (center) and her family attended both screenings of "When Pigs Fly" at the Jacksonville Film Festival.


Lory Yazurlo has seen more disasters than most. Life as she knew it ended by way of a trucking accident in 1991. Lory barely escaped death but not quadriplegia in the wreck while driving an eighteen- wheeler for CSX. Everyone has their own way of dealing with tragedy.

Lory’s way has been one of care and service, but it’s what she devotes her life to everyday that sets her apart.

Last week at the Jacksonville Film Festival, Lory and her family sat in front of the screen in the Jacksonville Main Library Auditorium.

The family was there to watch the featured documentary about their life, “When Pigs Fly.” The independent nonfiction film that took over 3 years gives a unique glimpse into the life and psyche of a woman who, confined to a motorized wheelchair, has dedicated her life and property to harboring pigs. The movie gives true-life, non- sugarcoated testament to one woman’s life living with over 800 hogs.

It also shows the effects on Lory’s family, especially her mother Charlene, her tireless primary caretaker.

After the accident, CSX awarded Lory a living and medical allowance, a 20-acre piece of land with a trailer in Bunnell, Florida, and a custom-modified van in workman’s compensation. Medical care and support checks soon dropped off. The movie outlines the problem of declining funds from the company since the initial payoff. Today, Lory’s mother, Charlene, and the family worry about paying for Lory’s (and the pigs’) expenses. The dark clouds looming over the Yazurlo family have caused strife and Lory’s mind to flirt with depression.

No one knows what would happen if Lory wasn’t able to be with her pigs anymore. As the company continually threatens to completely drop Lory’s case, the future looks gloomy.

The filmmaker, Eric Breitenbach, tried to develop an intimate relationship with Lory and her family in the taping process. But that does not mean he didn’t show problems and controversies. “I didn’t like the film at first until I started to see people’s reactions to it,” said Lory at the screening. “[Being the main character of the movie] made me very uncomfortable.”

After the initial butterflies, the family has grown to see the film as an opportunity for Lory. Though the producer Breitenbach says there is still a $10,000 production debt from the movie, recent showings and publicity have increased donations and volunteers. The family hopes the movie will help support Lory’s makeshift ranch and help in the constant workman’s comp fight with CSX. After an impressive showing at the Jacksonville Film Festival, audience- members offered services and even a computer. One woman said she would picket in front of the CSX building on Jacksonville’s northbank to protest the company’s treatment of Lory.

The family sees the movie as their best weapon in getting better treatment from the CSX company. It’s hopes are that the film will touch viewers’ hearts and urge them to help Lory and the Yazurlo family in any way possible.

For more information, visit whenpigsflythemovie.com.