Filmmaker taps Mount Dora’s Van Gogh house for documentary

ABOVE: Lubek Jastrzebski and Nancy Nemhauser with their son Chip (center) in 2018.

What was once a hotly debated local topic has since become a popular landmark in Mount Dora, a quaint Central Florida city known for its artist community and charming historic district.  Mount Dora’s bold Van Gogh house, now a colorful icon of a David and Goliath story, took a year to settle and made headlines around the world.  Now a filmmaker who was intrigued upon hearing the story will begin filming a documentary later this month.  

Lee Montells, a veteran at producing television projects, was immediately drawn to the story after learning about it serendipitously by one of the two artists of the home’s murals.  Now Montells seeks to tell the story of how a simple code violation in a small town started a ripple of events that captured national and international headlines in his film “Starry Fight. A canvas to the world.”

The saga began in July, 2017, when Nancy Nemhauser and Lubek Jastrzebski commissioned a mural in the likeness of Van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night” painting on the perimeter wall of their property. The couple were parents of an autistic son, Chip, and the approximately 130-foot-long mural was to serve as a beacon in case he wandered off.  It isn’t uncommon for some autistic children to wander off, and once lost, and it can be difficult for them to communicate where they live. Chip’s parents hoped their son could tell people he lived in the VanGogh house if he ever couldn’t find his way home.

Known for its vibrant artist community, Mount Dora’s government came under fire when it erroneously cited the wall mural by Richard Barrenechea as being in violation of a graffiti ordinance  and advised the homeowners that the home’s perimeter walls must match the house. The city imposed costly fines that began adding up, and in a surprise move, the homeowners defiantly commissioned professional muralist Joe Starkweather to paint VanGogh murals on the entire house to match the wall mural in order to comply with the city’s order.  The ensuing litigation took a financial and physical toll on the couple, and at one point Nemhauser considered giving up the struggle.  Then she received a note from a young girl who urged her to keep up the fight and donated her allowance to help in the effort. The thoughtful support from the young girl was all the encouragement the couple needed to continue their defense, according to Nemhauser.  

After a year of costly litigation and public outcry, a settlement required that the city allow the mural to remain, reversed the fines, paid $15,000 toward the homeowners’ legal fees, and the mayor at the time, Nick Girone, had to issue a public apology.

Later this month, the filmmaker and his film crew will be in Mount Dora to conduct interviews with dozens of people directly and indirectly involved in the case, including Nemhauser, Jastrzebski and Girone. Other residents and subject-matter experts are also scheduled for interviews.  Montells hopes to locate the parents of the young girl who donated her allowance and unknowingly played a pivotal role in the making of one of Mount Dora’s landmarks.  He is also searching for local residents that signed and commented on the change.org petition related to the homeowners' efforts at the time.

​​For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit Mount Dora Buzz's website, its Instagram  and Facebook page.  Download the area's free mobile app for info on the go.  For local food recommendations, follow Mount Dora Foodie's Facebook and its official Instagram account.​

Sign up for Mount Dora Buzz