Tara Conley (right) laugh's with Darlene Sanders, Ike Maxwell's sister, after a showing of Conley's film "Dry Bones" about Ike's story at the Karamu House Theater in Cleveland. Friday, Feb. 6. | Credit: OWEN MACMILLAN / CHRONICLE

CLEVELAND — The story of Elyria legend Ike Maxwell, long told and frequently misunderstood, appeared on the silver screen for the first time Friday, as Tara Conley’s film “Dry Bones” had its debut public screening.

Conley’s film tells the story of Maxwell’s historic football career at Elyria High School, his often troubled life after the game and the death of his brother at the hands of a white police officer in 1975 which shook the Maxwell family and Elyria to their cores.

Conley is an Elyria native, and she enlisted the help of local historians, Elyria residents and Maxwell’s family to create the film over the course of five years.

Ike himself was unable to attend the screening, but several of his relatives were present.

“It is a beautiful thing to see – I am trying not to get emotional,” Ike’s daughter Angela Maxwell said. “I am very excited, we have heard these stories my entire life, but to be able to to see them in a movie is a good thing. It will bring it all together.”

Angela said she and her brothers, Marcus and Omar Maxwell, were appreciative that Conley had told their family’s story, and that so many people still cared.

The screening was held at Karamu House Theater in Cleveland and hosted by The Greater Cleveland Film Commission.

Juli Johnson Piller, the film commission’s development and communications director, said that "Dry Bones" was selected as the organization’s Film Forward Documentary Spotlight showing in part because the organization wanted to share more stories from Lorain County.

“Growing up in Elyria, I went to Elyria High and I had never heard of Ike,” Johnson Piller said. “But after watching the film and learning more about this guy, I was like why don’t we hear about him? In our little hall of fame area in the school, why isn’t his name here? So we wanted to be a part of amplifying his story and making sure he gets the recognition he deserves while he is still here.”

Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.