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Industry News

1 Apr , 2003  

Written by Chris Cooke | Posted by:

David E. Kelly's latest CBS pilot; a new film by Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment; a David Kleiler/Jeff Iwinicki documentary; and more... A report of news & events in the local industry for April 2003.

Email news to news@newenglandfilm.com

In the News

Filming began mid-March in Plymouth, New Hampshire, for David E. Kelley’s (of "Allie McBeal" and "Boston Public" fame) CBS television pilot, "Brotherhood of Poland, N.H." Randy Quaid, John Carroll Lynch, and Brian Haley play three brothers of high standing in a small New England town. Quaid plays the police chief and Lynch the mayor. All three brothers struggle with inner demons, family turmoil, and mid-life dissatisfaction. Long-time Kelley collaborator Michael Pressman is directing.

Several New England states are competing with each other (and Canada) to land the film "Empire Falls," based on Richard Russo’s prize-winning novel about the troubles of a diner owner in a depressed mill town in Maine. There is no director yet on board for the film, an HBO project, which is tentatively slated to begin filming this summer and fall.

Producers of the film "Worcester Cold Storage" are currently scouting for locations. The film, by Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, will depict the Worcester, Massachusetts warehouse fire that killed six firefighters in December of 1999. Scott Silver has written the screenplay based on Sean Flynn’s "3000 Degrees: The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men Who Fought It." Michael Mann ("The Insider") is slated to direct, but rumors abound that he has dropped the project. Many family members of the deceased firefighters have openly opposed production of the film.

Shandor Garrison, named Most Promising New England Director at the 2002 Boston Underground Film Festival, has wrapped up the filming of "Freebox," working with Central Productions. Shot on Cape Cod, the film centers around an HIV-positive teen living in a group home who is expelled and flees with his mentor. Garrison’s first short film, "No One’s a Mystery," based on a short-short story by Elizabeth Tallent, won awards at the 2001 Woods Hole Film Festival and the 2002 New England Film and Video Festival. Some funding for "Freebox" comes from LEF Foundation awards.

Directors David Klieler (Local Sightings founder) and his son Jeff Iwinicki have entered the editing stage of an as-yet untitled documentary on Boston punk rock legends Mission of Burma. But don’t hold your breath just yet: the two have over 200 hours of film to sift through, including live footage of the band’s recent reunion gig in Boston and interviews with the band, luminaries from the Boston music scene (including The Lyres’ Jeff Connolly), and such national music figures as Moby and members of Sonic Youth. Some of the live footage was shot by cinema verité documentary pioneer Albert Maysles, most famous for the Rolling Stones rockumentary "Gimme Shelter," which featured footage of the brutal murder of a fan at Altamont by the Hell’s Angels, whom the Stones had hired for crowd control.

Filming has begun in New Haven, Connecticut, of "Whirly Girl," a coming-of-age tale from producer/director Jim Wilson (who, as a producer, brought us such films as "Dances With Wolves," "The Postman," and "Message in a Bottle"). The film, based on an original screenplay by Pete McCormack, stars Monet Mazur.

Filming has been completed for Good Morning America’s "In Search of Vermont" with Laura Spencer, part of the ABCNEWS project "50 States, One Nation, One Year."  The original scheduled airing time for the segment may be delayed due to coverage of the war in Iraq.

Future Media Concepts received an award from Avid Technology, Inc. for becoming the number one Avid Authorized Education Center [AAEC] worldwide.  Future Media Concepts was awarded this accolade for training more students on Avid systems than any other training center in the world.

Film Festivals & Events

Anyone who happens to be in Bermuda on April 15 or April 17 can attend the Bermuda International Film Festival to see Boston-area actor/activist couple Anastasia and Will Lyman’s "Pink Satin Suit," their film about New Orleans artist Johnny Donnels.

Festivals and special events this month include:


More screenings, festivals, meetings and other events at www.NewEnglandFilm.com/events/

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