A Worthwhile Film
I know I owe you a real essay post and having just gotten home from a week in NYC and the Berkshires with Mr. Wonderful meeting mom and cousins, believe me, I'm on it!
However, seeing that everything in my professional life is organized around bringing great movies from creative minds to the people I have to plug this great film. I fell in love with it a few months ago at a festival. It's a great look politics and love and how they mix...or don't. Major props to the filmmaker for making it happen in true indie guerilla style too.
As the distribution company is small and the marketing budget is zero, we are taking PR to the grassiest of roots. So, please, if you are a lover of indie cinema, or just a kind hearted soul, pass this on to everyone in your address book. The film will open in NY but will be hitting all other major cities later on. If you want some more information on the film, you can check out our myspace page at: www.myspace.com/conventioneersmovie We will be posting theatres and show times as the information comes in.
Independent Spirit Award-winning CONVENTIONEERS Opens Oct. 20 in NYC!Shot inside and outside the 2004 Republican National Convention, director Mora Stephens and producer Joel Viertel incorporate real people and events into the narrative story of Conventioneers. MASSEY, a Republican delegate to the 2004 RNC, falls into an affair with LEA, a woman he knew in college and a fierce liberal organizer protesting at the convention. Both are political virgins who have always surrounded themselves with like minds and haven’t ever confronted the “enemy” in the flesh.
At the same time, DYLAN, a former protester who dropped out of the scene after becoming a father, has to determine his true convictions. Hired as a sign language interpreter for the President's speech at the convention, his activist friends try to convince him to protest during the President’s speech. The tension builds as Dylan takes his place next to the President on the Convention floor (actor Alek Friedman actually served as the President’s ASL interpreter and all footage of him at the convention is authentic), while Massey and Lea try and find each other in the chaos outside. What follows tests each character’s beliefs about politics, love and commitment.
The film blends actors with real events and activists from both sides of the aisle, and features breakthrough performances by actors Matthew Mabe and Woodwyn Koons as the star-crossed lovers and Alek Friedman as the interpreter.
THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD:
Conventioneers won the Independent Spirit Ward for best feature film produced for less than $500,000. The Independent Spirit Awards nominates only five feature films a year for this award.
REVIEWS
Ain’t It Cool News:
“GO SEE THIS. Someone out there, for God's sake, distribute this great entertainment and let Americans see it.”
Entertainment Insiders:
“Conventioneers is a terrific narrative independent feature that captures the spirit of both the conservative Republican mindset and the idealized (some say naïve) Liberal protests that took place during the 2004 Republican convention. While it is a love story set during the chaos of the convention, it plays a little like a thriller especially as some protest organizers get access to the convention through a sign language interpreter. The film is a modern "Medium Cool" of sorts and makes terrific use of the real crowds and events that transpired during the 2004 Republican Convention.
Film Journal International:
“SUPERB!… this terrific film… and the outcome, like the election itself, will be something to track.”
However, seeing that everything in my professional life is organized around bringing great movies from creative minds to the people I have to plug this great film. I fell in love with it a few months ago at a festival. It's a great look politics and love and how they mix...or don't. Major props to the filmmaker for making it happen in true indie guerilla style too.
As the distribution company is small and the marketing budget is zero, we are taking PR to the grassiest of roots. So, please, if you are a lover of indie cinema, or just a kind hearted soul, pass this on to everyone in your address book. The film will open in NY but will be hitting all other major cities later on. If you want some more information on the film, you can check out our myspace page at: www.myspace.com/conventioneersmovie We will be posting theatres and show times as the information comes in.
Independent Spirit Award-winning CONVENTIONEERS Opens Oct. 20 in NYC!Shot inside and outside the 2004 Republican National Convention, director Mora Stephens and producer Joel Viertel incorporate real people and events into the narrative story of Conventioneers. MASSEY, a Republican delegate to the 2004 RNC, falls into an affair with LEA, a woman he knew in college and a fierce liberal organizer protesting at the convention. Both are political virgins who have always surrounded themselves with like minds and haven’t ever confronted the “enemy” in the flesh.
At the same time, DYLAN, a former protester who dropped out of the scene after becoming a father, has to determine his true convictions. Hired as a sign language interpreter for the President's speech at the convention, his activist friends try to convince him to protest during the President’s speech. The tension builds as Dylan takes his place next to the President on the Convention floor (actor Alek Friedman actually served as the President’s ASL interpreter and all footage of him at the convention is authentic), while Massey and Lea try and find each other in the chaos outside. What follows tests each character’s beliefs about politics, love and commitment.
The film blends actors with real events and activists from both sides of the aisle, and features breakthrough performances by actors Matthew Mabe and Woodwyn Koons as the star-crossed lovers and Alek Friedman as the interpreter.
THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD:
Conventioneers won the Independent Spirit Ward for best feature film produced for less than $500,000. The Independent Spirit Awards nominates only five feature films a year for this award.
REVIEWS
Ain’t It Cool News:
“GO SEE THIS. Someone out there, for God's sake, distribute this great entertainment and let Americans see it.”
Entertainment Insiders:
“Conventioneers is a terrific narrative independent feature that captures the spirit of both the conservative Republican mindset and the idealized (some say naïve) Liberal protests that took place during the 2004 Republican convention. While it is a love story set during the chaos of the convention, it plays a little like a thriller especially as some protest organizers get access to the convention through a sign language interpreter. The film is a modern "Medium Cool" of sorts and makes terrific use of the real crowds and events that transpired during the 2004 Republican Convention.
Film Journal International:
“SUPERB!… this terrific film… and the outcome, like the election itself, will be something to track.”
Labels: Film
posted by Heidi at 9:18 AM
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