Tennessee

I'm sorry I missed blogging yesterday. I am helping out still photographer and filmmaker Patrick Hoelck right now. He is preparing for a studio sale of his prints, which has me organizing thousands of his images at the moment. I really love his work. He uses rich greens and blues, which gives his work a unique quality. Check it out at www.patrickhoelck.com. If you are interested in his work and you live in LA, let me know. I can send you information on the sale. He also shot his first independent film this year as well. Scott Caan wrote and starred in it. I am excited for Patrick's foray into filmmaking. I am certain he will be very successful at it.  

And I will all also shamelessly plug my new film Tennessee today. It is now playing in a limited engagement this week in LA. I will be heading out soon for the 7:30p showing tonight. Starting December 5th, Tennessee will be available to audiences at the Music Hall 3 Laemmle Theater in Beverly Hills. If you are in LA, please try to make it! I am going tonight with a few friends. If you click the Tennessee title above you can check out the trailer on YouTube. 

Tennessee is a passion project for me. I was introduced to it when I was seeking the financing for another project (that I actually plan to film next year). As soon as I read the script, I knew I had to be part of the project. That's usually how I know I want to produce a film. If I read a script and it sticks with me over time, I know I need to pursue it. With Tennessee, it was immediate. But other projects can take a period of gestating in my mind before I decide I need to make them. 

The writer of Tennessee is Russell Schaumburg. He has a wonderful lyrical quality to his work. I can get lost in his words. And luckily, he felt I should be part of the project. He and I forged a strong bond of wanting to get the film made. It took a number of years to find a situation that would work, but because we both were very determined to tell this story, it eventually found its home and an incredible group of people to help bring it to life. Aaron Woodley directed the film and he created a beautiful depiction of Russell's script for the big screen. The film premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and soon after found distribution with Vivendi. And now that it is in the theaters for an audience to enjoy, I couldn't be happier or more proud.