[Received this press release this morning from our friends at Either/Or Films in Munsonville, NH.]NEW HAMPSHIRE-BASED INDEPENDENT FILM THE SENSATION OF SIGHT SET FOR THEATRICAL WORLD PREMIERE AT COLONIAL THEATRE IN KEENE, NH.
Munsonville, NH — The Sensation of Sight, the first project for the New Hampshire-based film production company Either/Or Films, will have its theatrical world premiere at the 900-seat historic Colonial Theatre in Keene, New Hampshire, on Friday, November 9th at 8:00 p.m.
Starring Academy Award Best Actor nominee David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck; The Bourne Ultimatum), the feature-length narrative drama was filmed in 18 days entirely on location in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in the fall of 2005. Written and directed by Aaron Wiederspahn, the film also features performances by actors Ian Somerhalder (best known as “Boone” in the TV series Lost), Ann Cusack (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Grosse Point Blank), Scott Wilson (Junebug, Monster, In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood), Jane Adams (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Children), Daniel Gillies (Spiderman 2, Bride and Prejudice), Joe Mazello (Jurassic Park), and Elisabeth Waterston (The Prince and Me). Following the screening, Wiederspahn — along with the film’s executive producer, Buzz McLaughlin; the actors in attendance; and others who worked directly on the film — will participate in a Q&A with audience members.
Tickets are $10 and can be reserved by calling The Colonial box office at (603) 352-2033 or can be purchased online at www.thecolonial.org. The film will have additional screenings at The Colonial on Sunday, November 11th at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets for the Sunday matinee are $5.50; the cost for the 7:00 p.m. show is $7.50 for adults, and $5.50 for seniors and students. Following its run at The Colonial, The Sensation of Sight will travel to additional theatres throughout the state, including the Peterborough Community Theatre, where it is schedule to open on November 16th; and the Red River Theatres in Concord, where it will open on November 30th. Details on other screenings will be announced soon.
In the fall of 2006, The Sensation of Sight began its international film festival run with a world premiere at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain, where it was the only American film to be screened in the prestigious New Directors category. From there it had festival screenings in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shanghai, China; Durban, South Africa; Vilnius, Lithuania; Boston, MA; Denver, CO; San Jose, CA; Stony Brook, NY; and Seattle, WA. On Saturday, October 13th, it will be featured at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth, where it has been nominated for a Grand Jury Award, and on November 10th, it will screen at the Lone Star International Film Festival in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas.
“We’re excited to finally be showing the film in New Hampshire,” says McLaughlin. “Our company is based in New Hampshire, the film was shot here, 90 percent of our funding was raised here, and throughout the project we’ve had enormous support from all over the state. Now, after going around the world on the festival circuit, we have the opportunity to share the movie with our own friends and neighbors in its first theatrical release before taking it out into the rest of the country.” Wiederspahn is also thrilled to finally be able to showcase his first feature in New Hampshire. “For me, opening the film in New Hampshire is perfect,” he says. “It’s our home. This is where it deserves to happen first.”
Described by the writer/director as “a fusion of dream and reality,” The Sensation of Sight chronicles an English teacher named Finn (played by Strathairn) as he enters a mid-life crisis impelled by a recent tragedy for which he counts himself responsible. As he leaves his job and family and sets afoot selling encyclopedias to the town locals — searching for the answer to “Why?” — Finn’s sales and encounters finally lead him, as Wiederspahn puts it, “toward an unexpected and sublime awakening.” The film has not yet been rated, but contains some material that may not be appropriate for children under 13.
Worldwide critical responses to the film have been overwhelmingly positive. It was declared “an instant American classic” at the Durban International Film Festival, where it also won the Best Cinematography award. Lisa Kennedy of The Denver Post called Sensation “impressive” and “ambitiously ruminative” in her review, while Moving Pictures Magazine wrote that, “David Strathairn pulls off another Oscar-worthy performance.” Warren Etheridge, in Seattle’s Warren Report, called Sensation “the most compelling indie I’ve seen in years.”
The Sensation of Sight is the first film to which Strathairn — who has appeared in more than 70 films to date — has also lent his weight as a producer. The film’s other producers, in addition to Wiederspahn and McLaughlin, include industry veteran Mark Constance of Brentwood, New Hampshire; and Darren Moorman and Madeline Ryan, both of Los Angeles.
Sensation is the first of a number of films that Either/Or partners Wiederspahn and McLaughlin plan to produce in New England. “We’ll be working out of New Hampshire for our next several projects,” says McLaughlin. “The films won’t all be shot here, but this is our permanent base of operations. And we love it here.”
For more information or to view the initial trailer of the film, visit www.eitherorfilms.com or www.myspace.com/thesensationofsight.
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