A Beautiful Day Gets Official Selection at the CIFF
Canadian Premiere at the CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Screenings: Friday, September 23 9:
15 P.M., Cineplex Eau Claire 3
Friday, September 30, 4:15 P.M., At Cineplex Eau Claire 4
CHARLESTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (USA), OLDENBURG FILM FESTIVAL (Germany), NEW HAMPSHIRE FILM FESTIVAL (USA),ORLANDO FILM FESTIVAL (USA),SAVANNAH FILM FESTIVAL,THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL (Greece) 2016
Winner – FIRST PRIZE SHORT FILM, 34th Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (USA)
Winner – Viola M. Marshall Audience Choice Award Short Film, 34th Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (USA)
Hot off its First Place Best Short Film and Viola M. Marshall Audience Choice Award Short Film win at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, Academy Award ® and BAFTA nominated cinematographer and director Phedon Papamichael ’s – “A Beautiful Day” is fast becoming an audience favorite on the international film festival circuit.
Following in the tradition of the new Greek Cinema phenomenon, Athens born director Phedon Papamichael brings a searing expose of the fragility of the human psyche in his new short film “A Beautiful Day”.
Gene (James Brolin) gets up day after day and follows the same monotonous routine that he has lived since the death of his wife ten years earlier. He is aging fast from illness and loneliness and has given up on the future.
Today, however, he awakens with a new determination to end the life he has known. Today, there is a new resolve that will change the course of everything.
The controversial drama is also sparking interest from domestic violence and anti-gun groups around the world.
“A Beautiful Day” upcoming festival screenings include Calgary International Film Festival ( September 21 October) in Canada and Greece’s famed Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November 413). Other festivals include New Hampshire Film Festival (October 1416), Orlando Film Festival (October 1923),
Savannah Film Festival (October 2229), Charleston International Film Festival (November 26)
The film just wrapped a screening at Germany’s 23rd annual Oldenburg International Film Festival this week.
The drama, which stars James Brolin and chronicles one day in the life of Gene Thompson (Brolin) who wakes up with a new resolve one that will change his life and the lives of those around him forever.
“A Beautiful Day” also stars acclaimed stage and screen actress, Frances Fisher (“Unforgiven”, “Titanic,”True Crime,”). Phedon Papamichael, best known for his work with Academy Award® director Alexander Payne on “Nebraska” and “The Descendants” steps out from behind the camera to direct this timely piece of social commentary with the same grace and artistry as that of the most seasoned of directors. Longtime collaborator Corey Geryak , whose credits include such blockbusters as “The Dark Knight Trilogy”, serves as Director of Photography. Veteran film and television producer Casey Cannon, whose credits include “Men In Black,” “Twister,” and “Titanic” co-wrote and produced the film with actress/writer/director Angeliki Giannakopoulos from her story, fresh off the successful run of her acclaimed dramatic play “My Child: Mothers of War.”
Papamichael says that “Being able to focus on a single character, telling the details of his daily routine, creating a sense of “everything is going as planned”, every day, the same way, but then … It is not. Things are off! The routine gets broken, something is going to change, something is going to happen, but what? We don’t find out till it happens. This story seemed so clear to me. Simple, and poignant, and thought provoking, and shocking …I had to do it, and in the process I have fallen in love with the art form of Short Films.”
Speaking about the inspiration for her story Giannakopoulos adds “I saw the ending of this story in a dream and I had to immediately write it down. When Casey Cannon and I were developing the story, we found ourselves on a quest to discover what motivated our lead character Gene, to use a gun, for the first time in his life. It also touches politically on subjects about how in the US we use guns to solve our problems. If guns were not an option would we find other solutions to resolve conflict? This film will speak to all ages.”
WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW
Here in the USA the MEDIA ( movies , TV dramas, etc ) thrive on violence = a very violent society. I see a very strong correlation. I am saying this in general, as I have not seen this film