LAKESHORE ENTERTAINMENT
And
METRO-GOLDYWN-MAYER PICTURES Present
A LAKESHORE ENTERTAINMENT Production
In Association With GreeneStreet Films
And
REVELATIONS ENTERTAINMENT
Feast of love
Starring
MORGAN FREEMAN
GREG KINNEAR
RADHA MITCHELL
BILLY BURKE
SELMA BLAIR
TOBY HEMINGWAY
With
JANE ALEXANDER
And
FRED WARD
From venerable, multiple Academy Award winning director Robert Benton
(“Kramer Vs Kramer,” “Places In The Heart”), comes a kaleidoscopic ode to life and love
in all its funny, sad, sexy, crazy, heartbreaking and life sustaining facets in: FEAST OF
LOVE.
In a coffee shop in a tight-knit Oregon community a local professor and writer
Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman) witnesses love whipping up mischief among the
town‟s residents. Among young and old, among both parents and lovers, among the
sweet and the savage, among humans and even animals, Harry watches in awe as love
mystifies, wounds, devastates, inspires, makes unreasonable demands and profoundly
shapes the lives of everyone around him - including himself.
From the die-hard romantic coffee shop owner Bradley (Greg Kinnear) who has a
serial habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, including with his current wife
Kathyrn (Selma Blair); to the edgy real estate agent Diana (Radha Mitchell) who is
caught up in an affair with a married man (Billy Burke) with whom she shares an
ineffable connection; to the beautiful young newcomer Chloe (Alexa Davalos) who
defies fate in romancing the troubled Oscar (Toby Hemingway); to Harry himself, whose
adoring wife (Jane Alexander) is looking to break through his wall of grief after the
wrenching loss of a loved one...
All of these strands intertwine into one epic love story in which no one can
escape being bent, befuddled, delighted and ultimately redeemed by love‟s inescapable
spell.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Charles Baxter, FEAST OF LOVE is a
production of Lakeshore Entertainment in association with Revelation Entertainment.
Bringing the film‟s look at love that is simultaneously hilarious and bittersweet,
problematic and life altering, to life is the award-winning director Robert Benton, who
has been making films for five decades, from a screenplay adaptation by Allison Burnett
(“Autumn in New York”). The producers are Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and
Richard Wright and the executive producer is Lori McCreary.
The behind-the-scenes talent includes Emmy nominated cinematographer
Kramer Morgenthau (“The Five People You Meet in Heaven”), production designer
Missy Stewart (“Monster in Law”) and costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus
(“Chocolat”).
Mischief, mayhem and mystery: a celebrated filmmaker takes a prismatic
look at love’s multiple facets
Director Robert Benton, who celebrates love‟s astonishing variety of forms in
FEAST OF LOVE, is no stranger to chronicling the mischievous inner workings of the
heart - though he has never done so in such a magical and unabashedly passionate
story before. Benton began his Hollywood career by co-writing the classic 1960s bank
robber romance “Bonnie and Clyde,” garnering the Academy Award in his feature film
debut, and influencing countless edgier love stories to come. He would go on to win
another Oscar, a decade later, for directing the quintessential divorce drama/comedy
“Kramer Vs. Kramer” (for which he also received a Best Screenplay Adaptation
nomination), which navigated the treacherous territory of what happens when love falls
apart. He then won a third Academy Award for the Original Screenplay for the
Depression-Era, “Places In The Heart;” this time exploring the complexities of family
love, which also garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Director.
Given Benton‟s career-long fascination with the different kinds and
consequences of love, few directors could have seemed better suited to tackle Charles
Baxter‟s critically praised breakout novel about the wondrous totality of all of love‟s
forms. In his novel, the award-winning Baxter unleashed a kind of “Midsummer Night‟s
Dream” on modern suburbia, following the intersecting paths of both true love and
romantic folly that fuel and bind a community behind its closed doors. The book was
filled with young lovers finding safety in one another, unexpected lovers tumbling into
one another‟s arms, illicit lovers playing with danger, parents seeking solace for the love
of lost children, lost children seeking out parental love, and most of all, the author‟s
search for just how it is that our troublesome, agonizing hearts also see us through life
with so much grace and beauty.
The result was a story that was not only funny and sensuous, but that gave
readers a rich sense of the human interconnectedness that anchors us all.
Writing in The New York Times, Jacqueline Carey wrote of the book: “Charles
Baxter shows us the hard-won generosity of spirit that day-to-day dealings with other
human beings require. He builds a community right on the page before us, using a
glittering eye, a silvery tongue - and just a little moonlight.”
Among the book‟s many great admirers were renowned producers Tom
Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi of Lakeshore Entertainment. Rosenberg and Lucchesi
have long had a penchant for pairing remarkable literary works with great filmmakers,
and recently garnered the Academy Award for Best Picture with the acclaimed “Million
Dollar Baby,” directed by Clint Eastwood based on a short story by FX Toole, in 2005.
Rosenberg could not resist Baxter‟s vast, unflinching way of tackling perhaps the
most complex, enigmatic and vital of human subjects. “FEAST OF LOVE is about life,”
he says. “In the novel, I think Charles Baxter basically suggests that love is life‟s most
meaningful experience and you have to seek it out and remain true to it, no matter what
happens - and that became the powerful idea that drove the film.”
For Lucchesi, the core of the film was deeply personal right from the start. He
says, “FEAST OF LOVE embraces the journey of life, and how life and love walk
together. I‟m 51 years old. I‟ve been married 28 years. I don‟t know how you get through
life if you don‟t have an emotional side being satisfied. I can tell you that a Saturday
morning sitting in my kitchen having a cup of coffee with my wife really pleases my heart
- and I think what‟s so wonderful about FEAST OF LOVE: it celebrates those sort of
unheralded emotional moments that keep us going.”
Lucchesi was also drawn to the profound universality of the story, traversing as it
does through so many different kinds of entwinings - from friends to lovers to life-long
spouses to family relationships. “It‟s always quite fascinating to see how love and
relationships evolve through the years and in this movie we have three different
generations of relationships, and many different kinds of relationships as well, which
makes the story so relatable no matter who you are,” he says.
Rosenberg and Lucchesi were so in love with FEAST OF LOVE that they knew
the adaptation from page to screen would, by rights, become a careful, delicate
process. They also realized right from the start it would not be an easy task. To begin
with, Baxter‟s story is filled with a wide array of characters, each of whom has his or her
own stylistically distinctive story to tell.
Anchoring the modern fable is Harry Stevenson, the grieving philosophy
professor whose keen perspective on the people around him doesn‟t always extend to
himself. Harry, in turn, watches as his younger friend Bradley Smith finds himself
trapped in a wild roller-coaster of repeated blind bliss followed by rejection. When
Bradley‟s wife Kathryn leaves him for another woman, Bradley throws himself into a
rebound relationship with Diana, a supposed “anti romantic” real estate agent who just
can‟t seem to stop her ongoing affair with David, a married man. Meanwhile, for Chloe
and Oscar, the young couple who work as baristas in Bradley‟s coffee shop, love is all
about living in the fierce passion of the moment. But their hoped-for future is threatened
by Oscar‟s violent, abusive father, Bat, and overshadowed by a psychic‟s dark
prediction.
In Baxter‟s novel, he uses himself as a character to weave all these people and
their vignettes together into a tapestry bursting with colour, insight and razor-sharp wit.
But when screenwriter Allison Burnett came on board, he realized he had his hands full.
He had to find a way to get to the literal heart of Baxter‟s story - while telling the tale in a
more streamlined and cinematic, rather than literary, way. Ultimately, he found the
means to merge Baxter and Harry Stevenson into one person, a single narrator who
ultimately interconnects all the characters trajectories into one as the witness of the
many-stranded web they weave. “That was a very shrewd idea,” comments Lucchesi.
Burnett‟s screenplay for FEAST OF LOVE also imbued the story telling with a
fresh immediacy by reframing the tale entirely in the present tense. Rosenberg explains,
“The book was told primarily in flashback but we wanted the story to unfold more
dynamically.”
Perhaps the most dramatic change came when the decision was made to add in
the tragic death of Harry and Esther‟s son, Aaron, who in the book was still alive, though
struggling with drug addiction. Says Lucchesi, “That made a really strong change in the
screenplay, adding the undercurrent of loss to the theme of love.”
As the script developed into a complex, multihued story, Rosenberg and
Lucchesi began to consider what kind of director could bring all the strands of FEAST
OF LOVE together, and with a fearless willingness to let the tale be all at once as
anguished, as funny and as tender as love itself can be at different times. They both felt
Robert Benton, whom they had previously worked with on the screen version of Philip
Roth‟s novel “The Human Stain,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, was the
perfect match.
Explains Lucchesi: “Number one, Benton knew and loved the book. We also
knew he always creates a world where actors can be very comfortable, which was so
important to this film. He‟s very creatively generous that way. Tom and I had been
actually looking for a project for Benton, so when the screenplay for FEAST OF LOVE
was ready we gave it him. He said yes immediately.”
For the producers, choosing Robert Benton to helm the film was also right in line
with the personal nature of the project. Rosenberg says, “We have developed not just a
respect but a deep friendship with Benton. He‟s fantastic with actors, he‟s great to work
with, he‟s very collaborative and we knew we would have an enjoyable experience.”
Robert Benton, it turns out, had already been flat-out seduced by Baxter‟s novel.
“I read the book when it first came out and I fell in love with it then,” the director notes. “I
tried to get the rights to it even then and wasn‟t able to, and it haunted me for four
years. Finally, fortunately, because of Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi, it came back
to me. I felt extremely lucky to have the chance to do it.”
Benton‟s attraction to the novel lay in the vastness of its scope, covering every
element of love‟s beauty, humour and tragedy, which in turn drove his cinematic
approach.
“The reason I loved the book is that its entire landscape is not just love but the
enormous number of varieties of love that exist - some positive, some negative - from
parental love, to love that blasts you loose, to love that‟s tragic, to love in the middle of
unfolding. Charles Baxter wrote a sublime novel, but it also seemed to me that it‟s a
cinematic novel, and that‟s rare,” he summarizes. “Love in all its complexity and
endlessly revivifying nature is, to me, always an extraordinary subject matter for a film.”
The many faces of love: about the casting
The filmmakers now turned to the next crucial step: creating FEAST OF LOVE‟s
ensemble cast of friends, lovers, family and neighbours. For Robert Benton, nothing
could have been more key to the film‟s creation. “I‟m not necessarily a very good
director,” he says with characteristic modesty, “but I‟m really great at casting, and I‟m
really great at trusting the actors I cast.”
Gary Lucchesi adds: “I think for a director like Benton, casting is everything
because once he gets to the set, he makes very subtle adjustments in performance. He
doesn‟t try to put a very strong hand on the actor and alter their performance drastically;
he would rather hire the right actor to begin with. That‟s much more who Benton is.”
The casting began with the very core of the story: Harry Stevenson, the town
philosopher who doles out advice to all of the lovelorn and newly in love, while his own
heart is aching. As they considered the roster of venerable actors who could play the
role, one stood out early on. Recalls Tom Rosenberg: “Once Harry was there on the
page, it was Gary Lucchesi who said, „„This is Morgan Freeman, this is who should play
this role.‟ And he was exactly right. Morgan is such a great actor that he was able to
keep in mind, as Harry must, not just his role but everybody‟s role in the film, and, along
the way, he helped all the actors tremendously through his experience and generosity.”
Benton says of Freeman, “He‟s astounding. He knows what can and cannot be
acted, he knows how to be still and he knows how to listen, which are all the most
invaluable parts of being an actor. You cannot act moral fibre or a kind of stature - you
either have it or you don‟t. I don‟t mean even as an actor, I mean as a human being,
and he truly has that quality. That‟s what makes him a brilliant choice for this role.”
When Morgan Freeman read the screenplay, he felt an immediate affinity with
Harry and his role as the man who watches the constant ebb, flow and crash of love all
around him. “I do often seem to be drawn to witness characters,” Freeman ponders. “I
guess they sort of have the last say, as it were. But this is also quite different from any
other film role I‟ve done. The whole thing is about love, and as Harry, I‟m right in the
middle of it all, so it‟s a complete departure on that level.”
Harry may be a pillar of the community, but his rock is his wife, Esther, with
whom he is still deeply enamoured. To play the role, Robert Benton saw an opportunity
to work with one of his favourite actresses, Jane Alexander, whom he also directed in
“Kramer vs Kramer.” She and Freeman had been seen together in two films previously,
“Brubaker” and “Glory,” but never had scenes with one another until FEAST OF LOVE.
“I‟ve always looked for a chance to work with Jane again,” says Benton. “She‟s
phenomenal. One of my favourite scenes in the film is between Morgan and Jane. It‟s a
scene about tenderness and love, and she is so amazing in that scene. She was
absolutely there in the best sense of the word.”
For Alexander, the attraction lay in working with Benton again. “Anything he
would ask me to do, I would jump at doing,” the actress says. “He was a wonderful
writer on „Kramer vs Kramer,‟ but he also showed that he had great subtlety with regard
to acting, and now that‟s only increased with these 28 years. He‟s just really
extraordinary. He‟s very, very close to the actors when you‟re working on the set. It‟s
just so great to have Benton right there, seeing and hearing every little nuance.”
Morgan Freeman was equally excited to finally have a chance to interact with
Alexander on screen, especially in such intimate moments revealing the inner workings
of something not often depicted on screen: a long, loving marriage. “She gives such
perfect performances, that I said, „Oh my god, I finally get a chance, here she is!‟” says
Freeman.
The yang to Harry Stevenson‟s yin is Bradley, the hopeless romantic who is also
hopelessly inept at relationships. To capture both the humour and the humanity of
Bradley, the filmmakers turned to none other than Greg Kinnear who began his career
as a comedian but has grown into one of today‟s most sought-after screen stars, with
stand-out roles ranging from “As Good As It Gets” to “The Matador” to his recent turn as
the outrageously optimistic patriarch of a profoundly dysfunctional family in the runaway
indie hit “Little Miss Sunshine.”
“Greg‟s perfect for Bradley, and we were very fortunate that he wanted to play
the role,” says Rosenberg. Adds Benton: “Bradley is an extremely difficult character,
and one of the things that Greg can do so well is simultaneously make you feel
sympathy for a character and allow you to laugh at the same time. To combine both
qualities is extremely rare. He‟s such an amazing actor, I cannot tell you how much I
have loved working with him.”
Kinnear says he was drawn immediately to “the unexpectedness of the script.”
He also found himself won over by Bradley‟s invincible belief in romance. “The thing that
I most value in Bradley Smith is just his unabashed hopeful spirit about love and about
surviving,” says Kinnear. “He always tries to find inspiration in spite of everything
collapsing around him.”
Starring as the two women who create havoc in Bradley‟s life - Bradley‟s
about-to-be-liberated wife, Kathryn, and Diana, the very different woman with whom he
rebounds following the abrupt end of his first marriage - are two of today‟s most popular
and beautiful actresses: Selma Blair and Radha Mitchell.
Blair‟s role is brief yet pivotal - but it was the overall story of FEAST OF LOVE
that she couldn‟t resist. “This was the most beautiful script I‟ve ever read,” Blair
comments. “And then with Robert Benton directing it, saying yes was just a given. I
would have done anything to get to say a line in this movie, to get to watch this cast of
people working together.”
As for the role of Kathryn, Blair notes that Kathryn leaves an indelible mark on
Bradley that reverberates throughout his story. “Kathryn really does set up Bradley‟s
inability to listen and pay attention,” she observes. “Just when he thinks everything is
going great, she lets him know that things are actually very different from what he sees.”
To play Kathryn‟s antithesis, Diana, the icy beauty who sees love in purely
pragmatic terms and claims not to believe in romance, the filmmakers chose Radha
Mitchell, the Australian actress who has risen to the fore with roles in Woody Allen‟s
“Melinda and Melinda,” Marc Forster‟s “Finding Neverland,” Tony Scott‟s “Man on Fire”
and the unusual love story “Mozart and the Whale.”
“Radha is a really fine actress whom we‟ve been wanting to work with for quite
some time. We suggested her to Benton and he got the DVD‟s of the movies he hadn‟t
seen of hers, especially „Man on Fire‟ and that just floored him,” recalls Rosenberg.
“She was simply perfect for Diana - attractive, strong and very intelligent. She‟s got a bit
of that kind of Grace Kelly coolness to her.”
Meanwhile, the filmmakers began a major casting search to find a fresh face for
the role of Chloe, who Rosenberg describes as no less than “the life force of the movie,”
and who Benton says is “the most extraordinary character because she is life itself. She
is enormously appealing because she is so pure and she faces both the force of tragedy
and love head on.”
The filmmakers couldn‟t have been more gratified with their choice of Alexa
Davalos, a rising star of Greek descent who made her feature film debut in “The
Chronicles of Riddick.” Rosenberg says, “We saw a lot of people for the role because
we knew from the start we were looking for an unknown or slightly known actress, but
when Alexa read for us, we knew there was something very special there.‟”
Robert Benton was especially impressed with what Davalos brought to the role.
“I‟ve not seen talent like her in a long, long time,” he comments. “An enormous part of
her work is with Morgan Freeman, and there‟s really no bigger heavyweight than
Morgan. And by God, she holds her own with him, I mean, they work together
beautifully. This girl is just really astounding. They don‟t get better than Alexa.”
For her part, Davalos quickly fell in love with Chloe. “She‟s such a free spirit,
which is what‟s so beautiful about her. Chloe‟s got this very knowing sense about her,
and she has a way of finding the joy in everything,” she observes.
The opportunity to portray two very different kinds of love through one character
was also a strong attraction for Davalos. “The love story between Chloe and Harry,
which is the father-daughter sort of love story, is so rare and beautiful to see. To Chloe,
Harry‟s this beautiful man full of wisdom but also very aware of reality - he‟s that person
you can go to no matter what. She falls in love with him in a fatherly sense. And then
obviously there‟s also the love story between Oscar and Chloe, which is that first blush
of completely reckless, abandoned love,” she says. “I feel really lucky to have had a
chance to explore both through Chloe‟s eyes.”
To play Chloe‟s great love Oscar, it was Tom Rosenberg who recommended
auditioning another rising young star, Toby Hemingway, who had just wrapped another
Lakeshore film, “The Covenant.” Rosenberg says, “I had a feeling about him, but I didn‟t
want him to come in as my person, so I told him he had to win it. And he did. He just
was great.”
Hemingway knew the role would be a fantastic challenge, but he was up for it.
“Oscar is a bit of a lost soul,” he notes. “His mom left in about 8 th grade, and his dad,
played by Fred Ward, is an alcoholic and abuser who drove his mother away. Oscar‟s
already been in rehab, and I think he can‟t really see anything bright to his future until
Chloe comes in and then it‟s truly like he‟s reborn. What happens between them is one
of those rare, perfect things, sort of like they‟re made for each other.”
Rounding out the stellar cast of FEAST OF LOVE are Stana Katic as Jenny, the
shortstop with whom Kathryn falls unexpectedly in love, and Billy Burke as David, the
married man with whom Diana carries on a torrid affair, and who becomes an unlikely
moral fulcrum in the story.
Sums up Morgan Freeman of the bond that was created between the entire cast:
“When you get a great ensemble like this, and put that together with a really good script,
the work becomes sort of a regenerative thing. It feeds itself. It gets easier and easier
and more and more fun to do.”
The landscape of love: about the production
With their singular ensemble cast chosen, Benton, Rosenberg and Lucchesi, as
well as producer Richard Wright and line producer David Rubin, now began the search
for a shooting location, in which to unfold this reverie of longing, loss and life-affirming
encounters with love. Although Charles Baxter‟s book was set in Ann Arbour, Michigan,
the filmmakers went off in search of a dynamic, smaller city with a neighbourhood feel
that would allow them to shoot on a budget within the US. When Tom Rosenberg read
an article about the beauty and distinctive feel of Portland, Oregon, he had a feeling the
up-and-coming Pacific Northwest city might be perfect.
“I talked to Richard Wright, and said „Find out what‟s it like to shoot in Portland‟
and he came back and said it is competitive. Then I took a trip there and really fell in
love with the city,” recalls Rosenberg. “It‟s a terrific place, surprising in lots of ways, very
sophisticated, with very sensible, nice people.”
Adds Gary Lucchesi: “It is one of the most beautiful cities in America. Even
though Portland has 800,000 people and has all the art and culture of a big city, as well
as great restaurants and terrific coffee, it still has a quieter, calmer feeling. Our entire
Los Angeles crew fell in love with Portland, too, and we now plan on doing more movies
there.”
The production started in one of Portland‟s hidden neighbourhoods, the so-called
Mississippi District surrounding Mississippi Ave. on the East side of the Willamette
River, which is lined with local shops and plenty of foot traffic. Here, the popular Fresh
Pot coffee house was transformed into Bradley‟s “Jitters Coffee Shop,” for 2 weeks of
filming. Later, the lush, green Mt Tabor area in Southeast Portland with its beautiful
older homes became the location for Harry‟s and Bradley‟s side-by-side residences;
while world-renowned Reed College, set in a Portland residential neighbourhood,
served as Harry‟s university, where he takes his late night strolls, as well as the location
for the film‟s football and baseball games .
Everyone on the film crew was impressed by the graciousness and enthusiasm
of the Portland locals, while the locals in turn were amused to see the film crew actually
resort to making rain in a city that usually provides more than its share of wet, cloudy
days.
Much as Portland provided a lovely atmosphere for the film, it was Robert
Benton‟s set that really made the entire cast and crew feel at home. “It‟s like he‟s
throwing a cocktail party for the cast and crew in a way,” describes Greg Kinnear of the
atmosphere. Adds Alexa Davalos: “Robert Benton gives you all the freedom in the world
to play and experiment and see what works. He‟s incredibly supportive. And he has
such vision that you just trust your instincts. I love him to death.”
In working with his crew - including cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, who
blends a touch of the dream-like into his otherwise realistic portrait of Portland‟s
neighbourhood ambience, and production designer Missy Stewart, who carefully
created the nuances of the many different houses and bedrooms in which the strands of
the story unfold - Benton always emphasized bringing the universal nature of love to the
fore.
Summarizes Benton, “My hope was always that this would be a picture that
audiences young or old, whether they‟re in New York or Los Angeles, Kansas City or
Des Moines, all find enriching. I want them to feel some of what I felt when I read
Charles Baxter‟s novel, about what love is and what it isn‟t, and what life is and what it
isn‟t. I always saw FEAST OF LOVE as referring to this life that‟s set out for us with this
enormous, complicated rich variety of love.”
About the cast
MORGAN FREEMAN (Harry Stevenson) earned his first Academy Award
nomination for his chilling performance as a homicidal pimp in the drama STREET
SMART, which also brought him the LA, NY, and National Society of Film Critics
Awards for best supporting actor of 1987, as well as an Independent Spirit Award and a
Golden Globe nomination. The part of the pimp, Fast Black, was a far cry from his big
screen debut as the genial character Afro in his film debut, the 1971 children‟s
adventure WHO SAYS I CAN‟T RIDE A RAINBOW, and it signalled the film world that
one of its most versatile stars was on the rise.
The 16-year span between those titles saw Freeman range from Shakespeare to
an undercover policeman in EYEWITNESS. The next two decades would see him
become one of Hollywood‟s true luminaries. Freeman earned his second Oscar
nomination in 1989, this time as Best Actor, recreating his award-winning Broadway role
in DRIVING MISS DAISY. He garnered his third Academy Award nomination playing
opposite Tim Robbins in the critically praised 1994 hit THE SHAWSHANK
REDEMPTION. His fourth nomination for Clint Eastwood‟s MILLION DOLLAR BABY
won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2005.
The Memphis-born actor began his career on New York stages in the early
1960s, following a stint as a mechanic in the Air Force. A decade later, he became a
nationally known television personality when he created the popular character Easy
Reader on the popular children's show, The Electric Company. Throughout the 1970s,
he continued his work on stage, winning the Drama Desk Award, the Clarence Derwent
Award and receiving a Tony Award Nomination for his outstanding performance in “The
Mighty Gents” in 1978. He also won an Obie Award for his portrayal of Shakespearean
anti-hero, Coriolanus, at the New York Shakespeare Festival. In 1984, Morgan won
another Obie for Lee Breuer's “Gospel at Colonus.” In 1985, he was winner of the
Dramalogue Award for the same role.
The part of Hoke Coleburn in Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Driving
Miss Daisy” brought him his third Obie Award. His last stage appearance was as
Petrucchio in “The Taming of the Shrew” at the New York Shakespeare Festival's
Delacorte Theatre with Tracey Ullman.
In 1993, Freeman made his film directorial debut with BOPHA!, starring Danny
Glover and Alfre Woodard, and soon after formed Revelations Entertainment, a
production company developing entertainment product in all existing and emerging
media that "enlightens, inspires and glorifies the human experience." Their most recent
production was the Brad Silberling comedy 10 ITEMS OR LESS, in which Freeman
starred with Paz Vega.
His other early film acting credits include BRUBAKER, HARRY & SONS,
TEACHERS, MARIE; THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW, CLEAN & SOBER, JOHNNY
HANDSOME, the multiple award-winning GLORY, CHAIN REACTION, KISS THE
GIRLS, the Steven Spielberg production, AMISTAD, HARD RAIN, DEEP IMPACT,
NURSE BETTY, ALONG CAME A SPIDER, KISS THE GIRLS, HIGH CRIMES, THE
SUM OF ALL FEARS and Warner Bros‟ DREAMCATCHER and THE BIG BOUNCE.
Other recent films include Luc Besson‟s UNLEASHED, Robert Redford‟s AN
UNFINISHED LIFE, BATMAN BEGINS and narration on the Academy Award-winning
documentary MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. He also starred in LUCKY NUMBER
SLEVIN, with Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett and the just-released comedy sequel,
EVAN ALMIGHTY. Next up for Freeman is Ben Affleck‟s GONE BABY GONE and the
next chapter in the Batman saga, THE DARK NIGHT.
Academy Award nominated GREG KINNEAR (Bradley) continues to build upon
his already impressive resume with roles in the most diverse of projects. In 2006, he
headed the cast of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, the ensemble comedy that went from an
indie Sundance hit to an Oscar-winning phenomenon; starred as famed Philadelphia
Eagles coach Dick Vermeil in INVINCIBLE, starring with Mark Wahlberg in the true-life
tale of Vince Papale, the 30 year-old bartender who won a spot in the NFL in Vermeil‟s
open tryouts; and played a burger executive in Richard Linklater‟s FAST FOOD
NATION, based on the best-selling book by Eric Schlosser.
Kinnear has also recently starred in the dark comedy, THE MATADOR with
Pierce Brosnan, THE BAD NEWS BEARS opposite Billy Bob Thornton, and lent his
voice to the role of “Ratchet” in the highly successful animated film, ROBOTS.
2002 saw the release of the critically-acclaimed biopic of actor and comedian
Bob Crane, AUTO FOCUS for director Paul Schrader; that year also saw Kinnear
battling opposite Mel Gibson in the Vietnam drama WE WERE SOLDIERS. That year
he lit up the small screen as well in the emotion-driven Norman Jewison HBO movie
“Dinner with Friends” alongside Toni Collette, Dennis Quaid, and Andie MacDowell.
Some of Kinnear‟s other credits include the romantic comedy SOMEONE LIKE YOU
with Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman, the Farrelly brothers‟ comedy STUCK ON YOU in
which he co-starred with Matt Damon, Sam Raimi‟s supernatural thriller THE GIFT
alongside Cate Blanchett and Katie Holmes, and director Neil LaBute‟s black comedy
NURSE BETTY opposite Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, and Chris Rock.
In 1997, Kinnear starred alongside Jack Nicholson as his unfortunate neighbour
Simon in James L Brooks‟ Academy Award nominated film AS GOOD AS IT GETS. His
performance garnered him not only an Academy Award nomination, but earned him the
honour of being named Best Supporting Actor by the National Board of Review; he was
also nominated in the same category at The Golden Globes and The Screen Actors
Guild Awards that year.
Kinnear made his feature film debut in the Sydney Pollack-directed remake
SABRINA with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. His performance prompted the trade
organization of the movie theatre owners to name him NATO ShoWest‟s “Star of
Tomorrow.” Following his Oscar-nominated performance in AS GOOD AS IT GETS, he
co-starred in Nora Ephron‟s hit comedy YOU'VE GOT MAIL with Tom Hanks and Meg
Ryan, Mike Nichol‟s WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM? with Gary Shandling and
Annette Bening, and appeared in a cameo role as „Captain Amazing‟ in MYSTERY
MEN.
Kinnear first gained prominence as the animated, wisecracking host of E!
Entertainment Television's “Talk Soup” in 1991. Eventually taking on the additional role
of executive producer on the show, Kinnear earned an Emmy Award, rave reviews, and
established a cult-like following. In 1994, after three successful seasons with “Talk
Soup,” Kinnear left the show permanently and became the host and executive producer
of his own NBC late-night talk show “Later with Greg Kinnear.”
Kinnear grew up virtually all over the world as his family followed his State
Department father to disparate locales such as Logansport, Indiana; Washington DC;
Beirut, Lebanon; and Athens, Greece. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife
and daughter.
RADHA MITCHELL (Diana) was recently seen in the lead role in Tri-Star‟s film
SILENT HILL opposite Sean Bean. Prior to that she was seen in FINDING
NEVERLAND, for which she and her co-stars Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet and Dustin
Hoffman were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild ensemble award. The film was
directed by Marc Forster (MONSTER‟S BALL) with whom she worked in 2000 when she
starred and produced the Independent Spirit Award-nominated film EVERYTHING PUT
TOGETHER. Mitchell played one of the most demanding roles in the film - the part of
Mary, Barrie‟s lonely wife in FINDING NEVERLAND. The film received numerous award
nominations including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Drama.
Mitchell will next be seen as the lead female role in the Weinstein Company film
ROGUE by director Greg McLean and the drama THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI
opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Yun-Fat Chow. She is currently shooting HENRY
POOLE IS HERE for director Mark Pellington.
Mitchell starred in the successful Regency Enterprises/Fox 2000 production MAN
ON FIRE opposite Denzel Washington where she played the mother of a missing child
who had been kidnapped. She starred opposite Colin Farrell in Joel Schumacher‟s
PHONE BOOTH and in the box-office hit PITCH BLACK opposite Vin Diesel. The
actress gave a memorable performance as Syd, the young editorial assistant who falls
in love with Ally Sheedy's heroin-addicted photographer character in Lisa Cholodenko's
critically acclaimed drama HIGH ART. Her role in Emma-Kate Croghan's romantic
comedy LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES was highly praised at both the Cannes
and Sundance film festivals.
Other recent film credits include WHEN STRANGERS APPEAR with Josh Lucas,
the independent feature DEAD HEAT opposite Kiefer Sutherland and Anthony LaPaglia,
Woody Allen‟s MELINDA AND MELINDA, NOBODY‟S BABY with Gary Oldman and
Skeet Ulrich, Rodrigo Garcia's TEN TINY LOVE STORIES and MOZART AND THE
WHALE opposite Josh Hartnett. On television, she starred with Hank Azaria and Donald
Sutherland in NBC's critically acclaimed mini-series "Uprising" for director Jon Avnet.
JANE ALEXANDER’s (Esther) distinguished acting career includes her Tony
Award-winning performance in “The Great White Hope” directed by Ed Sherin (who later
became her husband) and Tony-nominated roles in “Honour,” “The Sisters
Rosensweig,” “The Visit,” “First Monday in October,” “Find Your Way Home,” and “6
Rms Riv Vu,” all on Broadway. In addition, she received a Drama Desk and Theatre
World Award for “The Great White Hope” and an Obie for “The Sisters Rosensweig.”
She also appeared in “Shadowlands” opposite Nigel Hawthorne, both on Broadway and
in London‟s West End. Her regional theatre work includes performances at Arena Stage
and the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, as well as at the Mark Taper Forum,
Alliance Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre, and American Shakespeare Theatre in
Stratford Connecticut. She has appeared in over 100 stage roles in all throughout her
career, the most recent being her portrayal of Djuna Barnes in her one-woman show,
“What of the Night.”
A four-time Oscar nominee for the films TESTAMENT, KRAMER VS KRAMER,
ALL THE PRESIDENT‟S MEN and THE GREAT WHITE HOPE, she has also appeared
in over 50 screen roles; among them being BRUBAKER, CITY HEAT and THE CIDER
HOUSE RULES. Alexander has been seen more recently in such films as FUR with
Nicole Kidman and directed by Steven Shainberg, THE RING and John Sayles THE
SUNSHINE STATE.
On television, she won an Emmy Award for the movie “Playing for Time” and a
Television Critic‟s Circle Award for her portrayal of Eleanor Roosevelt in “Eleanor and
Franklin: The White House Years.” She appeared in the tele-film “Jenifer” on CBS,
which was directed by her son, Jace Alexander, and received Daytime Emmy
nomination for her cameo role in Showtime‟s "Carry Me Home" also directed by Jace.
She recently received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a
Miniseries or Movie for her portrayal of Sara Roosevelt in HBO‟s “Warm Springs.”
She co-stars in the new HBO series “Tell Me You Love Me” premiering
September 2007.
Alexander is the author of Command Performance: an Actress in the Theatre of
Politics, documenting her tenure as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
from 1993-1997. She continues her political career as a Commissioner of Parks, the
Taconic Region, for New York State.
ALEXA DAVALOS (Chloe) will next be seen in THE MIST, the most recent
collaboration between Oscar-nominated director Frank Darabont and Stephen King,
which previously yielded THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Alexa also worked with
Darabont on the pilot episode of “Raines,” a new mid-season series for NBC, featuring
Jeff Goldblum.
Her recent work includes starring as Diane Keaton‟s daughter in “Surrender
Dorothy,” a CBS telepicture dealing with the loss of a mother‟s child as well as the FOX
series “Reunion.” Alexa also starred opposite Vin Diesel in THE CHRONICLES OF
RIDDICK, co-starring Thandie Newton, Judi Dench and Colm Feore; and in Larry
Gelbart‟s AND STARRING PANCHO VILLA AS HIMSELF directed by Bruce Beresford
for HBO Films, opposite Antonio Banderas.
Alexa was born in France and raised between Paris, New York, and Los
Angeles. She made her first screen appearance in John Frankenheimer's "Riviera"
when she was three. Travelling with her Mother (Elyssa Davalos, a notable television
and theatre actress) and Grandfather (Richard Davalos, legendary for his performance
as James Dean's brother in "East of Eden") from set to stage allowed Alexa a unique
insight into the world of performance. Throughout Alexa's childhood, her mother
continued sporadically training with Stella Adler. Alexa had the privilege of sitting in on
some of those classes and remembers the experience as having a profound impact on
her desire to act.
TOBY HEMINGWAY (Oscar) was born in England, and later earned an
Associate Degree in Fine Arts at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York
City. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he studied at the Actor‟s Circle Theatre
and AIA Actor‟s Studio and works privately with acting coach Cameron Thor.
After guest starring on television shows including “Bones”, Hemingway made his
feature film debut playing Reid Garwin in the Renny Harlin-directed Screen Gems
supernatural thriller THE COVENANT.
One of today‟s most exciting and versatile actresses, SELMA BLAIR (Kathryn)
first gained attention for her performance in CRUEL INTENTIONS, a youthful retelling of
the classic novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Selma starred for two seasons as the title
character in the WB‟s “Zoe” and then appeared in the hit comedy LEGALLY BLONDE
opposite Reese Witherspoon. She then starred opposite Cameron Diaz and Christina
Applegate in THE SWEETEST THING and in two independent films that garnered her
much critical acclaim; Dana Lustig‟s KILL ME LATER and Todd Solondz‟s controversial
STORYTELLING.
In 2004, Selma starred in Guillermo Del Toro‟s HELLBOY --the sequel to which
she will shoot this year--and appeared in John Waters‟ A DIRTY SHAME. Her other
recent film credits include Paul Weitz‟s IN GOOD COMPANY opposite Topher Grace,
Marcos Siega‟s PRETTY PERSUASION and Thomas Sigel‟s THE BIG EMPTY
opposite Elias Koteas.
After graduating from high school in Michigan, Selma moved to New York City to
pursue her goal of being a photographer but found her way to acting classes at The
Stella Adler Conservatory and The Column Theatre.
Her upcoming films include WZ in which she stars opposite Stellan Skarsgård;
Ed Burn‟s PURPLE VIOLENTS with Patrick Wilson and HOMELAND SECURITY
starring with Antonio Banderas, Meg Ryan and Colin Hanks.
STANA KATIC (Jenny) is quickly becoming one of Hollywood‟s most sought
after talents as her career continues to evolve with exciting and challenging projects.
Stana recently joined the cast of television‟s highest-rated, award-winning new show,
“Heroes,” as Hana Gittleman, a fierce young woman with “wireless” mental abilities.
Adding to her success, Stana portrays European information broker Collette Stenger on
primetime‟s other powerhouse, “24.” She has also starred as an Internal Affair officer on
CTV‟s epic mini-series “Would Be Kings,” in the Sci-Fi Channel original film “Dragon
Dynasty”; and has had memorable recurring roles on some of primetime‟s highest-rated
dramas including “The Closer,” “E.R.” and “The Shield.” Additionally, she starred in the
world premiere of “Private Fittings” by renowned Broadway director Des McAnuff.
BILLY BURKE (David) is a compelling and critically acclaimed young actor
whose credits span both television and feature film. Billy was most recently seen
starring alongside Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling in the hit thriller FRACTURE for
director Greg Hoblit. He will re-team with Hoblit on the forthcoming UNTRACEABLE
opposite Diane Lane. Additionally, Billy has completed shooting two independent films:
THE GRIFT with John Savage and FORFEIT with Sherry Stringfield which will premiere
this year at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Billy‟s feature film credits include a co-starring role in the Touchstone film
LADDER 49 with Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta; a starring role in DILL STATION,
which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and also starred with Peter Berg, Henry
Winkler and Lauren Graham; ALONG CAME A SPIDER with Morgan Freeman and
Without Limits for writer/director by Robert Towne.
His television credits include a chilling six-episode arc on the second season of
Fox‟s “24” as well as the critically acclaimed ABC series “Wonderland,” which was
written and directed by Peter Berg.
About the filmmakers
Academy Award-winner ROBERT BENTON (Director) was raised in
Waxahachie, Texas earned his BFA degree from the University of Texas and moved to
New York for his Master's at Columbia University. He went to work at Esquire
Magazine, as the assistant to the art director before being drafted into the Army, where
he was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Benton returned to Esquire after his discharge from the service, and was soon
promoted to art director. While at Esquire he co-authored The In and Out Book with
Harvey Schmidt. In 1966 his first screenplay, BONNIE AND CLYDE, co-written with
David Newman, went into production with Arthur Penn directing. That same year the
Benton-Newman musical "It‟s a Bird. It's a Plane. It's Superman!" opened on Broadway.
The success of BONNIE AND CLYDE resulted in a contract with Warner
Brothers for whom Benton and Newman first scripted THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN,
which Joseph Mankiewicz directed, as well as WHAT‟S UP DOC directed by Peter
Bogdanovich. Benton then made his directorial debut with BAD COMPANY, co-written
with Newman and starring Jeff Bridges. He next wrote and directed THE LATE SHOW
starring Art Carney and Lily Tomlin. In 1978, Benton re-teamed with Newman and
Newman's wife Leslie to create the screenplay for the box-office hit SUPERMAN
starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando and Margot Kidder.
Benton‟s next project, KRAMER VS KRAMER, starring Dustin Hoffman and
Meryl Streep, won the Best Picture Academy Award and earned Benton two Oscars, for
Best Screenplay and Best Director.
Benton's career includes such films as STILL OF THE NIGHT, NADINE,
PLACES IN THE HEART, which earned him an Oscar for best original screenplay, and
BILLY BATHGATE based on the novel by EL Doctorow. He also directed NOBODY‟S
FOOL which he adapted from the novel by Richard Russo and for which he was
nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He went on to direct
TWILIGHT which he co-wrote with Richard Russo.
Most recently, Benton directed THE HUMAN STAIN, based on Philip Roth‟s
acclaimed novel and starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman; and he co-wrote ICE
HARVEST with Richard Russo.
ALLISON BURNETT (Screenwriter) grew up in Evanston, Illinois, the son of a
psychologist and a North-western University professor. After graduating from
North-western, having majored in the Oral Interpretation of Literature, he moved to New
York City, where he was a fellow of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Program at
the Juilliard School. In 1997, he wrote and directed his first feature film, RED MEAT. In
2000, he wrote the first script for AUTUMN IN NEW YORK, starring Richard Gere and
Winona Ryder. His first novel, Christopher, was a finalist for the 2004 PEN Centre USA
Literary Award in Fiction. His second novel, The House Beautiful, was published in
October 2006. The film of his script RESURRECTING THE CHAMP, co-written with
Michael Bortman, directed by Rod Lurie, and starring Samuel L Jackson, was released
in August, 2007. A film based on his rewrite of the script UNTRACEABLE (by Robert
Fyvolent & Mark R Brinker), directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring Diane Lane, opens
in early 2008.
TOM ROSENBERG (Producer) is the founder and Chairman of Lakeshore
Entertainment. Rosenberg produced MILLION DOLLAR BABY, which won the Academy
Award for Best Picture at the 2005 Academy Awards. Directed by and starring Clint
Eastwood along with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, the film won Oscars for
Eastwood (Director) Swank (Lead Actress) and Freeman (Supporting Actor). Rosenberg
is currently producing HENRY POOLE IS HERE starring Luke Wilson and directed by
Mark Pellington; UNTRACEABLE, starring Diane Lane and directed by Greg Hoblit; the
film adaptation of Philip Roth‟s novel, THE DYING ANIMAL, starring Penelope Cruz and
Sir Ben Kingsley; MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, starring Bradley Cooper; and
PATHOLOGY, starring Milo Ventimiglia. He recently produced THE DEAD GIRL, which
was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature, directed by
Karen Moncrieff with an ensemble cast including Marcia Gay Harden, Brittany Murphy
and Mary Beth Hurt.
Among the other feature film projects produced by Lakeshore are THE LAST
KISS, starring Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett, directed by Tony Goldwyn; CRANK,
starring Jason Statham and Amy Smart; UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION, starring Kate
Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, directed by Len Wisemen; THE EXORCISM OF
EMILY ROSE, starring Laura Linney; WICKER PARK starring Josh Hartnett; THE
HUMAN STAIN; starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, directed by Robert
Benton; THE GIFT, starring Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves, directed by Sam Raimi;
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK, starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder, directed by Joan
Chen; PASSION OF MIND, starring Demi Moore, Stellan Skarsgård and William
Fichtner; THE MOTHMAN PROPHESIES, starring Richard Gere; RUNAWAY BRIDE,
starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, directed by Garry Marshall; ARLINGTON
ROAD, with Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack; and 200 CIGARETTES,
starring Ben Affleck, Courtney Love and Christina Ricci.
Rosenberg‟s other feature films for Lakeshore include KIDS IN THE HALL:
BRAIN CANDY, TIL THERE WAS YOU, BOX OF MOONLIGHT, THE REAL BLONDE
and GOING ALL THE WAY.
Rosenberg began his film career as co-founder of Beacon Communications
under whose banner he was the executive producer such films as THE
COMMITMENTS, SUGAR HILL, A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, PRINCESS CARABOO, THE
ROAD TO WELLVILLE and THE HURRICANE.
GARY LUCCHESI (Producer) is producer/president of Lakeshore
Entertainment, an independent film company in Los Angeles. Lucchesi executive
produced MILLION DOLLAR BABY, which won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2005
Academy Awards. Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, along with Hilary Swank
and Morgan Freeman, the film won Oscars for Eastwood (Director), Swank (Lead
Actress) and Freeman (Supporting Actor). Lucchesi is currently producing
UNTRACEABLE directed by Greg Hoblit and starring Diane Lane; PATHOLOGY
directed by Marc Schoelermann and starring Milo Ventimiglia; and MIDNIGHT MEAT
TRAIN directed by Ryhuei Kitamura and starring Bradley Cooper and Leslie Bibb.
He recently produced THE DEAD GIRL, which was nominated for three
Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature, directed by Karen Moncrieff with an
ensemble cast including Marcia Gay Harden, Brittany Murphy and Mary Beth Hurt; THE
LAST KISS starring Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett, directed by Tony Goldwyn; CRANK
starring Jason Statham and Amy Smart; box office smash THE EXORCISM OF EMILY
ROSE; AEON FLUX, starring Charlize Theron; and UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION
starring Kate Beckinsale. In 2004, Lucchesi produced WICKER PARK directed by Paul
McGuigan and starring Josh Hartnett. Prior to that, he produced UNDERWORLD and
THE HUMAN STAIN, based on the Philip Roth novel, directed by Academy Award
winner Robert Benton and starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman.
Lucchesi‟s released credits with Lakeshore Entertainment include THE
MOTHMAN PROPHESIES, starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney; AUTUMN IN NEW
YORK starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder; and Sam Raimi‟s THE GIFT, which
starred Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank and Giovanni Ribisi.
Lucchesi was the executive producer on the box office hit RUNAWAY BRIDE, starring
Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and directed by Garry Marshall; as well as THE NEXT
BEST THING, a Madonna/Rupert Everett film directed by John Schlesinger; and
PASSION OF MIND, a Demi Moore feature, directed by Alain Berliner.
Lucchesi previously served as president of Gary Lucchesi Productions, an
independent production company where he produced PRIMAL FEAR, for which Edward
Norton was nominated for an Oscar, as well as VIRTUOSITY, JENNIFER EIGHT,
THREE WISHES and JUST THE TICKET. He also produced the Emmy-nominated
“Gotiti,” as well as “Breast Man” and “Vendetta,” all for HBO. In addition, Lucchesi
produced the Emmy-winning Showtime movie, “Wild Iris.”
While serving as president to Andrew Lloyd-Webber‟s The Really Useful Film
Company, Lucchesi executive produced the film version of the musical CATS as well as
original feature films and direct-to-video releases of theatrical hits. Prior to becoming an
independent producer, Lucchesi was president of production at Paramount and oversaw
production of a large number of highly successful films, including GHOST, NDIANA
JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, FATAL ATTRACTION, THE HUNT FOR THE RED
OCTOBER, COMING TO AMERICA, THE NAKED GUN and THE UNTOUCHABLES,
with a cumulative box office gross exceeding $2 billion. Other films which Lucchesi
oversaw include: GODFATHER III, DAYS OF THUNDER, ANOTHER 48 HOURS,
NAKED GUN: THE SMELL OF FEAR, PET CEMETERY, SCROOGED, MAJOR
LEAGUE, STAR TREK V AND VI and BLACK RAIN. FATAL ATTRACTION (1988),
GODFATHER III (1990) and GHOST (1990) were nominated for Academy Awards for
Best Picture. GHOST was awarded an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Prior to his tenure at Paramount, Lucchesi worked at Tri-Star Pictures for four
years as both vice-president and senior vice president of production. Lucchesi began
his career in Los Angeles as an agent for the William Morris Agency where he
represented such stars as Kevin Costner, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon and John
Malkovich.
RICHARD WRIGHT (Producer) has headed the feature film production
department of Lakeshore Entertainment since 1995.
At Lakeshore, Richard has supervised and produced over thirty films, among
them UNTRACEABLE, THE DEAD GIRL (Independent Spirit Award Nominee), CRANK,
UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION, THE EXORCISM OF EMILY
ROSE, THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, THE GIFT, RUNAWAY BRIDE and
ARLINGTON ROAD.
Prior to joining Lakeshore, Richard was a freelance producer on such films as
BRAIN CANDY, RUBY and FIFTY-FIFTY. He has degrees in comparative literature
from Brown University and from the University of Grenoble, France.
LORI MCCREARY (Executive Producer) began her career in the film industry
as co-producer on the critically acclaimed film BOPHA!, which first teamed her with
Morgan Freeman. In 1996, the two filmmakers founded Revelations Entertainment with
a mission to develop films that enlighten, express heart and glorify the human
experience. As CEO, McCreary is a unique combination of both film producer and
computer scientist. Her commitment to keeping ahead of technology and its impact on
entertainment has established her as a trusted advisor to both industries.
McCreary is responsible for establishing Revelations' close alliance with Intel
Corporation over eight years ago. She maintains ongoing dialogues with filmmakers,
talent and Hollywood executives about emerging technology and in 2004, the alliance
launched the Intel/Revelations Open House, a forum designed to showcase new
entertainment technology and address technology issues impacting entertainment. In
2005, McCreary and Freeman launched ClickStar, an online service that features
premium movies and thematic artist-created channels showcasing some of Hollywood‟s
biggest stars. ClickStar will offer Broadband Debuts of first run movies - featuring A-list
stars and directors - available exclusively on ClickStar within weeks of their release in
theatres, and well in advance of their release on DVD.
McCreary's producing credits include Ed Solomon's LEVITY starring Billy Bob
Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, and Kirsten Dunst and UNDER SUSPICION,
a remake of the French film, GARDE A VUE, teaming Freeman with Gene Hackman,
Thomas Jane and Monica Bellucci. Revelations also produced ALONG CAME A
SPIDER for Paramount Pictures and recently wrapped production on 10 ITEMS OR
LESS, starring Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega and directed by Brad Silberling.
FEAST OF LOVE marks the first collaboration between Academy Award
nominated ANDREW MONDSHEIN (Editor) and celebrated writer/director Robert
Benton. It comes on the heels of Mondshein‟s editorial work on the 2007 critically
acclaimed Lasse Hallström picture THE HOAX which starred Richard Gere and Alfred
Molina.
THE HOAX was the eighth film that Mondshein has cut for the Swedish director
Hallström. Included in their association are the award-winning films: WHAT‟S EATING
GILBERT GRAPE, CHOCOLAT and THE CIDER HOUSE RULES.
In 2000, Mondshein was nominated for an Academy Award for his editorial work
on director M Night Shyamalan‟s hit film THE SIXTH SENSE.
Mondshein, 50, has spent over two decades editing feature films. In 1979, he
began his career under the tutelage of legendary director Sidney Lumet. The two
collaborated on five films including GARBO TALKS, FAMILY BUSINESS and the award
winning RUNNING ON EMPTY.
Mondshein‟s other editing credits include three films for Susan Seidelman
including cult favourite, DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, Beeban Kidron‟s TO
WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, JULIE NEWMAR and the heralded
RETURN TO PARADISE directed by Joseph Ruben.
In addition to his Academy nomination, Mondshein has also been nominated for
a British Academy Award, two ACE awards, and won the 1999 Golden Satellite award
for best feature editing.
Outside his editing duties Mondshein has directed the second camera unit on
eight feature films including THE SIXTH SENSE, THE SHIPPING NEWS, WHAT‟S
EATING GILBERT GRAPE and RUNNING ON EMPTY. He directed his first feature
length film in 1998 for MGM/Showtime, EVIDENCE OF BLOOD, starring David
Strathairn and Mary McDonnell.
He lives in Larchmont, New York with his wife, film producer Leslie Holleran, and
their two sons.
KRAMER MORGENTHAU (Director of Photography) has spanned the globe
shooting over twenty feature films, and numerous television, documentary and
commercial assignments over the past fifteen years. He recently completed
FRACTURE starring Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins for director Gregory Hoblit and
most recently THE EXPRESS starring Dennis Quaid with director Gary Fleder.
Morgenthau was lauded in 2005 for his work on the ABC movie "The Five People
You Meet in Heaven" (John Voight), with an Emmy nomination and a nomination for
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography by the American Society of
Cinematographers. He has worked with a wide range of directors including Spike Lee,
Barbara Kopple, Gary Fleder, Chris Gerolmo, John Leguizamo and George
Hickenlooper. Some of the cinematographer's other feature film credits include THE
MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, THE BIG BRASS RING, THE GREEN DRAGON,
EMPIRE, GODSEND, HAVOC and FULL OF IT.
Morgenthau began his career shooting documentaries based out of New York
City. He shot the 1996 Academy Award nominated SMALL WONDERS for two time
Oscar winning director Allan Miller. That same year a feature film Morgenthau shot, JOE
AND JOE, was accepted to the Sundance Film Festival. The cinematographer soon
became a regular entrant of the festival with some seven features and documentaries.
He eventually migrated to Los Angeles to further pursue feature films.
Morgenthau, grew up in Cambridge MA, and was introduced to the world of
documentary film at a young age. His father Henry Morgenthau produced
documentaries for flagship PBS station WGBH in Boston. Morgenthau often tagged
along on location shoots with his father to Africa, Europe and many other places. His
father also introduced Morgenthau to the world of art and painting. They spent many
days in Art museums and galleries worldwide. Morgenthau's mother, Ruth gave him an
early introduction to global politics and rural development. She was a Polish Jewish
refugee of Nazi occupied Vienna Austria who went on to become an advisor to three
American presidents, a professor of African politics and a forerunner in sustainable rural
development. Kramer Morgenthau's background has had a profound effect on the types
of projects he has chosen to work on.
MISSY STEWART (Production Designer) graduated from Bennington College
with a degree in Fine Arts and Literature, where she also pursued courses in
architecture and painting, Stewart continued to paint and follow an arts career until the
late eighties when her interests began to shift from the world of fine art to cinema. She
moved to Portland, Oregon where she began to work in earnest with a group of
independent filmmakers, including Gus Van Sant. She collaborated on a number of
projects with him, from the early films DRUGSTORE COWBOY and MY OWN PRIVATE
IDAHO to TO DIE FOR and GOOD WILL HUNTING, serving as production designer on
the latter.
With a background in studio art, Stewart approaches each film with a painter‟s
eye for creating a three dimensional background in which actors and camera can work.
Her films as production designer also include LEGALLY BLONDE and LEGALLY
BLONDE 2: BLONDE AMBITION, MOONLIGHT MILE, WIN A DATE WITH TED
HAMILTON and MONSTER-IN-LAW. Her forthcoming films include 21 directed by
Robert Luketic and an untitled comedy directed by Fred Wolf and starring Anna Faris.
RENEE EHRLICH KALFUS (Costume Designer) designed the costumes for the
recently released PERFECT STRANGER with Halle Berry and Bruce Willis, directed by
James Foley. She is currently at work on the comedy BABY MAMA starring Tina Fey,
Amy Poehler, Steve Martin and Sigourney Weaver. Kalfus' other credits include; ONCE
AROUND directed by Lasse Hallström, WITH HONORS, SAFE PASSAGE, LET IT BE
ME, THE EVENING STAR with Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine, ADDICTED TO
LOVE with Meg Ryan and Mathew Broderick, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, THE
LIFE OF DAVID GAL directed by Alan Parker, with Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, 6
BULLETS FROM NOW starring Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney and Tim Roth, WHAT‟S
EATING GILBERT GRAPE? with Johnny Depp, DEAD MAN WALKING with Susan
Sarandon and Sean Penn, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, PAY IT FORWARD, THE
SHIPPING NEWS, LADDER 49 with Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta, GAME 6 with
Michael Keaton and CHOCOLAT directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Juliette
Binoche for which Kalfus received both BAFTA and Costume Designer Guild Award
nominations.
Feast of love - End credits
Unit Production Manager David Scott Rubin
First Assistant Director Cara Giallanza
Second Assistant Director Stephen Hagen
Associate Producer Marisa Forzano
Associate Producer Ted Gidlow
Post Production Supervisor Diana Tauder
Cast
Harry Stevenson Morgan Freeman
Bradley Smith Greg Kinnear
Diana Radha Mitchell
David Watson Billy Burke
Kathryn Selma Blair
Chloe Alexa Davalos
Oscar Toby Hemingway
Jenny Stana Katic
Margaret Vekashi Erika Marozsán
Esther Stevenson Jane Alexander
Bat Fred Ward
Mrs Maggarolian Margo Martindale
Agatha Missi Pyle
Janey Shannon Lucio
Billy Alex Mentzel
Minister Tobias Andersen
Karen Watson Julie Vhay
Bartender Kate Mulligan
Man at Party David Scott Rubin
Nurse Sherilyn Lawson
Young Minister at Funeral Scott Green
Football Field Lover RJ Belles
Football Field Lover Megan Keller
Bradley Jr Bunny Cricket
Stunt Co-ordinator Tim Trella
Stunt Players Kenneth Alexander
Matt Baker
Jophery Brown
Michael Runyard
Mr Freeman‟s Stand-In Richard Cohee
Stand-Ins Morgan Tristan
Erin McNamara
Production Supervisor Jennifer Dunne
Production Co-ordinator Stacy Foot
Travel Co-ordinator Grant Grabowski
Assistant Production Co-ordinator Michael M Piehler
Production Secretary Joni “Cannonball” Smith
Production Accountant Dawn Darfus
First Assistant Accountant Venus Ventura
Payroll Accountant Harold Caldwell
nd
2 Assistant Accountant Colleen Martinez
Accounting Clerk Ryan Van Riper
SVP Lakeshore Production Financing Tal Meirson
Post Production Accountant Teresa Alvis
Script Supervisor Scott Peterson
Script Clearance Co-ordinator Ashley Kravitz
Art Director John Chichester
Set Decorator Kathy Lucas
Art Department Co-ordinator Nick Kurth
Draftsman Ben Hayden
Research Assistant Judy Biesanz
Art Department Assistants “M” Blash
Genevieve Lowe
Art Department Intern Celeste Good
“A” Camera Operator Don Devine
“A” First Assistant Photographer Kathina Szeto
“A” Second Assistant Photographer Tommy Tieche
“B” Camera Operator Chris Hayes
“B” First Assistant Photographers Don Steinberg
Jorge Sanchez
“B” Camera Second Assistant Photographer Jason Goebel
Film Loader Craig Bauer
Steadicam Geoffrey Haley
Still Photographer Peter Sorel
Camera Production Assistant Ryan Kunkleman
Video Assist Martin Wright
Sound Mixer Steve Morrow
Boom Operator Gail Carroll-Coe
Cable Person Richard Bullock
Property Master Greg McMickle
Assistant Property Masters John Pearson-Denning
Stephen T Frankland
Property Interns Ali Cotterill
Amber Overstreet
Lead Person Sean Fong
On-Set Dresser Drew Pinniger
Buyer Sean Kennedy
Set Dressers Phil Blackburn
Jenelle Giordano
Adam Johnson
Mark Tomlinson
Chandler Vinar
Drawings by Sallie Benton
Construction Co-ordinator Randal Groves
Construction Foreman Phil LaFond
Gang Bosses Tyan Bardon
Ellen Lepinski
Lead Scenic Ken Erck
Painters Robert L Bloch
Bree Judah
Renee Prince
Stand-By Painter Jose J Solis
Carpenter Ronald D Van Vliet
Propmakers Steve Patterson
Dean Roberts
Key Greens Charlie Carlsen
Greensman Christopher Carlsen
Chief Lighting Technician Bruce “Sarge” Fleskes
Assistant Chief Lighting Technician Scott Walters
Genny Operator Steve Pape
Lighting Technicians Steve Hubert
Brian Jennings
Steve Purcell
Chris Steele
Additional Lighting Technicians Chris “Chalky” Chalk
Paul “The Wog” Fanning
Rigging Chief Lighting Technician Matthew May
Rigging Lighting Technicians Andy Barden
Tim Jawkonski
First Company Grip Bruce Lawson
Second Company Grip Brent Lawson
A Camera Dolly Grip Mike Brennan
B Camera Dolly Grip Brian Lawson
Power Pod Technicians Kale Jessen
James Walton
Grips John Banholzer
Mike Hanauska
Gabe Smith
Joe Vitellaro
Warren Yeck
Additional Grips Tyson Carpenter
Jim C Dunn
Tommy Jedrzejczyk
Make-up Department Head Whitney James
Make-Up Artist Desne Holland
Mr Freeman‟s Make-up Artist Nancy Worthen-Hancock
Additional Make-up Artist Molly Craytor
Department Head Hair Trish Almeida
Key Hair Stylist Miia Kovero
Mr Freeman‟s Hair Stylist Deena Adair
Additional Hair Stylist Amanda Williams
Wardrobe Supervisor Carlane Passman Little
Key Costumer Sally Roberts
Additional Key Costumer Laurel Frushour
Mr Freeman‟s Costumer Cathie Valdovino
Set Costumers Nikki Bartnick
Emilea A Rivera
Costume Production Assistant Mairi Chisholm
Associate Editor Bill Kruzykowski
First Assistant Editor Jordan Lindblad
Supervising Sound Editors Michael Kirchberger
Roy Waldspurger
Dialogue Editors Rich Quinn
Karen Spangenberg
Foley Editors Jeremy Molod
John Thomas
ADR Editors James Simcik
Marshall Winn
Assistant Sound Editors Matt Hartman
Steven Gerrior
Apprentice Sound Editor Allie Sultan
Sound Intern Frank Clary
Sound Effects Recording Dan Gleich
Frank Clary
Re-Recording Mixers Michael Barry
Roy Waldspurger
Mix Technician Matthew Colleran
Sound Engineers Doug Mountain
Scott Oyster
ADR Mixer Alan Freedman CAS
David Weisberg
Howard London
Foley Artists Chris Morianna
Catherine Harper
Foley Mixer Darrin Mann
Sound Editorial by SOUND, San Francisco
Re-Recording Facility Widget Post Production - Hollywood
Foley Recorded by Technicolor Sound Services
Score Produced by Stephen Trask
Score Recorded and Mixed by Greg Hayes
Digital Recordist Noah Snyder
Assistant Engineers Patrick Stain
Jeremy Underwood
Matthew Lavella
Music Editor Tom Kramer
Recorded at Stage M
Mixed and additional recording at Sound Image
Pro Tools software provided by Anthony Gordon at Digidesign
Music Supervisors Brian McNelis
Eric Craig
Location Manager Doug Hobart
Assistant Location Manager Bobby Warberg
Location Assistant Tracy Holliday
Location Production Assistants Jodi Morris
Derek Wilson
Special Effects Co-ordinator Kai Shelton
Special Effects Technician Bill Boggs
Technocrane Operators Chris Hajek
Steve Olsen
Animal Wranglers Roland Sonnenburg
Lauren Henry
Studio Teacher Linda Bloom-Hedine
Set Medic Taylor Saxon
Additional Medic Ann Penny
Oregon/Washington Location Casting by Lana Veenker
Casting Associates Samantha Finkler
Erin Toner
Extras Casting Danny Stoltz
Sally Gates
Voice Casting Barbara Harris
Transportation Co-ordinator David Norris
Transportation Captain Eric Solmonson
Drivers Brandon Chandler
Steve Evans
Bart Heimburger
Tyrone Hines
Lance Hruza
Philip Krysl
Tommy Laughlin
Brendan McKeon
Victoria “Mischa” Austreng
Steve H Pape
John “JP” Petty
Robert “Spike” Platt
Thom Platt
Gary W Roberts
Joe A Solberg
Dean Starkey
Laura Stride
John Sundby
Bernard “Ski” Szymanski
Don Williams
Second Second Assistant Director Kyle Lemire
Key Set Production Assistant Jason Ruffolo
Set Production Assistants Travis Rehwaldt
Joe Rynearson
Ann K Shimabukuro
Assistants to Mr Rosenberg Kate Schriver
Katie Rasmussen
Assistant to Mr Lucchesi Scott Herbst
Assistant to Mr Wright Thomas Beatty
Assistant to Mr Rubin Kara Place
Assistant to Ms McCreary Angie Miller
Assistant to Mr Benton Scott Green
Production Assistants Dusty McCord
Wilson Peery
Mr Freeman‟s Assistant Quentin Pierre
Mr Freeman‟s Driver Robert Gaskill
Cast Assistants David W Barr
Susan Funk
Catering Provided by Alex‟s Gourmet Catering Inc
Caterer Alex Uceda
Chef/Driver Luis Montenegro
Chef Assistants Teodoro Benitez C
Mario Flores
rd
3 Assistant Chef Enrique Flores
Cook Helper Jose Tomas Sosa
Craft Service Patsy Williams
Craft Service Assistant Sheila Roberts
Technical Advisors Carrie Kosderka-Farrell
Dr Nicholas Carulli
Unit Publicist Michael Umble
Dailies Telecine Transfer R!ot
Visual Effects by Gradient Effects, Venice, California
Visual Effects Supervisor Thomas Tannenberger
Digital Effects Supervisor Olcun Tan
Lead 3D Artist Tefft Smith
3D Texture Artist Raphael Protti
3D Modelers Ji Young "Gina" Kim
Sayaka Matasuda
Paint and Roto Artist Etienne Andlau
Co-ordinator Sherman Toy
Digital Intermediate Provided by Company 3
Company 3 Executive Producer Stefan Sonnenfeld
Digital Intermediate Colorist Siggy Ferstl
Digital Intermediate Producer Des Carey
On-Line Editor Salvatore Catanzaro
Digital Intermediate Assist Dan Goslee
Digital Intermediate Technologist Mike Chiado
Data Management Liam Ford
Account Executive Jackie Lee
Film Data Software Sommerware Systems Inc
Negative Prep for Digital Intermediate US Computamatch Inc
Main and End Titles Designed by Walter Bernard Design
Aurora Danon
Colour Timer Harry Muller
Payroll Services Provided by Axium International Inc
Script Clearance by Joan Pearce Research Associates
TM & Copyright © 2007 by LAKESHORE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LLC
All Rights Reserved
Songs
“Don‟t Push Your Luck”
Written By Scott Ellison and Terry Lupton
Performed by Scott Ellison
Courtesy of Bok Music by arrangement with The Royalty Network Inc
“Turn”
Written by Francis Healy
Performed by Travis
Courtesy of Independiente/Epic Records
and SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (UK) Ltd
by arrangement with SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
“Daylight Savings”
Written and Performed by Goh Nakamura
Courtesy of Goh Nakamura
By Special Arrangement with The Orchard
“Pullin‟ Up The Drive”
Written by Zach Broocke, Troy Johnson, Curt Perkins, Mike Vargo
Performed by Zach Broocke
Courtesy of Suburban Sweetheart Productions LLC
“Under The Waves”
Written by Pete Droge & Elaine Summers
Performed by Pete Droge
Courtesy of Puzzle Tree Records
“Age Of Consent”
Written by Stephen Morris, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert
Performed by Cinnamin Cinder
Courtesy of Alleged Entertainment
“Two Hearts Entwine”
Composed and Performed by Jimmy Hastings
Courtesy of Opus 1 Music Library
“In One Single Moment”
Written by Steve Clark
Performed by Jayden Puro
Courtesy of Fundamental Music
“Hallelujah”
Written by Leonard Cohen
Performed by Jeff Buckley
Courtesy of Columbia Records
by arrangement with SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
“Honestly”
Written and Performed by Cary Brothers
Courtesy of Procrastination Music
“Falling Slowly”
Written by Glen Hansard
Performed by The Frames
Courtesy of Anti, a division of Epitaph
“Bringin‟ Me Back Home”
Written by GL Pride
Performed by Lou Pride
Courtesy of Selectracks Music Services and Severn Records
“Forever Yours (Instrumental)”
Written by Paul Singerman
Courtesy of Bok Music by arrangement with The Royalty Network Inc
“Wicked World”
Written by Pete Droge & Elaine Summers
Performed by Jaime Wyatt
Courtesy of Lakeshore Records
“The Way It Should Be”
Written by Ted Greenberg, Steven Stern, Chris Pierce
Performed by Selectracks Studio Ensemble featuring Chris Pierce
Courtesy of Selectracks Music Services
“Ghost”
Written and Performed by Darren Smith
Courtesy of Crafty Records
By Special Arrangement with The Orchard
“Your Love Is Mine”
Written by Corinne Bailey Rae, Eddie Roberts, Simon Allen, Robert Charles Birch, Peter Shand
Performed by The New Mastersounds featuring Corinne Bailey Rae
Courtesy of One Note Records by arrangement with The Royalty Network Inc
SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON
LAKESHORE RECORDS
Insurance Provided by
DEWITT STERN OF CALIFORNIA INSURANCE SERVICES
Completion Guaranty Provided by
INTERNATIONAL FILM GUARANTORS
Production Financing Provided by
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK
FILMED ON LOCATION IN PORTLAND, OREGON
THE PRODUCERS WISH TO THANK
THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE:
Robert Benun
Virginia Longmuir
Robert McMinn
Christine Buckley
Rob Burke
Marc Reid
Jennifer Brooks
Lynn Hobensack
Mike Lechner
Toby Midgen
Max Smerling
Cedric Sobers
Diane Paylor
James McQuaide
Gary Small Saab
Courtesy Ford
Land Rover of Portland
Rose City Moving & Storage
Stumptown Coffee Roasters & Matt Lounsbury
Caffe Vita & Eric Pauli
Justin & Dustin Rideout
Rachel Elizabeth & Residents of the Rexall Building
Moxie, Rx
Kurisu International
The Residents & Staff of the Mississippi Ballroom
Mississippi Records & Eric Isaacson
Pearl Bakery
Eric Duer
Acme Glass
SameUnderneath
Taow Productions & Matthew Moss
Espresso Parts NW
Barista Magazine
The Staff & Customers of the Fresh Pot
Visible Earth (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/)
“Teddy Bear” by Mary Meyer Stuffed Toys
Illustrations from the Swiss 1JJ Tarot deck reproduced by permission of US Games Systems Inc,
Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright 1970 by US Games Systems Inc
The Society of Authors as the Literary Representative of the Estate of W B Yeats
FILMED WITH PANAVISION
DOLBY DIGITIAL [SRD DTS SDDS LOGO AND ANY OTHER APPLICABLE LOGOS]
CAMERAS AND LENSES [LOGO]
IN SELECTED THEATERS
No. 43616 [MPAA GLOBE]
IATSE
MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
The persons and events in this motion picture are fictitious.
Any similarity to actual persons or events is unintentional.
This motion picture is protected under laws of the United States
and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and
criminal prosecution.