Dean Cain........................................Trey Crawford
John Savage....................................Calvin Kabral
Willaim Katt......................................Dean Taylor
Réalisé par : Brian Skiba Écrit par : Kim Hughes Tourné à : Cleburne, Texas, États-Unis d'Amérique Durée : 109 mins Budget :
L'histoire : Day est une jeune femme noire dont la mère, Desi, est en train de mourir d'un cancer. Pour réaliser le dernier rêve de sa mère, Day décide de vendre la police d'assurance de sa mère pour aller à la Nouvelle-Orléans. Elles pourront ainsi passer un dernier Noël ensemble loin de leur petite ville du Texas. Day demande à Calvin (Savage), l'employeur de Desi, de lui avancer l'argent, mais ce dernier refuse catégoriquement, se femme étant elle-même décédée du cancer dix ans plus tôt. Calvin est un chercheur pour la compagnie pharmaceutique Syncare et prendra bientôt sa retraite, après avoir eu une carrière profitable. La compagnie Syncare a été un chef de file pour le traitement contre le cancer, au courant des dix dernières années. La fille de Calvin, Joey (Lynch) est à un semestre de graduer du collège. Son père aimerait qu'elle fasse des études en médecine, mais Joey a d'autres plans : elle veut aller aux Beaux-Arts, comme sa mère l'a fait avant elle.
Joey accepte d'acheter la police d'assurance de Desi et elle est entraînée avec les deux femmes dans une folle aventure dont elle se rappellera toute sa vie. Joey décide de rompre le contact avec son père, Calvin, qui est la cible d'un avocat, Trey Crawford (Cain), qui veut exposer le projet ''Jonas'' pour ce qu'il était vraiment. Le projet Jonas a été aboli par Syncare après qu'un groupe d'extrémistes aient réussi à faire fermer le centre de tests à Mexico. Syncare a conclu que le projet a été un échec. Crawford croit que le projet Jonas pouvait guérir le cancer. Toutefois, Dean Taylor (Katt), le partenaire de longue date de Calvin, aimerait bien que ce projet reste mort et enterré, peu importe le coût. Joey, Desi et Day sont ainsi mêlées au passé de Calvin quand elles mettent la main sur un dossier encrypté appelé le projet Jonas.
Faits intéressants : Le film a été diffusé le 30 mars 2012 au Performing Arts Center du Centre de Conférences de Cleurne.
Le film a été présenté en salles dans certains cinémas portant la bannière Harkins, en Arizona, en avril 2012./The movie has been shown in selected theatres under the banner Harkins in April 2012, in Arizona.
Le film sera aussi présenté au Festival de Cannes en 2013 !
And ... action!Wherein Superman flies in local woman’s big break
By Matt Smith/
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Kim Hughes just made it.
“My 2010 New Year’s resolution was to produce a film by the end of the year,” Hughes said. “And it happened, one month short of 2011.”
Which explains the trailers parked in front of the Liberty Hotel these last two weeks, and film crew members scurrying about Cleburne to shoot Hughes’ screenplay “Sweetwater.”
Cranfills Gap resident Hughes — her husband, Kent Hughes, a plastic surgeon in Cleburne — penned several stories and screenplays before “Sweetwater,” her first produced work, came to be.
The film deals with friendship, loss, a search for the cure to cancer and the breaking down of racial barriers, to hear Hughes and others connected to the project tell it.
While the likelihood of Hughes’ resolution probably seemed long-shot folly at best circa Jan. 2010, it just goes to show that dreams sometimes do come true.
In a too-good-to-be-true twist of fate, like something straight of a Hollywood movie, Hughes found herself aboard a November flight seated next to one Brian Skiba.
Skiba, the director of “Sweetwater,” operates Victory Angel Films, a production company in Arizona, with Laurie Love. The couple met at Arizona State University and went on to produce several films. Between the two they act, direct, produce and write, make the coffee and walk the cast member’s dogs for all I know.
Hughes and Skiba just happened to be working on screenplays during that fated flight — it’s a unique writing format, both said. Kindred spirits and all, they got to chatting. E-mails were exchanged, and Hughes dispatched “Sweetwater” Skiba’s way.
Skiba and Love loved the story.
“Brian’s employed by another company as well where he reads scripts,” Love said. “He tells them if their script, if made into a movie, can make money or not. He basically will be the guy that says yes or no. You can read through 50 scripts, and then there’s one.”
The depth of Hughes’ script proved the kicker, Skiba said.
“The story was extremely solid, and the idea was amazing,” Skiba said. “You can’t beat a story line that has the whole thriller aspect, and then you’ve got drama. It was very compelling.”
Hughes, being new to the script writing game, writes more in the style of a novel, Skiba said. Which makes no difference.
“Her ability with the English language is good, very specific, good writing,” Skiba said. “Formatting, I can take or leave it. I’ve read scripts that were perfectly formatted, grammar is perfect, but they’re garbage.
“Then I’ve seen scripts where you see the errors and stuff, but you’re really into the story. If the story’s good, errors can be fixed.”
Soon after, the Hughes’ formed Trumpet Productions to produce “Sweetwater” in association with Victory Angel Films. Kim and Kent serve as executive producers on the movie.
Both claim a life-long love of movies both for art and fun.
“Kim likes character films with lots of development,” Kent Hughes said.
It’s all about the details, Kim said.
“Love to watch movies from a director’s eye,” Hughes said. “Try to figure out how they directed the shots, made the decisions. I’m thankful for Indie films; that’s where the true film lovers are. But then we also like to go to [Cleburne movie theater] Cinema VI when it’s cold and gray, and just watch a good movie.”
Action
Love, Skiba and others set up shop in the Liberty Hotel about three weeks ago to scout locations in and around Cleburne. Hulen Park, Wright Plaza, The Retreat, an old house on North Anglin Street and other locales eventually made the cut. Some scenes were shot outside Johnson County though the bulk of the film remained Cleburne-based. Soon enough truck loads of equipment and some 40-plus crew members followed.
A boon for local eateries.
“We’ve fed probably 80 people a day for seven, eight days now,” said Angela Reynolds, co-owner of Lemon Sisters Cafe & Bakery. “All of them have been so sweet. It’s been a pleasure getting to know and hang out with them.
“Robin [Mullen, Lemon Sisters’ other co-owner] set up the props, tablecloths, dishes and stuff for a shoot they did inside Wright Plaza.”
With the crew came the stars. Dean Cain, guy in the TV show “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” showed up. Cain previously starred in the Skiba-directed “Dirty Little Trick.”
Cain remained in Cleburne but a few days, flying in to film his part and just as quickly flying back out, presumably on an airplane, though the guy being Superman and all ...
Actor William Katt — “Greatest American Hero,” “Carrie,” tons of other stuff — came and went just as quick.
The veteran
Actor John Savage stayed in town a bit longer. A man of many roles including: “The Deer Hunter,” “The Onion Field,” “Godfather III” and “Do The Right Thing,” Savage spent much of the 1980s residing in South Africa to fight against apartheid.
While I won’t pretend to have understood much, most, of what Savage chattered on about during a recent sit down in the Liberty lobby, he’s certainly a very engaging and interesting character. Shame he wasn’t in town longer.
His professed affection for Cleburne seemed genuine.
“Oh yeah, he loved the town,” Liberty Hotel Manager Ron Lindsey said. “He was out just walking all over the place, going into the feed store and places like that just to see what was there and talk to the people.”
Chaf-In Restaurant and the Comic Boxx being two of Savage’s local favorites.
“He looked around, bought the graphic novel on [Gen. Pat Cleburne], was real interested in that, bought some comics for his grandkids,” said Janice Savell, Comic Boxx co-owner.
Savage said he hopes to return someday.
“Love sharing the experience of peoples’ lives and history,” Savage said. “One of the greatest things about my work. We need to know more about our history. That’s why I love this little town. I just get the sense of great heritage here.”
The film marked Savage’s first trip to Cleburne, but not to Texas. Long ago, he filmed a movie in a town that begins with A.
Amarillo, maybe Abilene, I propose.
“Oh gosh, I’ll remember,” Savage said. “I want to say A, A, Galveston! That’s it.”
An apparent fond memory for the actor.
“Got put in jail,” Savage said. “I’d flown in from Hungary, was in the hotel, tired from the film. I wanted a beer, called downstairs for a beer.
“They said, ‘Oh, we can’t do that. We’re too busy right now. Just come on down.’
I said, ‘Well, I can’t. I’m really not dressed.’
‘Just come as you are.’
‘Alright.’
“I came down as I was ...naked!
“Only took about two minutes for me to get a standing ovation, police and sheriffs taking me away. And this poor Hungarian producer thinking he could just ask them to stop because he’s a producer. Finally, I convinced him that if he wanted to share a cell with me, you know.
“That was a long time ago. I was much younger then, don’t drink anymore.”
During this Texas stop Savage, fortunately, didn’t bolt au naturel through Liberty’s lobby screaming for suds.
Unfortunately, neither did Ashley Wilkerson or Holly Lynch.
The ingenue
Dallas’ own, Ashley Wilkerson — “Make sure you specify I was born in Lubbock, Texas, but Dallas is my home” — makes her big break in Cleburne as well.
“This is my first feature film,” Wilkerson said. “I’ve done some short films, but nothing of this magnitude.”
Actually, she’s a bit more accomplished than that, having shot several commercials, Subway, Choice Hotels, etc., as well as a solid background in live theater.
Wilkerson recently received a grant to write and perform a one woman show about a Texas woman on death row, which she will tour this summer.
Wilkerson’s look and personality attracted the film’s producers to her, Love said. The layers and complexity of her character attracted her to the role, Wilkerson said.
A bit star struck perhaps, but having a ball, Wilkerson said, adding that everyone associated with the film is working hard to make it succeed, and that she’s just enjoying her opportunity.
“And, scene,” Wilkerson chirps with a courtesy, bouncing off to do, whatever it is budding movie stars do.
The starlet
“So you’re hot girl from upstairs, with the glasses and all, the girl from 4E in the State Farm commercial?” I asked Holly Lynch.
Which gets a yes and a laugh. One of 45 or so commercials Lynch appears in as well as guest spots on “Cold Case,” “CSI,” “Entourage” and other shows.
“Not really,” Lynch said when asked if she gets recognized from her commercials. “I did a music video for John Mayer [“Your Body is a Wonderland”], which was so popular I got recognized for that quite a bit. That was weird.”
The offer to star in “Sweetwater” came out of nowhere, Lynch said.
“I was on vacation with my family and got a call from my agent telling me to check my e-mail,” Lynch said. “I read a lot of scripts and would say 70 percent, if not more, are [Naughty word alert! Remove all children from the room]. This story was very compelling, something we can all relate to.”
Several local residents won roles as extras in the film. Lake Whitney resident Cindy Glass went one day just to watch the movie being filmed, but wound up on screen delivering a couple of lines.
“I was a little nervous about memorizing lines,” Glass said. “Practicing with Dean Cain and Holly Lynch. My mom laughed and said ‘Oh, just suck it up.’ So I did. It took about four hours to do. We were in a make-believe hallway that was actually a closet.”
Once completed, Love said she and Skiba will shop the film to distributors, possibly go the film festival route. Love admits that there’s always a risk of spending time and money on a movie only to see it never picked up.
“Yeah, we try not to do that,” Skiba joked.
But that’s not a huge worry, Love said, given the pair’s experience, track record and industry connections.
Crew members should be in town through Tuesday. After that, it’s back to Arizona for post production, editing, all that. Kim’s brother, Justin Low, hopes to supply the film’s musical score, she said.
A theatrical run, TV, straight to DVD or obscurity, whatever the case, Kim and Kent Hughes said they definitely hope to screen the finished film in Cleburne.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 5, 2012 -- Victory Angel Films is Proud to announce the Theatrical Release of Sweetwater. “Sweetwater” will open on April 13th in four Arizona Harkins theaters. Having a “meet and greet” with the cast and crew at the Superstition Springs Harkins on opening night. The cast and crew will be there for a question and answer session following the 7pm screening as well as a poster signing and photo op. This event will be open to the public.
Sweetwater is the story of two young women who join forces to find a cure for cancer, but soon realize their lives may be in danger if they expose what they discover. Focusing on Cancer, the film plays part political/corporate thriller interspersed with elements of fractured friendship, redemption and family bonds. Sweetwater suggests that while a cure is possible, or already exists, the powers that be (medical, pharmaceutical, charitable) find it in their financial interests not to reveal the solution. Would you risk your own life to save the lives of millions? Our hero’s would…
Sweetwater was directed by 2011 filmmaker of the year, Arizona resident Brian Skiba. Produced by Arizona natives Laurie Love and Dominic Ross and has completed it’s post production process at Victory Angel Films' Tempe, Arizona facility.
Sweetwater’s star line-up includes Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Out of Time, Ripley’s Believe It or Not), John Savage (The Deer Hunter / Hair / The Godfather: Part III), William Katt (The Greatest American Hero / Carrie / The Man from Earth), and introduces newcomer standout Holly Lynch.
Independently funded films of this caliber don’t often get the recognition they deserve. With Sweetwater, we’ve found that with such important subject matter at hand people are willing to listen and give it a shot. Such is the case with Harkins cinemas. Director Skiba said “Harkins saw something in our little movie and was willing to take a chance, hopefully our fellow Arizonians will too”.
After a Film Festival screening an audience member applauded the filmmakers for having some fresh faces share the screen with Hollywood veterans. Mentioning Holly Lynch, Michelle Rene, and Ashley Wilkerson’s performances and how nice it was to see a film portraying “real people”. This is what actress Holly Lynch had to say about Skiba’s directing style, “This being my first lead in a feature film I was very nervous. Brian always knew the right thing to say to keep me focused. Daily he gave me the confidence I needed to push through the day.” Producer Dominic Ross says, “The performances given by first timers as well as our seasoned actors brought tears to my eyes, they were all so powerful.”
To schedule an interview with some of our cast or director or to have media @ our screening please contact: Tiffany Shepis 818-284-5389 For more information on Sweetwater visit www.victoryangelfilms.com or http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1852114/
Pré-production : fin 2010
