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“1st Show Sold Out, 2nd Show added for Ohio
Made Feature film ‘Horrors of War’”
Columbus, Ohio - April 3rd, 2006 All-Ohio made independent
film “Horrors of War” will have a follow up sneak
preview screening on Thursday April 27th, 2006 at 7:PM at
The Screens movie theatre at the Continent. A second show
was added because the first sneak preview sold out to well
over 300 people and others were turned away. The film, co-directed
by John Whitney and Peter John Ross, was shot and produced
entirely in Ohio. Additional screenings are set for April
23rd in Cincinnati at the Esquire and May 20th in Youngstown.
“I am completely floored by the response,” says
Peter John Ross, co-director of the film. “Getting your
movies on the big screen doesn’t happen everyday, especially
for filmmakers based here in the Midwest. Competing with Spike
Lee for box office was a challenge, but we sold out and I
am very happy with the turnout.”
“With the downward trend in big Hollywood movies, and
alternative like our film appeals to audiences,” said
says producer/co-writer Philip R. Garrett, formerly of DreamWorks,
who left a job working on Disney animated features to work
in independent film in Central Ohio. “’Horrors
of War’ mixes genres and has comedy, action, horror,
and science fiction. This film is very different. It offers
people something they can’t find anywhere else.”
The producers are expanding the sneak preview screenings
beyond Ohio’s borders with shows in Los Angeles, Seattle,
San Francisco, Austin, Indianapolis, New York, and Chicago.
The grass roots route, also known as “four walling”,
has successfully worked for filmmakers to self distribute
their feature films on the big screen before a DVD release.
“Horrors of War” has a July 7th DVD release in
Japan, and a North American DVD deal is expected to be announced
soon.
“Horrors of War” takes place in Europe in World
War II, centering on a group of GIs that encounter science
fiction and horror based phenomena in battle. Crossing genres
of shows like “X-Files” and “Band of Brothers,”
the storyline follows Lt. John Schmidt, played by Columbus
actor Jon Osbeck, as he comes face to face with a horde of
Nazi nightmare secret weapons. “Horrors of War”
was made in a B-movie style, yet with a dramatic grounding
and an eye for bigger production values.
Filming took place in July 2005, moving all over the great
State of Ohio. Many local filmmakers teamed up to raise the
bar for this feature film. Co-director John Whitney had recent
airings of his short film “Passion” on The Independent
Film Channel as a finalist in the IFC Media Lab contest. Producer
Sean Reid, formerly with E! Entertainment Television, made
his feature “Redemption” in Los Angeles before
moving back to the Canton/Akron area. Commercial production
companies that contributed to the making of the project included
Greg Sabo of Sabo Studios, Lyon Video, Mills James Productions,
and Planetary Media, and Space Junk Media who received a “Citation
of Excellence” for their work at the Columbus ADDY Awards
for their work on the film.
The Internet has played a key role in making and marketing
the film. The film’s official website, www.HorrorsOfWarMovie.com,
features the trailer, poster art, still galleries, and special
“Web Docs”. The Web Docs, Internet based documentaries
in bite-sized nuggets of 2-4 minute videos chronicle the making
of the film. This technique has been used effectively for
big Hollywood movies like STAR WARS, KING KONG, SUPERMAN RETURNS,
and CLERKS 2, but rarely do people get a glimpse into the
guerilla filmmaking world. Already online are glimpses into
writing the screenplay, the first day’s shooting, and
more. Additionally, the producers have put basic filmmaking
tips on the site as well. These videos draw the most traffic
with over 100,000 downloads since starting them in November
2005. The website and the film have been mentioned with genre
publications like FANGORIA, RUE MORGUE,
JOBLO.COM, THE HORROR CHANNEL, SCREEN MAGAZINE, FILM THREAT,
and many more.
The Screens theatre is located at 6360 Busch Blvd (go to
www.continentmovies.com
for more information). Ticket price will be only $5 for this
special sneak preview screening.
“Horrors of War” is a co-production between Columbus,
Ohio based Sonnyboo Productions, Arbor Ave Films, and Hollywood
Wizard based in Los Angeles, California.
Contact Info : Peter John Ross
5759 Tamarack Blvd, Apt A
Columbus, OH 43229
(614) 378-5941 / FAX (614) 863-1143
EMAIL: ross@horrorsofwarmovie.com
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