Three Michigan-shot features premiere this week at Sundance: “Another Happy Day,” a drama starring Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore and Kate Bosworth; the comedies “Cedar Rapids,” starring Sigourney Weaver, Ed Helms and John C. Reilly and “Salvation Boulevard,” with stars Jennifer Connelly, Pierce Brosnan and Ed Harris.
These films generated some $16.8 million and created about 480 Michigan jobs, says MFO director Carrier Jones.
In 2010, Michigan approved funding for 48 film projects that infused more than $300 million in the state’s economy. To date, more than $648 million was spent for media product throughout the state.
OSCAR NIGHT® AMERICA PARTY, the region’s only Academy-sanctioned screening of the show the Waterfront Film Festival’s prime fund-raiser, takes place Feb. 27 at the Goei Center in Grand Rapids.
“Oscar night is one of the best evenings of the year, and we’re fortunate enough to be able to celebrate it in a way that is befitting the spirit of Hollywood,” says Dana DePree Minter, a Waterfront Film Festival co-founder.
“Our guests dress the part, our venue is glamorous, and the gathering turns out as a perfect local complement to the Oscar presentations at the Kodak Theatre.”
The A-list atmosphere, she says, includes red carpet entry, a glass of bubbly, access to multiple bars, specialized food stations, live music, celebrity quests and the same Academy Awards® program and poster that celebrities receive in Hollywood.
Tickets are $65 per person, including two drink tickets, and $125 for a VIP ticket that also includes reserved seating, open bar access and swag bags. See waterfrontfilm.org.
THE DRAMADY “CRIPPLE,” based on a real-life story of Adam Niskar, a senior director at Quicken Loans in Detroit, who made an incredible journey to build his life after a life-changing accident from a high dive, is in postproduction. Shot in metro Detroit late 2010, it’s expected to debut at a festival in late summer or early fall.
Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) stars as Niskar. The cast includes Jeff Daniels, Lena Olin, Tom Berenger, Celia Weston and Tom Sizemore.
Producers are Gary Gilbert and Jordan Horowitz, the team behind “The Kids are All Right,” and Gilbert’s businessman brother, an executive at Quicken Loans, is executive producer and sole funder. Director is Mike Uppendahl (“Mad Men,” “Becker”). —Ruth L Ratny
