The movie, Apart From That produced by Randy Walker and Jenny Shainin, is now available for purchase! Click on image below to watch the ad (starring my Mom) THEN go shopping!
The DVD/CD Soundtrack/Photo/Art Book of APART FROM THAT will be available the end of July!
WHOLPHIN, the “DVD magazine of unseen things” has a blog about APART FROM THAT. WHOLPHIN is an extraordinary DVD magazine consisting of short films, docs, instructional videos, foreign sitcoms,and other cinema hybrids...all from around the world.
APART FROM THAT has been invited to the Harvard Film Archive, to be screened at their “Under the Radar” festival. Here’s what Ray Carney, author of "Cassavetes on Cassavetes" had to say about the film:
After a year of film festivals the world over, “Apart From That,” the movie my Mom stars in, is showing in downtown Bellingham on March 28 and March 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Pickford Cinema!
With upcoming 2007 film festivals scheduled in Poland, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Hong Kong, and England “Apart From That” will continue to entertain and enthrall audiences as it has been doing since its March 2006 world premiere in Austin, Texas.
Plus…
Now that the movie has had its first public premiere (in Mt. Vernon, Washington on February 8th), “Apart From That” will be available on DVD soon!
Just for fun I decided to try googling my Mom’s movie “Apart From That.” The results speak to how widespread this movie, its reviews, press and related images are becoming!
I also googled just my Mom’s name, “Alice Ellingson” and was duly impressed. (Try it!)
By googling I found a few more bits and pieces about this movie (that my Mom stars in) I hadn’t seen before.
With upcoming screenings at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Jacksonville Film Festival and the latest, CineVegas in Las Vegas, googling “Apart From That” is going to net more and more results!
Upcoming Film Festival Details:
Seattle International Film Festival—www.seattlefilm.com
“Apart From That” Screenings:
May 31st (6:30 p.m.) and June 1st (9:30 p.m.)
Tickets should go on sale online at the SIFF website.
Jacksonville Film Festival—www.jacksonvillefilmfestival.com
May 18-21, 2006
“Apart From That” Screening:
May 20th (1:00 p.m.)
Last Saturday, on April 22, we saw “Apart From That” at the Newport Beach Film Festival! It was a perfect opportunity to visit Tim, Kathy, and Rylan and to see the movie all in one swoop. My Mom, the star of the movie, flew down to Southern California to make a special appearance for the West Coast Premiere. It was also an opportunity to invite family members (on her father’s side) from the Los Angeles area to a barbecue at Tim and Kathy’s house.
Not only that, the week before Mom was interviewed over the phone by Matt Coker from OC Weekly resulting in an extensive article in the April 17th edition Coincidentally, Mom’s cousin, Alan Gray, distributes the OC Weekly in the area—something we would never have known if he hadn’t come to the barbecue! Read OC Weekly article.
Randy and Jenny, the directors of the movie, are upbeat, energetic, enthusiastic, and very into their film. The intense energy and immense time they put into this movie is unfathomable. We were very pleased they were able to find time to stop by Kathy and Tim’s. Listening to them talk about the movie was very cool. They even brought movie posters and T-shirts!
There's more! On Monday, Squeeze OJ, another hip publication in the area, wrote a movie review. In fact the author, Omar, sat right in front of us at the theater so we knew ahead of time of the impending movie review. Read Squeeze OJ review.
After reading both of these write ups you will be convinced this is a must-see movie. I know I was impressed at the level of creativity (especially the use of techniques I have never seen in any movie before—Bravo to Erik Forssell, Director of Photography!) and the unusual approaches to the telling of stories in glimpses. Go to http://www.foreignamericanpictures.com/ for details and lots of cool images.
The part of Peggy played by my Mom is definitely an important focal point in the movie. Of course it could be I am biased. After seeing people coming up to Mom after the movie and congratulating her and telling her what a great job she did, I don’t think so. The movie would not be the same without Peggy; she adds a unique element and a special humor to the movie. Comments and conversation from her were intertwined into the movie and became the backbone of much of the movie’s meaning; like the part wherein she talks about a picture she made of her sisters and brothers. She is definitely the star! I have to admit, even though she pretty much played “herself” on screen, I did not expect to see so much of the senior side in the role she played—she was very convincing!
This is one of those movies you think about after it is over and want to see again to look at things that happened in the beginning; things missed because of not knowing the direction the movie is going until the movie is well along.
After the movie Mom joined other actors and cast in front of the theater for a question and answer period. View short video clip of Q and A.
And check this out! The movie is now scheduled to play at two more film festivals!
First, check out the poster posted on IMDb.com < http://www.imdb.com/ > Thanks to Rob for finding this!
Second, just today Mom sent me the invite to the West Coast premiere of “Apart From That” in Newport Beach. If you’d like a PDF of the invite, let me know.
Details about the showing are below!
Saturday, April 22nd at 9:30pm
Cox Theater - Edwards Island 7 Cinema
999 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Be sure to visit the official website for the movie—a site that is very well done! There you will find stills, a press book, in-depth information on the cast, and more.
“It was, by far, the best film I saw [at the 2006 SXSW film festival], and believe me, I’m very picky about the films I embrace. The cinematography, the whole look and feel of the film, the funny/sad quality to all the performances...I was enchanted the entire screening.”
Peter Catalanotte, SXSW audience member
“[APART FROM THAT] reminded me why I run a single screen theatre and program for the Jacksonville Film Festival. I have been at SXSW since Friday and it took till [Wednesday] to see something I am really excited about.”
Tim Massett, Programmer
The Jacksonville Film Festival
I just received word from the producers through my Mom that the movie she is starring in, APART FROM THAT, has been accepted into the Newport Beach Film Festival, April 20-30! See related blog.
In early April a list of selected movies will be available online along with the option of purchasing tickets before they are sold out.
So, if any of you happen to be in the Southern California area at that time, check it out! Screening date, time, and location to be announced. newportbeachfilm.com
At age 76 my Mom became a movie star! “Apart From That,” the movie she is starring in began full production in October of 2004. Her part is that of an elderly lady who is renting a room to a young girl taking classes at a local college. In the movie my Mom’s name is Peggy.
One of the scenes she told me about was filmed at an old sixties style house in a nearby town, a house with a flat roof, cathedral like ceilings, beams and small high windows typical of the era. The scene was a party of about twenty-five young people. She was in the scene for only a few minutes yet she was able to experience the fun and excitement of a college-age party all contrived by the movie producers.
Another scene Mom described to me was set up in yet another nearby town. Mom, that is Peggy, is riding in an old Lincoln Continental with the young girl who lives with her. The young girl is having trouble driving such a big car and is meandering down the road when she sees a Halloween parade. Being somewhat adventurous and silly she decides she wants to be in the parade. She drives the car right between two floats. The parade again was contrived. The spectators were hired. The movie crew built one of the floats. The producers borrowed the second float from the local Moose Lodge. On the float created by the movie crew, kids were directed to hold onto huge pieces of foam carved in the shapes of pumpkins to protect the float from winds. Yes, these kids were “hired” too.
How did my Mom land this role? Her opportunity came about all because of being a member of the Sons of Norway and being adventuresome. The producers, Randy Walker and Jennifer Shainin, showed up at a Sons of Norway meeting looking to audition people who had a Norwegian heritage. Mom decided it would be fun to audition. She did not expect anything would come of it. To her surprise she ended up on a list of runner-ups. After several more rounds of interviews and auditions she became a top contender. A few months later she received a phone call telling her she would play the role of Peggy, a main character! The funny thing is that Mom is not even Norwegian. She joined the Sons of Norway through my Dad whose great grandparents were born in Norway!
In August of 04 when she received the script she still didn’t believe there actually would be a movie.
When the producers decided to use “her” house to shoot scenes she realized that maybe it was all for real. The producers chose her house to be Peggy’s house for the movie. Mom spent hours cleaning and moving stuff to storage in readiness. The movie crew shot scenes for the movie at her house for a full week! After the final wrap at the end of each day the crew would take off leaving their movie equipment all over her house making her realize this movie really was happening.
In the beginning, Mom was concerned about having to memorize lines. After her movie making adventure she learned how it all actually works. Just before a shoot, she was told what the lines were (especially since they often were changed from the script anyway). She also was allowed to adlib. With her imagination and ability to pretend she found this easy to do.
Even costumes and wardrobe choices were not a concern. There was a lady on staff who created costumes and before each scene brought her special outfits to wear.
The movie was finished last fall. The cast and crew premiere was held at a theater in a nearby town, as it turned out, on the day before my Mom’s 77th birthday! At the reception afterwards she received so many congratulations! Everyone told her how great she was saying; “You were the best. You were the star of the picture. You were wonderful.”
She says this entire movie experience has been amazing, she had so much fun and just cannot believe, especially at this time in her life, how much she got to be in the limelight.
Last Saturday, on April 22, we saw “Apart From That” at the Newport Beach Film Festival! It was a perfect opportunity to visit Tim, Kathy, and Rylan and to see the movie all in one swoop. My Mom, the star of the movie, flew down to Southern California to make a special appearance for the West Coast Premiere. It was also an opportunity to invite family members (on her father’s side) from the Los Angeles area to a barbecue at Tim and Kathy’s house. 
First, check out the poster posted on IMDb.com < 
