Justice Returns
Justice Is Mind to screen on August 18, 2015 at Cinemagic in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
It’s hard to believe that the 2nd Anniversary of the world premiere of Justice Is Mind is coming up on August 18. I am, therefore, delighted to announce that Justice Is Mind will celebrate its 2nd Anniversary at Cinemagic in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on August, 18, 2015!
To say time flies by would be an understatement. This is particularly true when you are doing the day to day marketing of a feature film. August 18 will mark the 21st screening since our world premiere. While Justice is available on VOD, there is nothing more exciting as a filmmaker than to see your work on the big screen. And with Justice now also available in DCP (Digital Cinema Package) thanks to the Chatham Theatre, for the first time we may be seeing the film at its highest resolution. I thought our theatrical DVDs were great, but seeing a DCP sample of Justice several months ago was truly incredible.
It’s interesting when you set out to make a film, because you just don’t know what market forces and conditions are going to exist when your film is released. Case in point women in film. Who would have thought that the inequities of women in leading roles in films would be at such a forefront in the media? Thankfully, Justice Is Mind is evenly split between men and women. For me as a screenwriter it just makes sense from an overall “reality” point of view. As Reese Witherspoon told the Hollywood Reporter at the Produced By conference the other day, “I was just reading scripts, and the scripts were sort of diminishing. I just started to notice they were making less movies for women, and that meant less parts for women.” Thus, Witherspoon started to produce films a few years ago.
Speaking of women in film, Mary Wexler, who plays Judge Wagner in Justice Is Mind and is one of our producers, posted a wonderful article in New England School of Law Alumni Magazine about her work as a lawyer, involvement in the film and mention of the sequel In Mind We Trust. Her quote, “Justice allowed me to combine my love of acting and my passion for the law,” said it all for me.
The fiction of a cyber war in SOS United States met the world of reality when the Pentagon told Scientific American “The Pentagon has made clear in recent weeks that cyber warfare is no longer just a futuristic threat—it is now a real one.”
Above all else, filmmaking is a passion. Yes, there is the important economic and commercial side, but at the end of the day filmmaking is just pure fun. For me whether I’ve been on set as a TV personality, actor, producer or director, I’ve loved every moment of it. Now having been fortunate enough to see a feature film of my own produced, and the journey it can take you on, yes, I plan to do this again..and again.
Just yesterday I passed the 30 page mark on the screenplay adaption of Winds of Fall, while some possible producing and financing partners are reviewing SOS United States, First World and In Mind We Trust. This is not an easy industry by any stretch of the imagination and is one of patience. When I read that over 30,000 films were being marketed at Cannes in some capacity or another, thankful for our accomplishments to date with Justice Is Mind doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel.
Next milestone.
Mary Wexler talks about being a lawyer, her involvement in Justice Is Mind and a reference to the sequel. in article in New England School of Law Alumni Magazine.
The Cunard Way
With my mother in October 2014 during the International Premiere of Justice Is Mind on the Queen Elizabeth.
It was just over a year ago at the screening of Justice Is Mind in Millbury, Massachusetts at the Elm Draught House Cinema where I announced that the International Premiere of Justice Is Mind would take place on Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth ocean liner on October 29, 2014. It seems fitting to remember this milestone as Cunard celebrates their own milestone today – their 175th Anniversary.
Having sailed on the Queen Mary 2 in 2007 and the Queen Elizabeth in 2014, there is something magical about Cunard. While there are many other brands, no other cruise line marries the storied history of travel by ocean liner to the contemporary atmosphere of today. As I watch their celebrations coming live from Liverpool, England on YouTube, I am reminded what a masterful job Cunard does of honoring its heritage while always looking towards the future. Indeed, Cunard has one of the most modern fleets in the world.
The three Queens celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Cunard in Liverpool, England today.
I fondly remember that day my mother and I arrived in Rome and traveled to port. Seeing the Queen Elizabeth come into view was a dream come true. While I was most certainly looking forward to the sailing, it was the fact that my film, Justice Is Mind, was going to have its International Premiere on board. For the over 200 people involved in the film, including our composer and sound mixer from England, Justice Is Mind now has an entry in the history of Cunard.
The Queen Mary 2 (left) can be seen in front of the Cunard Building, with Queen Victoria (c) and Queen Elizabeth (r).
On this side of the pond, it’s Memorial Day today where we honor those who lost their lives defending the United States. One must also remember Cunard’s role in World War II. It was the great Cunard liners Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth that were converted to troop ships to transport soldiers during the war. In December, 1942 the Queen Mary brought over 16,000 soldiers from the United States to England. It was Winston Churchill that said the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth helped shorten the war by at least a year.
So as we celebrate Cunard Line’s 175th Anniversary, we also remember the brave men and women who gave their lives to preserve our way of life in the United States, United Kingdom and all the nations that believe in freedom and democracy for all.
Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary arriving in New York harbor, June 20, 1945, with thousands of US soldiers.
The Ashton Times 