Showed at the Portobello Festival in London, the largest film festival in the UK! It was one of only 38 films from the US.
Six Blocks Wide screened at the historic Carver Theate in downtown Birmingham Thursday, June 26, 2008! Over 200 people attended. It was a wonderful night and something far beyond any of my dreams or expectations. I will never forget it. This film was a labor of love for a team of dedicated people. Every one of them, from the producers and directors, the talented camera man, the people who made the lighting and sound work, the composer, the film editor, the actors, to the support people...all of them. To see their vision and mine on the big screen was simply awesome.
It is our hope that this film not only will be accepted into film festivals across the world, but will be used to stimulate thought and discussion about crime and violence and the responsibility of the community to step up.
SideWalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL has accepted Six Blocks Wide! September 26.27.28, 2008 Check site for schedule. Attendees can vote for their favorite film! Hint. Hint. :-)
A Film for Peace festival in Italy has accepted Six Blocks Wide! Our first film festival acceptance, and we made the semi-finals too--the only U.S. film to do so!
Start with an all African American cast from the Deep South, add a Ukrainian director and a retired-cop writer.
Blend well and season with experienced actress, Tonea Stewart ("Etta" in The Heat of the Night TV series, the grieving mother in A Time to Kill) as Gran, the elderly matriarch who challenges a drug dealer's grip on a small inner-city neighborhood.
Film in Birmingham, Alabama.
Click photos to see the galleries of more pictures taken on the set.
David, Camera Master
Thomas as Thomas
Neighborhood bonding
Mariana Bolshinskya, ShapeFilms--
"The world may only be six blocks wide, but it's our world."
Thorne’s screenplay guides viewers into the world of a small, inner-city community’s struggle against a cruel drug lord. The community’s matriarch, “Gran,” has decided to fight back with both courage and heart against the violence her extended family now faces. The story, based on Thorne’s own experiences as a Birmingham patrol officer, intertwines beauty and heartbreak in a torn community. The work is a compelling look at violence, both locally and in our society as a whole.
STREET TALK: Lights, camera ...
Teresa K. Thorne, executive director of Birmingham's City Action Partnership, is about to become a screenwriter.
Shape Films is producing the independent film, "Six Blocks Wide" -- written by Thorne. Her script centers around a young girl and an old woman who stand up to a drug lord in an inner-city Birmingham neighborhood.
"I spent 22 years in the Birmingham police department, and my script is based on a drug dealer that operated in the city at one time," said Thorne, who has had a long-term interest in films and script writing.
Crew on the set
Award-winning director, Yuri Shapochka's most recent film "High Expectations" was featured at Birmingham's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival and was screened for an international audience at the Cannes Film Festival. Shapochka's team includes cinematographer, David Brower, and noted actress Tonea Stewart, who is best known for her performance as the grieving mother, Gwen Hailey, in "A Time to Kill." Stewart, who leads the cast, is also known for her recurring role on TV's "In the Heat of the Night."
