THE SANTA FE FILM CENTER
PRESENTS KEVIN WILLMOTT=92S PROVOCATIVE NEW FEATURE FILM
=93BUNKER HILL=94
BEGINNING SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2008
WES STUDI TO INTRODUCE THE FILM ON OPENING NIGHT
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO =96 The Santa Fe Film Festival will host a week-
long theatrical run of independent filmmaker Kevin Wilmott=92s new,
politically-charged feature Bunker Hill, beginning August 9, 2008.
Actor Wes Studi (Avatar, Last of the Mohicans) will introduce the film
on opening night, and Willmott will take questions from the audience.
The film stars Emmy and Peabody Award winner James McDaniel (NYPD
Blue, Sun****ne State); Saeed Jaffrey the legendary actor from India
who has starred in more than 150 films including Gandhi, Passage to
India, My Beautiful Launderette and The Man Who Would Be King; and
Laura Kirk, star and co-writer of the acclaimed feature film Lisa
Picard is Famous, which premiered at The Cannes Film Festival.
What would happen if 9/11 happened again? Bunker Hill is the story of
a former Wall Street executive who leaves prison and heads for the
small town of Bunker Hill, Kansas, where his ex-wife and their
children have started a new life. Soon after he arrives, an apparent
massive terrorist attack against America darkens the town. Cut off
from the world, the town=92s militant past is reawakened and forces
coalesce to protect citizens from an unseen enemy. The town=92s fear
leads to the creation of a posse of gunmen, resulting in torture,
illegal searches and eventually, murder. Civil liberties and justice
itself hang in the balance as the town must decide whether to embrace
freedom or fear.
The film was recently screened in Wa****ngton, DC at an event hosted by
the ACLU.
"The America we live in today is very different from the America we
lived in on September 11, 2001," said Johnny Barnes, executive
director of the ACLU of the National Capital Area. =93Democracy and
freedom must not become casualties in the War on Terror. This great
film reminds us of that.=94
=93When writing fiction, you always hope that you=92re on to something
that reflects what is actually going on in the world,=94 says Willmott.
=93Bunker Hill tells a pretty wild story that is amazingly close to what
has really happened to us since 9/11, right up to the current
presidential election campaign.=94
Following the Wa****ngton screening, a number of political and film
weblogs reacted. Below are quotes from a few online re****ts:
=93A new indie film by African-American director Kevin Willmott (CSA:
Confederate States of America) called Bunker Hill hasn=92t even been
released yet, but it=92s already sparking political debate.=94
Ann Brown, The A-List Magazine (http://
thealistmagazine.wordpress.com/ )
=93Mixing contem****ary, and highly resonant, political issues with the
dramatic force of film genres such as the western and the post-
apocalyptic thriller, Bunker Hill challenges viewers to think about
how we might react if the country was faced with another terrorist
attack.=94
Chuck Tryon, The Chutry Experiment ( www.Chutry.Wordherders.net )
=93I know what I like, and Bunker Hill deserves great praise as a
courageous and realistic film. Bunker Hill is a highly relevant,
timely and meaningful motion picture for the times we live in, and I
highly recommend it.=94
-- David Henderson, Clear Voices In A Cluttered World
(DavidHenderson.com)
=93Most viewers of this film will inevitably be left to wonder if a
chain of events like this one ****trayed here is possible in modern
America =85 I applaud Kevin Willmott for encouraging citizens to use his
work of art as a vehicle for discussion.=94
-- Pam Pohly, EverydayCitizen.com
Also appearing in the film are: Broadway, television and film star
Kevin Geer (American Gangster); Blake Robbins, from the HBO series Oz;
Scott Allegrucci, (Chicago Hope, The Feud), singer / songwriter Kelley
Hunt; Ranjit Arab; and Christopher Wheatley. Kelley Hunt co-wrote the
film=92s musical score with Nathan Towns and performs the original song
=93Mountain To Move.=94 The soundtrack also includes music by Pat
Metheny.
After returning to Kansas from NYU Film School, Kevin Willmott began
writing, first for the stage, and then for television and film. His
film CSA: Confederate States Of America premiered at the Sundance Film
Festival. Presented by Spike Lee and IFC Films, the movie generated
critical acclaim during its theatrical runs in the US and Europe.
Willmott=92s screenplays have been commissioned by Oliver Stone, 20th
Century Fox and others. He co-wrote the NBC mini-series The 70=92s with
Mitch Brian. Ninth Street, a feature film starring Martin Sheen and
Isaac Hayes, co-starred and was written, produced and co-directed by
Willmott. He is currently in post production on a new feature, The
Only Good Indian, written by Thomas L. Carmody and starring Wes Studi
(Avatar, Last of the Mohicans).
Willmott directed Bunker Hill from a script he wrote with Greg Hurd.
Matt Jacobson (CSA, Bukowski: Born Into This) is the Director of
Photography. Willmott also produced the film, along with Matt Cullen,
Greg Hurd and Scott Richardson. Thomas L. Carmody is the Executive
Producer.
The Santa Fe Film Center, a division of The Santa Fe Film Festival, is
occupying the theater wing of the former Cinemacafe and offers year-
round film programming at the 125-seat theater. The Film Center at
Cinemacafe opened in May, 2005 and is located at 1616 St. Michael=92s
Drive, in the St. Michael=92s Village West Shopping Center. The Film
Center serves as an exhibition hall, as a networking hub for film
professionals and as the focal point for the festival=92s educational
programs. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $7 for seniors and
students and $6 for Santa Fe Film Festival members.
For information on The Santa Fe Film Center:
Stephen Rubin 505-988-7414
srubinfilms@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
information about Bunker Hill:
ScottRichardson@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or GregHurd@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
785-550-3605
www.BunkerHillTheFilm.com
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