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MARILYN HOTCHKISS MOVIE CONTEST

PRESENTS

MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL

STARRING

ROBERT CARLYLEMARISA TOMEI

MARY STEENBURGEN DONNIE WAHLBERG

JOHN GOODMANSEAN ASTIN

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY

RANDALL MILLER

Running Time: 103 minutes Unrated

Media Contacts:

Kristi AvramMatt CowalTiffany Bair (LA)IDP Distribution1133 BroadwaySuite 926New York, NY 10010T: 212.367.9435F: 212.367.0853T: 310.860.3126 (LA)

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Los Angeles:

Michele RobertsonClay DollarhideMRC8530 Wilshire BoulevardSuite 220Beverly Hills, CA  90211T: 310.652.6123F: 310.652.6278mrobertson@mrc-pr.com clay@mrc-pr.com

F: 310.860.3195 (LA)kristi@idpfilm.commatt@idpfilm.comtiffanyb@idpfilm.com

SYNOPSIS

MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL is a beautiful film that celebrates the reawakening of the spirit.

Based on a short film created 15 years ago by the director and co-writer Randall Miller and wife Jody Savin, MARILYN HOTCHKISS centers on Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle), a widowed man consumed by his wife's death. On a delivery run one day, Frank witnesses a car wreck and talks to the man inside, Steve Mills (John Goodman), who is on the verge of dying. In the last moments of his life, Steve explains the urgency that led to his situation; he tells the story of his childhood love to whom he swore 40 years ago he would meet at Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School where they first met as kids.

When Frank attempts to deliver Steve's regrets for not showing up, Frank meets both Meredith (Marisa Tomei) and the infectious world of dance, which allows him to open his heart and find love again.

MARILYN HOTCHKISS premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and also stars Mary Steenburgen, Sean Astin, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny DeVito.

PRODUCTION NOTES

MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL began over 15 years ago as a short film about innocence and nostalgia-- about a twelve-year-old boy in 1962 who gets his first kiss and discovers that “girls aren’t so bad.” Although it was a quintessentially American short film featuring American slang and such American institutions as cotillion, the short film spoke to audiences around the globe. It racked up 17 international film awards from places as remote as Malta, France, Spain, Belgium and Aspen. It was also nominated for two Cable Ace Awards.

Written and directed by Randall Miller, the short was loosely based on the writer/director’s own experience having attended cotillion once as a boy growing up in Pasadena. Clearly that one evening had made an indelible impression on him. Miller was born and raised in Pasadena, California where he still lives with his wife and two young children. As in MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL, Pasadena often figures into his work.

“In the vast Los Angeles megalopolis where many of the valley and Westside communities tend to blend together, Pasadena has a unique personality. Steeped in a history of moneyed robber barons, there is a part of Pasadena that feels stubbornly old world. And yet Pasadena, like the rest of the California Southland, has been very much transformed by immigration, both legal and illegal. The collision of these two worlds has helped the city evolve into a place whose temperature and heart-rate forever intrigue me,” explains the director.

How the short film evolved into a feature is a question both Miller and his wife and creative partner, Jody Savin, are often asked. “The feature is in many ways a metaphor for the process of its own genesis,” says Savin. “One of the main themes of the feature is about opening oneself up to the odd turns one’s life might take and how those unpredictable paths can lead to resolution and contentedness one could not have personally conceived or engineered.” Case in point: Mr. Miller’s own career. After directing a sweet, nostalgic and in many ways patrician short, he went on to direct three urban comedies, CLASS ACT, HOUSEGUEST and THE 6TH MAN. Marlon Wayans literally thought he was meeting a black director when he got together with Miller to discuss work on THE 6TH MAN.

Miller has also had a successful run directing television shows like “Thirtysomething,” “Northern Expsosure” and “Popular.” He directed the pilots for the Nickelodeon kid sensation, “Salute Your Shorts,” and for the Warner Brothers series, “Dead Last.” He got a DGA nomination for H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS a children’s movie for the Wonderful World of Disney.

“A director learns from directing,” says Miller. “I learned from every one of the movies and shows I directed.” But Miller had a passion to direct his own material—something completely different, something personal. Miller and Savin had written and sold many scripts only to watch them stall somewhere along the way in development or pre-production. And the only way they could see to break the feature film perception of Miller as an urban comedy director would be to actually make something completely different, something personal.

That was when they ran into Morris Ruskin who remembered the short film and suggested they go back (all the way back to where they had begun in the movie business) and turn that short film into a full-length feature. The suggestion stuck with them.

Miller and Savin had each recently lost a parent. And they were living with the imminent loss of several dear friends to terminal illnesses. One of these friends, Patricia Fraser, played the title character in the short film. (The feature version is dedicated to Patricia.) The feature film takes on that loss and much more. Although the ten-year-old boy’s first kiss is still in the movie, it is now part of the fabric of lost youth, lost innocence, and one man’s attempt to reach back in time that becomes the rickety bridge to another man’s future. The storytelling is complex but the emotions are clear and honest. It is a movie about people.

The honesty and beauty of the script spoke to a group of wonderful actors. Momentum built when Carol Bodie and Chris Andrews of ICM read the script and responded enthusiastically. Andrews represents Robert Carlyle, an actor who brings incredible nuance and dignity to every role he takes. Carlyle was perfect to play the lead. He read the script immediately and signed on.

“Bobby, who is Scottish, was originally going to do the part with an American accent,” says Miller. “But after thinking about it, he thought that a foreign accent would heighten the character’s alienation and serve the overall movie better. He opted for an Irish accent which we all agreed was better since his Scottish can be a challenge to understand.”

Incredibly enough, Carlyle had never worked in the U.S. so getting him a visa in short order was a bit of a trick. “Bobby is an amazingly committed actor. If he was not on set, he was in his trailer thinking about his character, never even turning on the television or radio,” explains Miller. “His focus is extraordinary and his narrative sense was a gift to me as a director.”

Other talent agents and managers read the script and lent their support. Sue Leibman of Barking Dog recommended it to her client, Marisa Tomei, who signed on to play the damaged Meredith Morrison. From the get-go, the chemistry between Robert and Marisa was evident. In life and in the movie, they are characters from two different worlds that seem to have been destined to connect. Marisa Tomei is an incredibly versatile actress who has taken on the gamut of roles in her career. One thing that remains consistent in all

of her performances is a singular attention to detail that gives each of her characters so much life. As Meredith Morrison, she had to contend with certain physical challenges and she worked diligently and often not comfortably to make every choice true to the character.

The cast was falling into place. David Paymer, who had worked with the couple before, came on board to play Rafael Horowitz. Consistently supportive of independent cinema, Sean Astin responded to the filmmakers’ passion and offered to play the tragic and funny character of Kip Kipling. Danny DeVito got hold of the script and offered to do a role. DeVito brought the script to his agent, Fred Specktor, who also represents John Goodman, a powerhouse of an actor and the ideal Steve Mills. Goodman and Carlyle were both very excited to work with each other. Both men are generous actors and they seemed to feed off each other in their work. Adam Arkin, Camryn Manheim, Ernie Hudson, Miguel Sandoval and Sonia Braga all signed on shortly thereafter.

The casting was falling into place beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Even veteran casting directors Sarah Halley Finn and Randi Hiller, who had been supportive of the team on previous aborted ventures, couldn’t believe how perfectly it was all going.

Two roles remained to be cast: Randall Ipswitch and Marienne Hotchkiss. The roles where challenging both emotionally and in that they required the actors to dance masterfully. When the filmmaking team met with Donnie Wahlberg they knew they had found Randall Ipswitch. He had a unique understanding of the complex character and the body of a dancer. He had never done ballroom before but he had danced and they were confident he could learn. Wahlberg was perhaps less certain but Miller and Savin did not let him say no and soon the actor found himself spending all his free time in ballroom dance studios imbibing the world and the language of the peculiar character he was working to inhabit.

Hardest perhaps was to figure out who could play the daughter of the grande dame, Marilyn Hotchkiss. In the years since the making of the short, Patricia Fraser, the actress who had played Marilyn Hotchkiss in the short film, had become one of Miller and Savin’s dearest friends. A larger-than-life woman and actress, her passing on December 31 of 2003 in many ways heightened the sense of responsibility the filmmakers felt in awarding her the perfect daughter to complete the cycle in the movie. Furthermore, the role demanded superior dancing and a certain unsettling self-possession that would be a great challenge for any actress. Mary Steenburgen signed on two weeks before shooting began. A cha-cha champion in her youth, Steenburgen began practicing her dance routines every free minute she had—in Little Rock, in New York City, in Los Angeles, in airports, in dance studios, at home until she felt confident with the role of this teacher. Steenburgen and Wahlberg’s commitment to their parts, to the movie and to the dance it required of them was a gift to the movie and everyone working on it. Steenburgen is the perfect Marienne Hotchkiss. Miller and Savin know in their hearts that Patricia Fraser would be proud to be her mother.

The lead of the short film was ten years old when he played Young Steve Mills. In the movie he grows up to be John Goodman. In real life, he grew up to be an excellent actor in his own right. His name is Elden Henson. He has starred in THE MIGHTY DUCKS, THE MIGHTY, and THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT. When Savin and Miller met with Henson all these years later, they knew they had to find another role for him in the movie to underscore the unique process of the making of this film. What actor can play two different roles in a movie simply because he was allowed to grow up between takes.

Catching up with the other actors from the short was an amazing thing. Young Lisa grew up to be an accomplished dancer and choreographer. The other kids grew up to be a policewoman, an oceanographer, a professional football player. One of the actors now works as an FBI agent; another is a successful rock video director. Lives had changed but everyone remembered the experience of the short fondly and they were all excited to re-visit it as a feature.

“I had made an off-handed suggestion but when Miller and Savin came back to me with the finished script, I fell in love with it beyond my wildest dreams,” says Morris Ruskin. Miller and Savin teamed with Ruskin who had produced many independent films including GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, THE VISIT, and PRICE OF GLORY.

Miller and Savin were determined to make this Pasadena-centric movie in and around Pasadena. With all the tax and labor incentives everywhere but in Southern California, this is all too often prohibitive. Staying “home,” however, made it easier on the cast (except for Carlyle who came a long way from home to do the film). It also made it attractive to a level of crew they had always dreamed of—but never counted on—working with.

When Miller started considering D.P.’s, one man’s work stood out—a young D.P. named Jonathan Sela who had also gone to AFI (and who had also, like Miller and Savin, coincidentally but perhaps synergistically, met his future wife at the Institute). Only twenty-five years old when the shooting began, Sela proved himself a gifted artist of light and a great ally on this enormous undertaking. Sela brought with him an amazing crew of veteran camerafolks who all clearly recognize the promise of the gifted young man. Other notable crew are Academy Award winning make-up artist Lynn Barber, veteran choreographer JoAnn Jansen, ballroom dance champions Tony Meredith, Phillip Gott and Mary Murphy, and Academy Award winning sound designer Lon Bender. Every single person who worked on this movie made a creative or personal choice to do so and that made for a very happy set.

The film is a homecoming in many ways. Miller hasn’t worked in Pasadena since directing his very first film. This was a chance for him to return to personal and creative roots. Like Frank Keane, the lead character played by Robert Carlyle in the movie, and like all of Frank’s friends from his grief counseling group (Arkin, Hudson, Sandoval, Astin, St. James and Paymer), and like many of the other characters in the movie, the filmmakers opened themselves to an opportunity they could not have foreseen. And

MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL has certainly changed their lives.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

The story for the feature MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL could not be told in a straightforward linear structure. A story of great loss, past wonders and new beginnings -- to successfully tell this story required jumping back and forth in time. Essentially there are three stories at play within the greater narrative and to write it chronologically would segregate and confine the emotional arcs of the characters. These emotional arcs could only be honestly conveyed by interweaving the narrative threads, thereby demonstrating their effect on the journey of the main character. That said, the interweaving of the stories changed from the script to the movie. Often in storytelling I find that what serves the read may not ultimately serve the movie itself.

I chose to film in 35 anamorphic. This wide screen format can help achieve intimacy as well as isolation. Intimacy in that the screen consumes your entire field of vision and draws the audience into the world and mind of the characters. Compositionally, however, the wide screen format dictates that a significant amount of negative space will surround the individual character to the right and left, heightening the feeling of isolation. This was an important visual choice in portraying Robert Carlyle’s character who is in many ways an outsider to his own life.

I had this technical notion that the use of dissolves in the cutting room would dilute the storytelling. So I what did, instead of relying on dissolves, is radically change the look of the movie in the three storylines. When we first travel down the road with Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle), I used a film process called Bleach Bypass. This is achieved through a combination of film stock and processing. Essentially, the film is processed twice. As a result, more silver adheres to the film and the resulting look has much punchier blacks and a higher contrast. The ballroom segment of the film is lit richly and is intended to underscore a deepening of emotion. Finally, the memory part of the film is warm with antique colors, sepia hues and a graininess that gives a feeling of nostalgia and history. The three looks are very distinct from each other. Even without a dissolve to guide you, you know when you have left one part of the movie and landed in another.

Creating these three different looks was aided tremendously by the Digital Intermediate Process and the work of an expert colorist, Julius Friede. The D.I. process allowed me to conform the 16mm footage of the memory sequences to 35 anamorphic with a success I had never imagined possible.

Shooting the ballroom sequences was a challenge because of the limited time. The actors knew their choreography well. And Greg Smith, my incredibly talented steadicam operator, devised a method of dancing along with the actors to keep the motion fluid. JoAnn Jansen, the choreographer, joked that we shot our whole movie in the time it took to shoot one dance sequence in SHALL WE DANCE? The task was daunting. Several of the dance sequences had to feel masterful and real—Marienne Hotchkiss (Mary

Steenburgen) has been teaching these dances her whole adult life and for Randall Ipswitch (Donnie Wahlberg) the dances are like a religion.

I was blessed in this movie to work with so many truly great actors. Great actors feed off of each other. When they respect the work, they dig deeply into the souls of their characters. That is when really exciting things happen. I am eager to work with every one of the actors in MARILYN HOTCHISS again. They are the heart and soul of this movie.

I edited the movie myself. I believe that editing is an extension of directing and although I solicited the editorial opinions of many colleagues, finding the movie on my own in the editing room was very important to me. I edited day and night on Final Cut Pro to get the cut done but I set up the editing room at home so I could be near my family. My four-year-old has been known to show up to the playground and proclaim (a la Steenburgen), “Girls to the pink line. Boys to the blue.” Of course no one knows what he’s talking about except for his two-year-old sister.

It was on those dark nights in June, July and August at three or four in the morning that I came to realize what special performances I had. Every one of Robert Carlyle’s takes was new and inventive. Marisa, Mary, John and Donnie were equally exciting. It was hard to tear myself away even to get some sleep because I knew what I was working with was something very special. I was enthralled with the process of bringing it to life. And so it goes without saying that making this movie was a very personal and all-consuming process and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

-- Randall Miller

CAST BIOS

ROBERT CARLYLE (Frank Keane) After founding the Raindog Theater Company in 1991, Carlyle began acting in such beloved independent films as PRIEST, TRAINSPOTTING, and CARLA’S SONG. He achieved worldwide notoriety in 1997 thanks to the hit THE FULL MONTY. Carlyle went on to star in big studio productions such as RAVENOUS, ANGELA’S ASHES, 007 THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, while still making himself available to smaller independent features like PLUNKETT & MACLEANE and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDLANDS as well as the critically-acclaimed CBS mini-series “Hitler”.

MARISA TOMEI (Meredith Morrison) Tomei received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the hit comedy MY COUSIN VINNY. Best known for rich comic performances, she took a dramatic turn with IN THE BEDROOM, earning her second Academy Award nomination. Tomei’s other diverse credits in ANGER MANAGEMENT, THE GURU, HAPPY ACCIDENTS, WHAT WOMEN WANT, SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS and UNHOOK THE STARS, for which she was bestowed with a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination. On stage, she was seen last year on Broadway opposite Al Pacino in the title role in Oscar Wilde’s Salome.

JOHN GOODMAN (Steve Mills) Goodman is one of the entertainment industry’s most respected actors. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his chilling performance in the Coen Brothers’ BARTON FINK. Coincidentally, Goodman’s breakthrough role was in another Coen Brother’s feature, RAISING ARIZONA. He has also teamed with the Coens in THE BIG LEBOWSKI and O, BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? Goodman’s other film credits include MONSTERS INC., THE FLINSTONES, STELLA, BRINGING OUT THE DEAD, KING RALPH, MATINEE, ALWAYS, ARACHNAPHOBIA and THE BABE. For eight seasons, Goodman played Dan Conner in the ABC sitcom “Rosanne”, a role that earned him seven Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. Goodman voiced a main character on NBC’s animated series “King of the Pride” and can be seen in the CBS comedy series, “Center of the Universe”.

DANNY DE VITO (Booth) De Vito is an actor, producer and director; he has been called one of the entertainment industry’s most versatile players. As a director, De Vito has made dark comedic themes his trademark with features such as DUPLEX, THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN, THE WAR OF THE ROSES and DEATH TO SMOOCHIE. In 1992, he co-founded Jersey Films, which has produced over 20 films that include Academy Award nominated ERIN BROCKOVICH, MAN ON THE MOON, PULP FICTION, OUT OF SIGHT,

GET SHORTY and HOFFA. Though two films co-starring De Vito, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST and TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, won an Academy Award for Best Picture, it was his role as Louie De Palma on the hit TV series “Taxi” that propelled his career. Since then, he has starred in films like TWINS, BIG FISH, BATMAN RETURNS, and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

MARY STEENBURGEN (Marienne Hotchkiss) Steenburgen won an Academy Award for her role in MELVIN AND HOWARD.. Currently, she can be seen in the Emmy nominated CBS series, “Joan of Arcadia”. Recently she was seen in the CBS television film, “It Must Be Love”, co-starring her husband, Ted Danson and New Line feature ELF, alongside Will Farrell and James Caan. Steenburgen has appeared in two films for director John Sayles, SUNSHINE STATE, and CASA DE LOS BABYS. Steenburgen has continually redefined herself with challenging roles in features such as PHILADELPHIA, WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, PARENTHOOD, BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III, NIXON, LIFE AS A HOUSE, and I AM SAM.

SEAN ASTIN (Kip Kipling) Born into an acting family, Astin’s career began in 1985 with his starring role in THE GOONIES. After studying with Stella Adler, he continued to star in movies such as LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU, RUDY, COURAGE UNDER FIRE, and BULWORTH.. More recently he co-starred in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and 50 FIRST DATES.

DONNIE WAHLBERG (Randall Ipswitch) With an impressive background that spans the disciplines of music, film and television, Wahlberg has captured the attention of audiences worldwide. He has transformed himself from a teen pop sensation with New Kids on the Block to a noteworthy film actor and critically-acclaimed television star. He is currently shooting a starring role in Annapolis for Disney and was last seen starring in the NBC drama series “Boomtown”. His other screen credits include BULLET, RANSOM, THE SIXTH SENSE, BAND OF BROTHERS, and SOUTHIE.

CAMRYN MANHEIM (Lisa Gobar) It has been an extraordinary eight years for Manheim. She has been awarded an Emmy and Golden Globe for portrayal of feisty defense attorney Eleanor Frutt on ABC’s Emmy Award winning drama “The Practice”. Recently, Manheim completed AN UNFINISHED LIFE for director Lasse Hallstrom, starring opposite Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez. Soon, she will be seen in DARK WATER with Jennifer Connelly as well as BEHIND THE SMILE and the Showtime series “The L Word”. Her other screen credits include TWISTED, SCARY MOVIE 3, THE TENTH KINGDOM, and IT’S A GIRL THING. .

DAVID PAYMER (Rafael Horowitz) Paymer started his career on the Broadway stage, most notably in the original production of Grease. He was then a regular at The Comedy Store, working as both a performer and a writer. Paymer’s prolific body of work includes QUIZ SHOW, THE HURRICANE, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE IN-LAWS, NO WAY OUT, CITY SLICKERS I & II, MR. SATURDAY NIGHT(for which he received an Oscar nomination), GET SHORTY, NIXON, CITY HALL, PAYBACK, MUMFORD and STATE AND MAIN. . On television, Paymer was most recently a series regular on ABC’s “In the Line of Fire”. Among his many TV credits are the HBO original movie “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story”, “Crime of the Century” and the HBO sitcom “The Larry Sanders Show”.

ADAM ARKIN (Gabe DiFranco) A versatile actor/director with credits in television, film and theatre, Arkin is an audience and critic’s favorite, long associated with quality projects. His work in front of the camera has earned him two Emmy nominations and his stage work has garnered him a Tony nomination. He is currently starring in the hit ABC comedy “Eight Simple Rules,” and has just completed “Last First Kiss” with Will Smith and “Kids in America.” Arkin is well known to television audience from the critically acclaimed CBS series “Chicago Hope” for his role as Dr. Aaron Shutt. Arkin has amassed starring roles in features such as HANGING UP, HALLOWEEN H20, WRESTLING ERNEST HEMMINGWAY and THE DOCTOR. .

SONIA BRAGA (Tina) Sonia Braga achieved stardom in her native Brazil at a young age as a soap opera sensation. International fame soon followed in 1977 with DONA FLOR and HER TWO HUSBANDS. Braga went on to work with directors Hector Babenco, Robert Redford, Paul Mazursky, Clint Eastwood and John Frankenheimer in movies in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, MOON OVER PARADOR, THE ROOKIE, and THE BURNING SEASON. Recently, Braga has starred in the television series “Sex and the City” and “American Family,” as well as the motion pictures “Angel Eyes” and “Empire”.

ELDEN HENSON (Sampson) Henson has established himself as one of the most talented young actors in Hollywood today. He just completed LORDS OF DOGTOWN, starring opposite Heath Ledger, and THE MOGULS, starring Jeff Bridges. He transformed himself completely in his haunting performance as Max Kane in THE MIGHTY. His other credits include THE MIGHTY DUCKS, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, SHE’S ALL THAT, IDLE HANDS, CAST AWAY, O, and DUMB AND DUMBERER.

ERNIE HUDSON (Blake Rische) Few actors can lay claim to a resume as long and varied as Hudson’s, which includes over 100 hundred films. These days, Hudson is most recognized for his starring role on the HBO series “Oz” and the ABC prime-time series “10-8”. Hudson stunned audiences as the simple-minded handyman Solomon in the box-office smash THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. . And of course we will never forget when he was slimed in GHOSTBUSTERS. His other film credits include THE CROW, THE BASKETBALL DIARIES, SUGAR HILL, WEEDS, SPEECHLESS, CONGO, and MISS CONGENIALITY.

MIGUEL SANDOVAL (Matthew Smith) Sandoval received his initial break when cast in REPE MAN, a film that quickly obtained cult status. He has worked in a great number of significant motion pictures, among them SID AND NANCY, DO THE RIGHT THING, JUNGLE FEVER, JURASSIC PARK, CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER, BLOW, and GET SHORTY. He has also appeared in numerous television series, which include “10-8,” “NYPD Blue,” “Home Improvement,” “Seinfeld,” “Frasier,” “Law & Order,” “ER,” “The X Files,” “Alias,” “The West Wing,” and “Seventh Heaven.”

CREW BIOS

RANDALL MILLER (Writer, Director, Editor, Producer) Randall began his career at the American Film Institute with the short film MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL. The film won numerous awards and began Miller’s professional career as a director. Off the heat of the short, Randall directed numerous episodic series such as “Thirtysomething,” “Northern Exposure,” “Popular,” and “Jack & Jill.” His feature career took off with the films HOUSEGUEST and THE 6TH MAN. Looking to get back to his roots in independent filmmaking, Miller and his wife Jody set out to start anew. Ironically, their new start took them back to the short film with which it all began. MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL, now realized as a full-length feature, is a labor of love for everyone involved and has been Miller’s passion project since his days in film school.

JODY SAVIN (Writer, Producer) Jody produced Randall’s previous features THE SIXTH MAN and HOUSEGUEST. She received a BA from Princeton University and an MFA from the American Film Institute. As a team, Jody and Randall have worked on numerous projects together, beginning with the award-winning documentary, “Chico Mendes: Voice of the Amazon” for TNT, a Time Magazine Pick of the Week which earned the CINE Golden Eagle awards for Script (Jody Savin) and Editing (Randall Miller). In addition to the screenplay for MARILYN HOTCHKISS’ , the team has written the features THE BEST WOMAN and PARENT WARS for Universal, THE RAISE for Disney/Caravan, PIRATE TOM for 20th Century Fox and PETE! for Disney.

MORRIS RUSKIN (Producer)Morris began his career as a development executive for Zupnik Enterprises, where he developed a number of projects with ‘A’-list talent. In 1992, after receiving critical praise for co-producing the David Mamet-scripted GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS he established his own company, Shoreline Entertainment, that not only develops and produces feature films but also includes a sales and distribution arm. Since the company’s inception he has produced or executive-produced such diverse films as New Line Cinema’s PRICE OF GLORY, starring Jimmy Smits, David Mamet’s LAKEBOAT and THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS.

EILEEN CRAFT (Producer) After graduating with a degree in Journalism from Arizona State University, Eileen went on to become a producer and writer for a CBS-affiliate in San Diego, CA, with whom she won a Local Emmy Award for Outstanding Programming Achievement in News Broadcasting. She is now a principal of San Diego Films International, and has produced two motion pictures prior to MARILYN HOTCHKISS’: THE KING’S GUARD, starring Ron Perlman, Eric Roberts, Matthias Hues, and Jason Lewis; and CENTIPEDE!, shot on location in India.

LON BENDER (Executive Producer) Lon is widely recognized as the co-founder of audio post-production powerhouse Soundelux and as an award-winning sound editor for films like BRAVEHEART, GLORY and LAST OF THE MOHICANS, which all earned Academy Awards for Best Sound. Lon is now making a mark as an independent and executive producer with motion pictures such as SHOOTING LILY, THE DOG WALKER and THE FIRE WITHIN. MARK ADLER (Composer) Mark Adler brings to his work as a composer a broad background in both film and music. He worked as a music editor on such classics as AMADEUS, BLUE VELVET, and GODFATHER III. As a composer, Adler’s features include Paramount Classics’ FOCUS with William H. Macy and Laura Dern and the Miramax film, PICTURE BRIDE, which won the audience award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. In 1999 Adler won a Primetime Emmy for his work on HBO’s “The Rat Pack” with Ray Liotta and Don Cheadle.

KATHRYN MORRISON (Costume Designer) Kathryn began her costume designing career as a stylist for commercials, print and music videos. Her first opportunity as a feature Costume Designer was designing Oliver Stone’s SALVADOR, which led to her work on Stone’s next film, PLATOON. Since then, she has designed for such films as STAND AND DELIVER and DARK BLUE and the critically acclaimed television series “The Shield” as well as ABC’s series “Lost”.

JOANN JANSEN (Choreographer) JoAnn has infused style and rhythm into such motion pictures as THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, ALONG CAME POLLY, IN HER SHOES, DIRTY DANCING – HAVANA NIGHTS and SHALL WE DANCE . In addition, she has served as choreographer for commercials, music videos and such high-profile television shows as “The X-Files”.

CAST

ROBERT CARLYLE Frank Keane MARISA TOMEI Meredith Morrison JOHN GOODMAN Steve Mills MARY STEENBURGEN Marienne Hotchkiss SEAN ASTIN Kip Kipling DANNY DEVITO Booth DONNIE WAHLBERG Randall Ipswitch DAVID PAYMER Rafael Horowitz CAMRYN MANHEIM Lisa Gobar ADAM ARKIN Gabe DiFranco SONIA BRAGA Tina ELDEN HENSON Sampson ERNIE HUDSON Blake Rische MIGUEL SANDOVAL Matthew Smith