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Stolen Summer A young boy's search to discover the meaning of life so as to uncover the keys to heaven.
Release Date: March 1st, 2002. HBO series December 2nd through to the end of January. Premise:
This is the story of two young boys, one Catholic, and one Jewish
(Weinberg). Pete (Bonnie's son) decides that his quest for the summer will be to help a Jewish person get into heaven. When he discovers a Jewish boy dying with Leukemia they team up to figure out how they can guarantee the boy
will get into Heaven, with a list of ten deeds, like a "Decathlon
of Heaven."
(Pollak plays the Jewish boy's father, a rabbi; Quinn and Hunt play
the Catholic boy's parents; Dennehy plays their priest)
Stolen Summer had it’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on the 12th of January 2002.
From the Chicago Tribune: If you happen to live in West Rogers Park and notice the fire hydrants and mailboxes have been painted red, white and blue, don't freak out. Since the movie "Stolen Summer" is set in 1976, filmmakers shooting here through June wanted the realism of America's Bicentennial celebration of that year. The movie stars Brian Dennehy, Aidan Quinn and Bonnie Hunt.
I have read the script and it is brilliant. It is Bonnie's best role to date in my opinion. Her character is still the kind and caring Bonnie we know, but it is a bit of a departure from what she usually plays. Also, she is the lead female cast member!! Congratulations Bonnie! She has some great scenes too, which I'm sure she'll do alot with. Based upon:
This movie will be a spinoff of sorts from the new Greenlight HBO
series. Here's the concept. Aspiring filmmakers can submit their
screenplays to ProjectGreenlight.com, and the lucky winner will
get $1 million and the opportunity to direct their first feature
film. The 13-episode (30 minutes each) HBO series will follow the
progress of the film, starting with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon picking
the winner, and ending with the winner attending their world premiere,
leading up to the theatrical release of the movie by Miramax Films. Official
Site: ProjectGreenlight.com
From the Project Greenlight site. Chicago, Illinois Character: Margaret O'Malley What attracted you to the Entertainment Industry and what was your first job or big break in the business? I've always had a tremendous love and infatuation with the art of storytelling, whether it be in the forum of a movie, a book, a play, or a wonderful old man in a bar telling you his life story. My first break was getting hired by The Second City Theatre in Chicago. What is the biggest challenge you faced trying to break into the industry and how did you overcome it? When I first started in this business I was still working fulltime as an Oncology Nurse, so from my perspective, very little seemed challenging compared to the many heartaches and hurdles I witnessed so many patients overcome. But in my moments of self-indulgence, I was so frustrated by the never-ending loop: you want to get an agent, you send out endless pictures and resumes, you receive the same response, " What have you done?" And your answer will be: "I can't do anything unless I can audition." But you can't get an audition without an agent. But you can't get an agent without being somewhat established. But in order to get established you need the agent to get the audition so you can get the job, and then you're somewhat established and now you can get an agent. WHAT? The only way to overcome it is to not let it define you, by this I mean, the rejections do not mean you are a failure, and by the same token, your successes do not mean you are a genius. Don't give up, keep going out for any open calls, try to get a play, a commercial, a film, and yes, there's always "extra" work. At least as an "extra" you can get a feel for the business and education in the vocabulary. If like me, you are also a writer, write just write. When I sold my first television series, I had written twenty-two episodes before selling the pilot. In other words, keep working your skills so you are ready when you get your break. What advice can you give those trying to break into the "industry?" Fail by your own standards and succeed with your integrity. Please describe your character in "Stolen Summer" and why you were attracted to the role: My character is the typical Irish Catholic mother in the 70's. She is the backbone of the family, full of unconditional love, very religious, and always letting her husband rule the house. I was attracted to the role for many reasons; I enjoyed the script, and however small the role I love to be a part of a good story. I couldn't resist playing the mother of eight children, I'm from a family of seven children and I am always nostalgic for my chaotic and loving childhood. And I loved the idea of working with a first-time writer/director. Having just been through the experience with "Return to Me," I wanted to participate and share the experience with someone like Pete Jones. There is nothing like the ups and downs and pure joy of making a film. Can you share any tricks of the trade that help you work better as an actor? Appreciate the team. By this I mean, always remember each and every person on the set is an important part of the team that helps bring the story to life and helps you bring your role to life. Are you also a writer and if so, how many screenplays have you written? Yes, I am also a writer; I'm addicted to writing. I've written four screenplays, one ("Return to Me") has been made, two have just been sold and the fourth we haven't even shopped yet. What's the best lesson you've learned in regards to working in Hollywood? Best lesson? In Hollywood? I have no idea. What advice would you give to writers on how to craft a script that can help actors better understand or relate to their character? I wouldn't attempt to advise on a style of writing. But I would encourage you to write from your heart, write to entertain, write to inform, write to make someone laugh, to make someone care, or just to get it off your chest. There is an actor out there for every writer's words. What advice would you give a director on how to make your job as an actor easier on set? I think it's important for an actor to feel they are protected by a director's talent, and it's wonderful when there is mutual respect and trust. List your top five favorite films. Having grown up with such a love for movies, it is very difficult if not impossible to pick only five favorite films, but here it goes and not in any particular order: - Notorious - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Tootsie - Goodfellas - Anything with the Marx Brothers
MP3 of Bonnie about using filters on Stolen Summer.
Hollywood
Reporter March 2, 2001 For Immediate Release
March 1, 2001
"STOLEN SUMMER" by PETE JONES WINS PROJECT GREENLIGHT
Chris Moore, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Miramax to Executive Produce; Pre-Production to Begin Immediately for 2002 Release
Pete Jones, author of the script "Stolen Summer," was selected from more than 10,000 contestants as the winner of the Project Greenlight contest, it was announced today by Miramax Films & TV, HBO, LivePlanet, and corporate sponsor Samuel Adams. Pete, a 31 year old Chicago native, who has been working as a production assistant on various projects since moving to Los Angeles three years ago.
Jones was chosen as the Project Greenlight winner on Wednesday afternoon by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, and Billy Campbell, president of Miramax TV, who are serving as executive producers of the Project Greenlight film and television series, and by Miramax Films co-president of production Meryl Poster and executive vice president of production Jon Gordon. Immediately following his selection, Jones accompanied Ben Affleck to his appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," where Affleck and Leno invited him on to the stage for an impromptu announcement of his selection as winner of Project Greenlight.
Miramax Films has committed to provide Jones with a minimum $1 million production budget to produce his winning screenplay. At the same time, Miramax Television will chronicle the making of the movie for a 13-episode documentary series slated to air on HBO in early 2002. Miramax Films will distribute the film in theatres, with a tentative release date set for early 2002.
"When you're the one picked out of ten thousand scripts it's a very humbling experience," said winner Pete Jones. "I hope I make all of these people proud. I always dreamed of an opportunity like this and it's overwhelming when your reality exceeds your dreams."
"Project Greenlight created a community that gave everyone a merit-based shot to become a filmmaker, with access to a peer group to provide feedback on their work," said Ben Affleck, co-founder of LivePlanet. "It also allows people outside the entertainment business to have a say in what script gets made into a movie, instead of six guys in an office somewhere in Hollywood deciding. The use of the Internet gave these aspiring filmmakers a place to meet and led to the discovery of unknown writers with professional-level talent."
"This is an amazing start for our documentary series and an incredible opportunity for Pete," said Billy Campbell president of Miramax Television. "Pete embodies the spirit of Project Greenlight in every sense -- he's an enormously talented filmmaker with a terrific screenplay who might otherwise not had the opportunity to share his vision with an audience. Bob and Harvey have always embraced the idea of offering independent filmmakers the chance to share their visions with a wider audience - that's what makes this such a perfect Miramax project."
"Project Greenlight exemplifies what can happen when entertainment companies integrate various media to create a larger concept," said Chris Moore, CEO of LivePlanet. "Using television, film, and the Internet to create a forum for the exchange of creative ideas is a powerful thing. Add to that a team of independent-minded companies like LivePlanet, Miramax, Sam Adams and HBO and you can help engage and empower people to live their dreams. We all did that here by giving Pete Jones the chance to direct his film, 'Stolen Summer'."
"Project Greenlight champions philosophies that are shared by Sam Adams breaking the established rules of how films get made in Hollywood. This partnership is about supporting independent thinking and having the passion to help those with great ideas get to the next level," said Jim Koch, Founder and Brewer of Sam Adams.
Project Greenlight, the largest active screenwriting community in the world, invited amateur screenwriters to submit original screenplays electronically to the Project Greenlight contest at www.projectgreenlight.com. Members of the Project Greenlight community rated and reviewed more than 7,000 submitted screenplays. Authors of the 250 highest-rated entries submitted Filmmaker Videos, where they appeared to allow the executive producers to learn about each filmmaker in order to select 30 screenplays to read. From the 30 remaining screenplays, 10 semi-finalists were selected and each contestant was given equipment to film a short scene from his or her script. After screening these scenes, three finalists were interviewed to select the winner.
All of the screenplays in the Project Greenlight contest, including the Top 250, Top 30, Top 10 and Top Three, as well as the Top Ten scenes, can be seen on the Internet at the Project Greenlight website (www.projectgreenlight.com). For more details and official rules about the Project Greenlight contest, visit www.projectgreenlight.com.
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