TORN FROM THE FLAG NEWSLETTER – APRIL 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This progress report is to update you on the latest developments regarding Torn from the Flag, the 95-minute documentary film about the fall of communism and the significant global effects of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight. The timing of the newsletters has now become irregular since we have been accepted to 4 more festivals, and I wanted to invite you to come to see the film.
The Atlanta Film Festival screening is Wednesday, April 16 at 7 pm, at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, located in the Midtown Promenade Center, at 931 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 (at 8th & Monroe). Please come and vote for the film to receive an Audience Award! Along with Associate Producer George Adams, I will be there to meet you. You may purchase tickets in advance here.
The Minneapolis - St. Paul International Film Festival screening will take place on Sunday, April 20, at 5:30 pm at the St. Anthony Main Theatre, at 115 SE Main, Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612.331.4723). Please come and vote for the film to receive an Audience Award! You may purchase your tickets here. (Currently the link says 3:10 pm; this is incorrect and will be fixed to the CORRECT 5:30 pm.) I will be there to thank you for your support.
There will be 3 screenings at the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; I will be there to express my gratitude to the project’s supporters. Please come and vote for the film to receive an Audience Award!
| 1. | Friday, April 25 at 4:30 pm Gold Theatre, ACE Cinematheque Complex, North Carolina School of the Arts,1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Tickets |
| 2. | Saturday, April 26 at 5:30 pm Reynolda House Museum of American Art, 2250 Reynolda Road, Winston Salem, NC 27106 Tickets |
| 3. | Sunday, April 27 at 10:00 am Gold Theatre, ACE Cinematheque Complex, North Carolina School of the Arts, 1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Tickets |
There will be 3 screenings at the Indianapolis International Film Festival, at Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema & Indie Lounge, 8702 Keystone Crossing, Suite 201A, Indianapolis, IN 46240 (317.579.3009). Please come and vote for the film to receive an Audience Award!
| 1. | Monday, April 28 at 8:00 pm, Landmark Keystone Arts Cinema 3 |
| 2. | Wednesday, April 30 at 3:45 pm, Landmark Keystone Arts Cinema 5 |
| 3. | Thursday, May 1 at 4:30 pm, Landmark Keystone Arts Cinema 3 |
Please invite your non-Hungarian friends for all the festivals, as the film was made for a global audience!
Last month at the Tiburon International Film Festival, Torn from the Flag was awarded the GOLDEN REEL AWARD for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY. The late Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, was our Director of Photography, and Zoltan Honti, cinematographer. Thank you to Eva Voisin for hosting the after-party! Click on yellow words to see photos, and here for a great Hungarian-language article.
The Cleveland International Film Festival was a huge success! Both shows were sold out in advance; 600 attended. Several Ohio State and Federal Representatives attended the screening: Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo), the most senior woman in the U.S. House of Representatives, attended along with Peter Ujvagi, who is currently a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Thank you to George Ponti, his family, and the Balaton Restaurant for sponsoring the Cleveland screening, and to Marika Megyimori for being such a gracious hostess to George Adams and sponsoring a lovely dinner.
The European Independent Film Festival (ÉCU) in Paris provided a highly desirable European exposure for the film. The audience broke into applause at the end of the film!
Though the film is complete, the work is not done yet! We are seeking a major Hollywood distributor so that Torn from the Flag will have long-lasting, worldwide impact. Making, and properly distributing, a film are two processes that can take an equal amount of energy and money. The chronological order of distribution is as follows:
| 1. | Obtaining a Producer's Rep to represent the film (done) |
| 2. | Participating at Film Festivals (in progress) |
| 3. | Participating in the Oscar® race |
| 4. | Obtaining a major Hollywood Distributor |
| 5. | Theatrical release |
| 6. | Television broadcast |
| 7. | Release on DVD |
| 8. | Additional screenings in the Community- and Educational/Academic arenas |
For the Oscars®, we must pay for the film to play in New York and Los Angeles for one week each, by the end of August, 2008, so we are raising funds for that, as well. Now that we are so close to success, I would like to invite you to further support Torn from the Flag. We need to cover many expenses by July 1, 2008.
Please make your check payable to the International Documentary Association, writing the words "Torn from the Flag" in the memo section, and mail the check to:
1626 North Wilcox Avenue #393
Hollywood, CA 90028
Attention: Torn from the Flag – Klaudia Kovacs
The International Documentary Association will send you a receipt within 30 days so that you may deduct your donation from your U.S. taxes.
The project also needs and welcomes the following:
| 1. | The production office needs 2 new computers. After 9 years of using the same ones on the project, they are on their last legs. They are not functioning properly and sometimes die on us. A laptop would be welcome! |
| 2. | We are looking for a theater at a very low or complimentary rate—perhaps a university—in Toronto, Canada, and a volunteer to help organize a screening there next month (May). |
We would like to thank the following: Julianna Bika & Dr. Stephen J. Gergatz; Drs. Jeanette Grasselli Brown & Glenn Brown (3rd donation); Frederick & Magda Hefty (4th donation); the Hungarian American Citizens Club; Ivan I. & Ursula Kristoffy; Sarolta Petro; Laszlo Varga and Anonymous, who donated, and Janos Szablya for his kind assistance.
In connection with the film, an article of mine about the late cinematography legend Laszlo Kovacs and his work on Torn from the Flag has been published in In Memory of Laszlo Kovacs, by the Consulate General of the Republic of Hungary in Los Angeles.
We do not have correct, current contact information (mailing address, email and/or phone numbers) for Frank Balogh, Esq., Gabor Beszedes, Annegret E. Kmeth, Stephen Kmeth, Gyongyi Nemeth, and Gabriella Oroszi; kindly send your current info via email to ktothfilm@gmail.com.
We are extremely excited about how well the film is being received. We are on the brink of international recognition! Please contribute toward making the film a worldwide success!
Respectfully and gratefully yours,
Klaudia Kovacs
Producer, Director, Writer
www.klaudiainc.com
klaudiakovacs@msn.com