September 30 , 2002

Heartland Film Festival Press Contact:
Lisa M. Dudeck/Cranfill & Co. – 317-633-1456
Filmmaker Contact: Rik Swartzwelder – 863-602-5796
Press Photos for Download: www.oldfashionedpictures.com/the_least_of_these.html

Filmmaker Rik Swartzwelder will be honored by the Heartland Film Festival with a coveted Crystal Heart Award for the 35mm film short that he wrote, produced, and directed, The Least of These. His film is the only professional, dramatic short to be distinguished by the festival this year. Swartzwelder will receive the award at a celebrity-filled, black tie gala in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 19. The Least of These will screen as part of the 11^th Annual Heartland Film Festival, October 17-25 (www.heartlandfilmfestival.org).

"To be recognized by an organization that, according to Steven Spielberg, has ‘set the bar very high,’ is somewhat overwhelming," Swartzwelder said.

The 17 winning films and filmmakers were selected from a record 340 international entries for their excellence in filmmaking and for meeting the festival’s mission, to recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life.

When asked what The Least of These is about, Swartzwelder chose to defer to the film’s tag line, "Strong coffee, greasy spoons, and America’s leftovers." When pushed, however, he continued, "it’s about how the fading, isolated life of a diner owner and the dull routine of his late night crowd are forever changed by the unusual proposition of a stranger."

The film was a co-production between Swartzwelder’s Old Fashioned Pictures and Edmund Baxter’s Infinity Film & Video of Bethesda, Maryland. After a scout of nearly 20 diners over a 100 mile stretch through Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the film was shot on location at the historic Tastee Diner (Comac 1951) in Laurel, Maryland, near Baltimore. As a result, The Least of These also qualified for the recent 2002 ITVA-DC Peer Awards held at Studio One, Atlantic Video, in Washington, DC (www.itvadc.org).

The prestigious and highly competitive annual awards ceremony just wrapped on Friday night, September 27. As the premiere event for industry professionals and visual artists living and/or working in the DC area, it was a highly charged evening with several surprises. After honoring Peabody and eight-time Emmy Award-winning Chuck Gingold of the Discovery Channel, Swartzwelder and The Least of These stunned the crowd by becoming the sleeper hit of the event. When the dust settled, the modestly budgeted, character-driven project walked away with three wins–Best Short, Best Cinematography (Rob Lyall), and Best Actor (Tom Wall). Swartzwelder also received an Honorable Mention nod in the Best Director category.

In addition to the triumphs at the Heartland Film Festival and the Peer Awards, The Least of These snagged an "official selection" screening at the Breckenridge Festival of Film in Breckenridge, Colorado. Other screenings, so far, include the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Damah Film Festival (Oct. 10-12), and Marco Island Film Festival (Oct. 18-27).

Swartzwelder attributes the success of his short film to "unique and penetrating source material." The film is actually based on a true story by sociology professor and international lecturer Dr. Anthony Campolo.

"When I first heard this story, nearly ten years ago, it had an impact on me that remains unparalleled to this day," Swartzwelder explained. "It wounds as deeply as it inspires, and that is a rare and marvelous thing. If it hadn’t been for Tony’s generous permission to adapt his story to the screen, none of this would be happening, that’s for sure. More to the point, if he hadn’t lived these remarkable events...well, there wouldn’t have been a movie to make."

As for the growing controversy regarding his film’s twist ending, Swartzwelder remains puzzled, "I’m still not sure how to respond to this, honestly. It continues to amaze me how much we all bring to the films we watch. How a person can see things in the final chapter of a film that the creators never imagined is one of the great mysteries of the cinematic experience. But, I gotta tell ya, in a day and age when a teenager can have...uh...relations...with an apple pie in a film and no one seems to blink, I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. It seems that there are still some places you can go in film that make people uncomfortable...which, sometimes, can be a good thing. At least, I hope that’s true in our case."

The Least of These stars Tom Wall and Will Woodrow of Annapolis and Damascus, Maryland, respectively, and Kathryn Grant of Valrico, Florida. In addition to Swartzwelder and Grant, many of the musicians on the film’s score are from Lakeland and the surrounding areas as well, including Richard E. Conine, Scott Reeves, Tina Strawbridge, Brad Sundgren, Ralph Torralva and Paul A. Butcher, a professor of music at Southeastern College and frequent horn player for Jazz Gallery at the Antiquarian. Michael Hodges, the film’s composer, lived in Lakeland at the time of recording the score but has since relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. Also, one of the associate producers for The Least of These, Dave DeBorde, is a resident of Lakeland and Rick Morris, the film’s Oscar-nominated sound designer (Face/Off, The Negotiator, Prince of Egypt), lives and works in Central Florida.

The majority of the remaining cast and crew were from the DC metro area, including Rob Lyall (cinematographer), Nini Hadjis (co-producer), Elizabeth Beirise and Tracy Cochran (production designers), Clare Johnson (casting director), Sabre Chase (associate producer), and Bryan Zervos (executive producer). Other cast members include Bates Altizer, Ingrid Cornell, Kate Debelack, Binnie Ritchie Holum, Burton Johnson, Amy Jones, Lori Record, Felix Stevenson, Robert Stewart, and John Yagerline.

Film-to-tape transfers and digital post-production services for The Least of These were provided by Roland House in Arlington, Virginia–Ted Snavely, colorist. All opticals and 35mm film prints provided by Colorlab in Rockville, Maryland–Chris Hughes, color timer. The camera package was Infinity’s Arri 35 BL3 and the film stock was Kodak.

Swartzwelder recently finished a rewrite on his feature-length script, Something Else, for a producer in Los Angeles. It was that project that originally brought Swartzwelder back to Florida. At one point, the film had Jim Caviezel (High Crimes, The Count of Monte Cristo, Frequency) attached to star in the lead role and William S. Gilmore (A Few Good Men, Fire Down Below, The Sandlot) attached to produce. After that project went on hold, Swartzwelder decided to maintain an apartment in Lakeland to be close to family and to have a place to call home in between work on various projects that demanded a great deal of travel.

In Swartzwelder’s immediate future, however, is a writing-directing assignment on a romantic comedy entitled Old Fashioned. He also currently has a project, based upon a motion picture treatment he was commissioned to write, in development for another Maryland-based production company. The film centers around the infamous and highly debated true-life exploits of a former pro quarterback, Third Down and Forever–The Life and Times of King Corcoran. As for Florida projects, Swartzwelder has a couple on his slate, but it looks like they might have to wait for a while.

"It’s a busy time," Swartzwelder conceded. "I’m not complaining, though. It’s good work...when you can get it. Best advice I’ve ever gotten in this crazy, rollercoaster industry is, ‘Enjoy it while it lasts.’ That’s what I’m trying to do right now."

Swartzwelder previously won the "Student Emmy" for producing Paul McCall, his graduate thesis film. That film went on to garner 15 major awards and more than 60 screenings at film festivals internationally. How to Survive Third Grade, a feature film based on Paul McCall, is currently being shopped around Hollywood. Earlier in college, he founded the comedy troupe Studio 13, which played to exclusively sold-out audiences for the entire two years he was the show’s chief writer-producer-director. Since those days, Swartzwelder has achieved nearly 50 credits on various stage, film, and video projects.

He earned his M.F.A. in Motion Picture Production from The Florida State University Motion Picture Conservatory; his B.S. from Columbia Union College; and, his A.A. from Lake-Sumter Community College. A strong supporter of education, Swartzwelder also served the State of Florida as a member of the Florida Institute for Film Education and as a gubernatorially-appointed student member of Florida’s State Board of Community Colleges. He has spent the last few years living in both Central Florida and Washington, DC; he grew up in New Philadelphia, Ohio; and was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For more information on Rik Swartzwelder, The Least of These, or Old Fashioned Pictures please visit www.oldfashionedpictures.com.

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