January 14, 2003

LAKELAND FILMMAKERS TO BE HONORED
WITH LOCAL PREMIERE AT POLK THEATRE

Controversial 35mm short is on surprising hot streak

Filmmaker Contact: Rik Swartzwelder 863-602-5796
The Polk Theatre: 863-682-7553; www.polktheatrer.org
Press Photos for Download: www.oldfashionedpictures.com/the_least_of_these.html

Lakeland-based filmmakers Rik Swartzwelder and Dave DeBorde will be screening their multiple award-winning 35mm short film, The Least of These, at the historic Polk Theatre in downtown Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, February 1, at 8 p.m. DeBorde, a producer on the project, and Swartzwelder, the writer-director, will be in attendance and will follow the screening of their 20-minute film with a brief question and answer session with the audience. The Least of These will screen immediately following Real Women Have Curves. For more information on this premiere or the Polk Theatre, located at 127 South Florida Avenue, please call 863-682-7553 or visit www.polktheatre.org.

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In just over five months on the film festival circuit, The Least of These has garnered 20 "official selection" screenings and won seven awards.

Most recently, Swartzwelder and DeBorde were bestowed a coveted Silver Chris Award at the 50^th Annual Columbus International Film & Video Festival in Columbus, Ohio. Also known as The Chris Awards, it is the oldest non-theatrical film and video competition in North America. Competing against other shorts, feature films, and television programs from around the world, The Least of These was voted Best of Entertainment Division. There is only one Silver Chris Award presented in each division and for a short film to win over such a wide variety other entries, many of them full-length projects, is quite a triumph for their modestly-budgeted, character-driven piece.

In October 2002, The Least of These was honored with a Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of only 17 honorees from over 340 international entries, these independent works were recognized alongside The Rookie, Tuck Everlasting, and The Emperor’s Club, starring Kevin Kline. Held in the Conseco Fieldhouse, over 1,000 people attended the awards gala, which was hosted by John Dye from Touched by an Angel.

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

Just one week prior to Heartland, Swartzwelder was presented with a trophy by film critic and author Michael Medved at the Damah Film Festival in Seattle, Washington. There, The Least of These won Best Short (15-30 minutes). Jurors for this unique and very competitive festival included Medved, film director Tom Shadyac (Dragonfly, Liar Liar, Patch Adams), producer Ralph Winter (Planet of the Apes, X-MEN, Star Trek IV & VI), producer Howard Kazanjian (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi), producer Stephen Simon (Somewhere in Time, What Dreams May Come), and writer Janet Scott Batchler (Batman Forever).

Other awards include three wins at the ITVA-DC Peer Awards in Washington, DC, for Best Short, Best Cinematography (Rob Lyall), and Best Actor (Tom Wall). Swartzwelder also received an Honorable Mention nod for Best Director at the Peer Awards as well. Other previous festival screenings include Breckenridge Festival of Film, Rhode Island International Film Festival, 650@Visions, and the Marco Island Film Festival. Other upcoming screenings include the Magnolia Independent Film Festival, Pensacola Bay International Film & TV Festival, and Thunderbird International Film Festival.

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Shot at the historic Tastee Diner near Baltimore, Maryland, Swartzwelder attributes the success of his short film to "a great location with atmosphere too thick to cut and unique, 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."

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 Least of These stars Kathryn Grant of Valrico, Florida. In addition to DeBorde, 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. And, perhaps most notably, Rick Morris, the film’s Oscar-nominated sound designer (Face/Off, The Negotiator, Prince of Egypt), lives and works in central Florida.

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. He has sold two scripts, one film treatment, and currently has several feature projects in development. Swartzwelder 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.

DeBorde’s experience and education are as varied as the characters in The Least of These. Recently earning a Masters in Communications from the University of Central Florida, DeBorde has worked professionally in the Arts as well as in Marketing/PR. He has written, directed, and produced several plays and musicals and also has extensive experience as an actor in numerous stage and film projects. Not only has Dave been in front of and behind the camera, but he has also helped "buy the camera" through raising venture capital and establishing his own film production company in central Florida. He has had two film scripts optioned and is currently developing a kid’s made-for-TV movie for the Disney Channel. He is also developing several feature-length motion pictures with Swartzwelder and is prepping for the domestic VHS/DVD marketing and distribution of The Least of These.

For additional information on the award-winning The Least of These or Old Fashioned Pictures, please visit www.oldfashionedpictures.com.

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