We hope that you can come see our Hollywood premiere on October 4th at 10pm at the beautiful Egyptian Theater. Past honorees at the festival include Jaoquin Phoenix, Matthew McConaughey, Ted Danson, Alyssa Milano, James Cromwell, Mira Sorvino. So come on out to our (hopefully) star-studded screening and the awards ceremony the following night at 7pm!
We are proud to announce that “Sovereignty” has been named Best Short Film at the Artivist Film Festival, the Peace on Earth Film Festival and the Non Violence International Film Festival!
Come see us in Hollywood on October 4th at 10pm at the beautiful Egyptian Theater. Past honorees at the festival include Jaoquin Phoenix, Matthew McConaughey, Ted Danson, Alyssa Milano, James Cromwell, Mira Sorvino. So come on out to our (hopefully) star-studded screening and the awards ceremony the following night at 7pm!
Come see why Greg Robson from ResidentMediaPundit.com raves “…equal parts comedic, sardonic and moving…gripping…a veritable call to arms. If only all fims could do such things.”
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“Sovereignty” keeps on churinin’ along as head to the Peace on Earth Film Festival this Sunday 8/31 at 6pm in beautiful Chicago, IL. Click here for directions.
Two weeks later, we go international at the Non-Violence International Film Festival in Onterio, Canada on September 14th, 19th and 20th. Click here for showtimes and directions.
Then… we swing back to New York for for the exciting Coney Island Film Festival September 26-28. Chec back for showtimes and directions.
And finally, (for now) if you happen to be one of those rare film buffs in the tiny hamlet of Hollywood, CA we will be in the prestegious Artivist Film Festival which takes place October 2-5. Check back for showtimes and directions.
We sure hope you can make it to one of these screening and support our little film that could!
We are excited to announce that “Sovereignty” will be among the closing night film selection at this year’s Rhode Island International Film Festival. We will be playing at beautiful Cable Car Theater on August 10th at 9:30pm. Click here for directions. We’ll be playing along side the hilarious new Jonathan Winters film “Certifiably Jonathan” and we will be sitcking around for the awards cermony directly afterwards! If you are in the area please come by, if not we’ll see you in September in Canada!
Come see why Greg Robson from ResidentMediaPundit.com raves “…equal parts comedic, sardonic and moving…gripping…a veritable call to arms. If only all fims could do such things.”
We had a fantastic week at the Long Island International Film Expo! First our star, Heather Dilly walk away with the Best Actress Award for the second time in three years and then we get a great review! Greg Robson from ResidentMediaPundit.com raves “…equal parts comedic, sardonic and moving…gripping…a veritable call to arms. If only all fims could do such things.” Next up we head to the Rhode Island International Film Expo and then the Non-Violence International Film Festival in Ontario, Canada!
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Jonathan Sale and Heather Dilly ejoy opening night at the 2008 Long Island International Film Expo
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Heather Dilly accepts the Best Actress Award from festival director Debra Markowitz at the 2008 Long Island International Film Expo.
We are so proud and excited to announce that Heather Dilly will be named Best Actress at the 2008 Long Island International Film Expo for her work in “Sovereignty”! She was in competition against all of the actresses in all of the short as well as feature films and walked away with the big prize for her stunning work. As Rick Pender of City Beat said of “Sovereignty” “…the acting, especially Heather Dilly…was DELICIOUS.” Ms. Dilly previously took home the same award two years ago for her portrayal of the down-and-out April in the award-winning short film “The Look Away Life”. (Watch it now!)
So please come on out and support our film this Thursday, July 10th at 9:30pm at the Long Island International Film Expo. Click here for directions.
Next up…. Rhode Island!
Here it is folks, the brand-spanking-new trailer for
our new short film, “Sovereignty.” What is “Sovereignty,” you say?
Pulitzer Prize nominated author Rolin Jones, producer and writer of Showtime’s Emmy and Golden Globe winning series, “Weeds” uncoils a hilarious and caustic allegory of the lengths to which people will go to ignore the horrors in the world around them.
Mrs. Elsbeth’s life is the picture of perfection. Perfect neighborhood. Perfect house. Perfect garden. Perfect husband. But all that is about to change. Strange new neighbors and cryptic postcards reading “Help Us” are beginning to crack the façade of her forced perfection. How long will she be able to continue to say, “These things beyond the garden, they happen so far away” in the face of her increasingly perverse best friend, conspicuously absent husband and growing insistence from the outside world to “Help Us.”
Reach out beyond your garden.
Volunteer your money, time or resources.
Make a difference.
In conjunction with our soon to be released film “Sovereignty”, we at Laurel Films, Inc. want to help you reach out and help those in need in your community or around the world. To that end, we have constructed an ever-growing database of information and links in order to provide a bridge between your desire to reach out and those who need to be reached.
Additionally, if you know of or are affiliated with any organizations in your community who reach out to those in need and would be interested in being included on this website, please let us know. The more specific and targeted the cause, the better.
Good people reach out to help other good people. Together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Sale
President
Laurel Films, Inc.
We had a terific time with “Sovereignty” at the Hoboken International Film Festival. Check out the party photos!!!
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Director Jonathan Sale along with festival founder and chairman Ken DelVecchio and actor/director Luis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
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Heather Dilly and actor Costas Mandylor (Beowulf, Saw III, IV, V)
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Jonathan Sale and film legend Billy D. Williams (Star Wars, Batman, Dynasty, Mohogany)
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Heather Dilly and soap star Terri Colombino (As the World Turns)
We are really rollin’ now! The prestigious Rhode Island International Film Festival is coming up in August and “Sovereignty” will be there! The RIIFF is one of the few festivals in the country to which the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences gives automatic Oscar eligibility to the winners. So come see us Thursday 7/4 in Long Island or road trip with us in early August to Rhode Island!
We are proud to announce that “Sovereignty” will be continuing its coast-to-coast run at the Long Island International Film Expo on July 10 at 9:30 pm! Its just a short trip on the Long Island Railroad, where the theater is right across the street from the Bellmore station stop. Click here for directions.
Two years ago, our own Heather Dilly walked away with the award for Best Actress at this festival, so lets keep our fingers crossed and come on out and support this great film!
We are excited to announce that “Sovereignty” will be making its New York area debut at the Hoboken International Film Festival on May 28th at 8:30pm at Pier A in scenic Hoboken, New Jersey! The festival was recently called “in the world’s top 10″ and “the nations hottest true film festival.”
Tickets are free and directions to Hoboken can be found here. There are cash awards for the audience vote, so please come out and support our film trying to entertain and make a difference!
Check out “Sovereignty” Director/Producer Jonathan Sale in a press day television interview in California during the recent Cinequest Film Festival! Others on the show included Danny Glover, Michael Keaton and “Crash” screenwriter Bobby Moresco.
Click here to check out all the cool pics from this year’s Cinequest Film Festival, where “Sovereignty” was a huge hit! (We are in pics 28 and 34 by the way!) Film reviewer Neil Baker of Fest 21.com singled our film out saying “…most noticeably Sovereignty, a brilliant and damning portrayal of our reluctance to help our world neighbors by director Jonathan Sale.”
And check out our coverage in the daily Cinequest ‘Discover Dailies’ newsletter: Our premiere 2/29! and our sold out 2nd showing 3/2!
“Sovereingty” is proud to have been so warmly received at the 2008 Cinequest Film Festival. We had a great week of rubbing elbows with the likes of Michael Keaton, the beautiful Olivia Hussey, John Ratzenberger (yeah, Cliff from ‘Cheers’!), Danny Glover and many more. Lots of folks counted “Sovereignty” as their favorite film of the festival and Neil Baker of Fest 21.com singled “Sovereignty” out saying “…most noticeably Sovereignty, a brilliant and damning portrayal of our reluctance to help our world neighbors by director Jonathan Sale.”
We look forward to letting you know when “Sovereignty” is coming to a town near you! In the mean time, watch the trailer for “Sovereignty” and watch our previous film “The Look Away Life” right now on your computer for free!
Photos of Director Jonathan Sale and actress Heather Dilly at “Sovereingty” screenings and closing night ceremonies of Cinequest 18 along with actor Joe Holt and Mike Zimmer who graciously allowed us to use his house for the most spectacular effect in the movie’s last scene! (Also famous for his emergency appendectomy during the original shoot.)
While in the bay area, actress Heather Dilly stopped in beautiful San Francisco to smell the flowers. After all, “tulips, they need so much attention.” Mrs. Elsbeth would be so jealous! (See the movie, it’ll make sense! - Watch the trailer now!)
Thanks to a great effort from cast member John Dominici and his mother Dawn, “Sovereignty” played to a large and enthusiastic crowd at this year’s Gasparilla Film Festival. With star appearances by the likes of Shane West and “Hairspray’s” Brittany Snow (picture left with “Sovereignty” star John Dominici), the festival and “Sovereignty” both had a fantastic weekend. Thanks to all of you who turned out in support!
Check out what folks are saying about “The Look Away Life” on Jaman.com!
“Brilliant. This could easily be adapted into a full length movie.”
“Wow! This short is so vast that you actually don’t realize its 24 minutes long, it feels like you had actually watched an hour long movie. Its Fantastic!”
“What a clever piece of work. I am still amused by this movie. The best short on Jaman yet.”
You can download it and watch it for free right now on your computer by visiting Jaman.com!
You may also purchase it there, rent it from Netflix and many other options. Check out “The Look Away Life” Buy/Rent page for more details!
Still not convinced? Watch the trailer here!
Watch the video intro of the exciting Cinequest Film Festival 2008 and come join us and stars like Danny Glover, Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Tom Wilkinson, Peter Fonda, Jack Black, Minnie Driver and many more this weekend!
After a great run at Cinequest 16 and signing an exclusive disribution deal for our last award-winning short film, “The Look Away Life,” we are back for Cinequest 2008! ”Sovereignty” will be playing 2/29/08 at 4:00 PM and again on 3/2/08 at 2:15 PM at the beautiful Camera 12 Theater in exciting downtown San Jose, CA!
So if you are in the Bay Area, give yourself a treat and come see the new short film written by Pulitzer Prize nominated author Rolin Jones, producer and writer of Showtime’s Emmy and Golden Globe winning series, “Weeds.”
We’re very exited to announce that “Sovereignty” will be showing at the Gasparilla Film Festival on Thursday 2/28 at 5:15pm at the ChannelSide Theater in Tampa, FL!
Oh, “Sovereignty.” What a long, strange journey it has been. And we’re just getting started! To cut to the heart of it, FedEx lost our movie. The entire original. No kidding. The film canisters disappeared into the abyss, never to be heard from again. As if surviving an on-set hurricane and emergency appendectomy wasn’t enough already! Undeterred and completely out of money, we shot it again nine months later . You know what they say, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you a filmmaker.”
Check out this cool behind-the-scenes footage from our upcoming short film, “Sovereignty.” It was written by Rolin Jones, the writer and producer of Showtime’s Emmy and Gloden Globe winning series, “Weeds.”
All you folks in the Bay Area get ready the rare, once-in-a-four-year event of the “Sovereignty” World Premiere on February 29, 2008, leap year day! After all the strange ups and downs, lost films, hurricanes, emergency appendectomies and the like, they had to carve and extra day out of the year to show a film this exciting, this entertaining, this moving and this meaningful! The Cinequest Film Festival screening venue is yet to be announced, but “Sovereignty” will be showing on Friday 2/29/08 at 4pm and again on Sunday 3/2/08 at 2:15pm. We can’t wait to see you there!
We excited to announce that “Sovereignty” will be a part of the up-and-coming Gasparilla Film Festival in beautiful Tampa, FL on the very same weekend that we will be premiering at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, CA! Check back for exact show times and venues, but it will be sometime between 2/29/08 - 3/2/08! So if you are in the Florida area, please come support our little film trying to make a big difference!
Laurel Films, Inc. is proud to announce that our latest film, “Sovereignty” will be premiering at prestigious 2008 Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, CA! Cinequest has long been a supporter of our endeavors, screening our last award-winning short film, “The Look Away Life” at the 2006 Cinequest Film Festival.
Distinguished honorees at last years’ event included Maverick Spirit Award Winners Minnie Driver, Stewart Copeland, Christine Vachon, J.J. Abrams and Christopher McQuarrie!
Screening dates and times will soon be announced and we hope that anyone who is anywhere close will take this opportunity to see our exciting new dark comedy with a conscience.
Thanks to all of you who made the “Sovereignty” premiere party such a huge success!!! Over 100 people turned out to enjoy fondue and a new film written by the Pulitzer Prize nominated writer and producer of Showtime’s “Weeds.” Your overwhelming positive response and generosity were amazing. Next up, the festival circuit…
Come on down to our “Sovereignty” premiere party on Sunday, December 9th from 5-7:30 at Dip Bar and Lounge. (416 3rd Ave. between 29th and 30th St.) Enjoy fondue, open bar, great raffle prizes and watch the film projected on a big 8 foot screen! Film screening at 7pm. $25 at the door.So come check out the latest from Rolin Jones, the Pulitzer Prize nominated writer and producer of Showtime’s Emmy and Golden Globe winning series, “Weeds.”
If you have a second to help us out, please visit the following sites and say something nice about
“The Look Away Life.”
Many sites rank by popularity! 4 stars, add to favorites, etc.
Thanks for your help!
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Our first film, “The Look Away Life” was shot for just a few hundred dollars and won Best Short Film at the Big Fish Film Festival and Best Actress (Heather Dilly) at the Long Island International Film Expo.
What is “The Look Away Life?” What does that mean? Well, you’ll just have to watch it and decide for yourself. But here’s a quick idea of the treat you’re in for!
When Ben’s marital problems spiral too far out of his control, he enlists the help of the down-and-out April to serve as an unorthodox marriage counselor. Through their unique interactions, he gains relief from the stresses of his marriage, but quickly finds that he has a fresh set of problems with his new acquaintance, April. The growing disparity between each of their desires and expectations leads to a climactic conflict, a break through, and a broken heart.
