NewFest, New York

Right on the heels of our premiere in Los Angeles, we hit the ground running in New York with two great screenings on July 24th & 26th. Loads of friends and family rallied around in support -- thank you! We packed both the School of Visual Arts Theater and the main theater at Village Cinema. Intelligent, fun Q&A's after each.

It was a smooth run except for the arrival of a fleet of firetrucks that appeared during our second screening when someone in the other theater reported smelling smoke. Luckily, the house manager threw herself in front of our door and prevented the firemen from entering to investigate.




Following the second screening, I got the news that we'd gotten a two-year deal with Showtime. They called the firemen back to handle the fireworks that shot out of my ears. A great finish for our New York debut.

Outfest, Los Angeles

July 9th, our official premiere. We screened at the Directors' Guild of America, Theater 1 -- and we packed the house! Standing room only. It was the first time so many of us (both producers + several cast & crew members) were able to attend a screening. It was a magnificent night with tremendous support for the film.

Pictured at top: Jason Butler Harner, Paul Marcarelli (screenwriter/producer), Cheyenne Jackson, Molly Pearson (producer), me.

During our Q&A, a gentlemen who identified himself as a teacher spoke of a terrible prank played on him by a student posing as a parent in an email exchange. Needless to say the similarities between our film's story and what happened to this teacher were hair-raising. His story shot through us like a lightning strike -- a blinding, first-hand reminder of the precarious position many of our LGBT educators find themselves in daily. I was also taken with how deftly this teacher concluded his story with an off-handed remark that got a huge laugh -- a laugh of communal recognition and commiseration.

Pictured at bottom: Paul, Chris Bert, Molly, Jason, Cheyenne, me, Julia Ormond & Illeana Douglas

The screening was followed with a cocktail reception at the theater in the HGTV Lounge, and then we reconvened at Lola's for a premiere party with the company and friends.

Another bit of good news came when I was notified that we'd been given a 2nd screening. It was scheduled on the last day of the festival at the REDCAT (Roy & Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) on Sunday, July 17th @ noon on the dreaded "Carmageddon" weekend -- but we managed to fill about half the theater, have a great screening and an intimate Q&A after.

Thanks to Kirsten Schaffer, exec director of Outfest, and her entire remarkable team: Kim Yutani, Bryan Stamp, Alphonso Duralde, Dilcia Barrera, Kerri Stoughton-Jackson, Shari Greicar, Landon Zacheim, and everyone who made our screening and the festival such a fulfilling experience. Our premiere could not have gone better!

My friend Bridget Fonger wrote an article in response to something Julia Ormond had spoken about during our Q&A. Please check it out at: www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/film/julia-ormonds-the-green-is-a-human-movie-not-a-gay-movie/