At press time, a special screening of the feature City of Ember was slated for this week on the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Los Angeles. The movie opens nationwide on Oct. 10.
The film’s cast includes Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Tim Robbins, Harry Treadway (Brothers of the Head) and Martin Landau. City of Ember is a Walden Media and Playtone co-production produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. The script was penned by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands) based on a best selling novel by Jeanne Duprau.
While there was no word as to critics’ reviews of the film as we put this issue of SHOOT to bed, City of Ember merited this column’s attention because of its director, Gil Kenan, who graduated from Inner-City Filmmakers in 1994.
It was in the summer of ’93 that commercials editor Fred Heinrich and his wife, producer Stephanie Lipner, launched Inner-City Filmmakers, an organization offering free industry training to talented, disadvantaged high school students throughout Greater Los Angeles. The program has also helped secure paid entry-level jobs for many grads.
The May ’92 riots in Los Angeles served as a catalyst for Heinrich and Lipner, prompting them to form the group as a way to make a positive difference in the lives of youngsters who might not otherwise get the chance to become part of the film community. Fast-forward to today and the nonprofit organization has provided training and hands-on experience in different aspects of filmmaking to assorted graduates who have different ethnic backgrounds and come from low-income families.
Heinrich recalled that the purpose of Inner-City Filmmakers hit home for him during its first year, when students from Bell High School, in Bell, Calif., brought in their school video yearbook, which included five obituaries. “That underscored the fact that we need to somehow help create some opportunities for underprivileged young people living in the inner city,” he observed.
After completing his instruction at Inner-City Filmmakers, Kenan went on to become a graduate of the master’s class at UCLA’s film school. City of Ember is Kenan’s second theatrical motion picture. He made his feature directorial debut with Monster House which earned an Academy Award nomination for best animated movie in 2007. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, Monster House not only was directed by but also co-written by Kenan.
On the strength of the film, Kenan also earned an Annie Awards nomination from ASIFA-Hollywood for best directing in an animated feature production as well as a Chicago Film Critics Association Awards nomination as most promising director.
Kenan’s ascent to mainstream feature filmmaking represents the power of trying to do good, of Heinrich and Lipner taking an idea designed to help others and then working to make it a reality. It’s also a stellar example of how good, in this case the Inner-City Filmmakers program, can come out of bad, namely the rioting that broke out in the wake of the initial acquittal of police officers in the high-profile Rodney King beating case.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More