Saturday, October 2nd, you have one more chance to see Hope for a Thorn in Florida! We’ll be playing the first Clearwater Film Festival. We’re thrilled to be a part of Clearwater’s inaugural year!

The screening is at 3:00 and tickets are just under $10. To buy them, visit Clearwater Film Festival tickets (We are Program 29).

The festival runs from September 29 – October 3. The screening is at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Clearwater (405 Cleveland St, Clearwater, FL 33755).

To learn more, check out the fest’s website.

We’ve updated our Photos page with a new album for the Gasparilla screening, afterparty, and awards ceremony.

Be sure to check it out, especially if you were there!

Did you miss our sold-out screening at Gasparilla? You have another chance to see Hope for a Thorn in Tampa Bay!

We’ve been accepted into the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Pete! The fest runs April 14 – 18 and we’ll let you know as soon as we have more details about the screening.

This year’s festival features workshops by actor Patrick Wilson, the head writer of That ’70s Show, and the producers of the X-Men series and Napoleon Dynamite.

We will also be participating in a marketing partnership with Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL.  Andrew Kenneth Gay (who happened to be Hope’s line producer) has assigned his class the task of marketing four of the films at Sunscreen. We’re excited for the opportunity and looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

See the full lineup at www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com.

About the Festival
The Sunscreen Film Festival, now in its fifth year, is an annual film festival hosted by the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Society, a Florida not for profit Corporation. The primary goal of the film festival is to encourage the creation, production, and exhibition of independent film in Florida through its educational programs and public screenings, thereby increasing awareness and support of local filmmaking as a cultural and economic asset.

We won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at Gasparilla’s Awards Ceremony Sunday night! We are so grateful to everyone who came out and voted highly for us and are honored to have won this award.

Here are a few pictures from the Awards Ceremony at Tampa Theatre.

We had a terrific screening today! Sold-out theater, great audience, and a Q&A with me, producer Jay Delaney, and actors Pat Fisher, Sarah Grace Ackerman, and Michael Ray Davis.

Much thanks to GIFF, Cinebistro (fantastic venue!), and everyone who came out today!

When we’re back in Chicago, we’ll update the Photos section with lots of pictures from the screening and afterparty, but here are a few in the meantime.

The final tickets have been sold for Saturday’s 1pm screening at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa.

If you still want to try to make it, show up at the theatre 15 minutes early. Any tickets not picked up by that time will be given to those waiting.

If you miss it, check back here in a few days for some news…. (vague hint of another upcoming screening? Perhaps…)

If you’re planning on attending the Gasparilla screening (which we sincerely hope you are!), we strongly suggest you buying tickets in advance, like now.

We are down to the final 17 tickets with 5 days still to go. Furthermore, when you buy a ticket, you actually reserve a particular seat, so to avoid sitting by a stranger and waving at your friend across the theater, you might want to go ahead and get them now.

This is going to be a terrific screening, as well as your chance to talk with the actors, me, producer Jay Delaney, and lots of other people too, so you don’t want to miss it. So come one, come all (well, come 17 of you)!

Buy tickets here. They’re $10 apiece. Please be in your seat at least 15 minutes in advance.

Can’t wait to see you there!

In addition to the Gasparilla screening, we will be screening the following week at the Delray Beach Film Festival in Delray Beach, Florida! My short film, Life to Go, played DBFF a few years ago, so I’m really excited to be returning with Hope!

Hope for a Thorn will be playing Sunday March 28th at 5:45 at Crest Theatre. See the b-side listing and buy tickets here. The complete schedule is here.

Tickets for all events are available here.

Delray Beach, now in its fifth year, runs March 22 – 28. This year’s honorees include Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey) and Jessica Walter (Arrested Development!!!) The fest takes place in a relaxed, artsy enclave located on the picturesque coast of South Florida where enthusiastic and thoughtful audiences await. This filmmaker-focused fest delivers great programming in a relaxing setting in Delray Beach, a sunny vacation destination. Visit DBFF for more.

UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities did a little piece about the Gasparilla screening

Hope for a Thorn will be having its Gulf Coast premiere at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa!

We’re really excited to be coming to Tampa to screen the film in March. I grew up just across the bridge in St. Pete, so this will be a great opportunity for friends, families, and the other people who made this film possible to attend, many seeing the film for the first time. (Plus, as it’s still 30 degrees and snowy in Chicago, Florida’s not the worst place to go for a few days in March).

GIFF is one of Florida’s largest and fastest growing film festivals. Organized and operated by the non-profit Tampa Film Institute, the fest is dedicated to expanding art opportunities in the Tampa Bay community through the medium and culture of independent film. GIFF’s specific mission statement is to promote opportunities for film makers and film fans alike to create and enjoy independent film in the Tampa Bay area.

The festival will run March 18 – 21. We’re really excited to be a part of it and Jay and I will both be attending the screening.

More information regarding screening date, time, and location coming soon.

Check out the GIFF site for more information. And be sure to check out our trailer on the GIFF site.