The journey thus far with The Perfect Family movie has been both exciting and rewarding!  Last month was the film’s International Premiere at the London BFI Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.  The sun emerged for the 5 days we were there and I was boastfully able to tell friends and family back home that our weather was better than that in California.  We had 2 sold out screenings, and the Brits were very vocal about how they loved the film!  One woman in the audience even told us she was such an Emily Deschanel fan that she caught the train from Paris just to see the movie!   A couple of pics from the Q and A after the screenings are below.

We also screened at the Miami International Film festival last month and recently at the Phoenix Film Festival.  I attended one of the Phoenix screenings.  It was my first time in Arizona and I found it magical.  Everyone was incredibly friendly and we had a packed house with a lively Q and A afterward.  In fact, a young guy approached me and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way…” (I was thinking okay…what?) “But this is a move I could bring my Grandma to”.   I took it as the highest compliment ever as there are so few films these days that fit that mold!  Our entire team was delighted at his comment and we certainly encourage you to take your mother or grandmother to this film.  And moms, bring your grown kids!

Next week I head to Seoul as the film is playing at the Korean International Women’s Film Festival.  I have never been to Korea so very much looking forward to learning more about the culture there.   And I can’t wait to see how the film’s humor will play with subtitles.  We’ll see!

We’re opening in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, May 4th, 2012. Please check out our screenings page for theater & ticket details. On Friday, May 11th we roll out across North America to theaters in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Miami, Oklahoma City, Chicago and many more!  We are adding new cities every day, so please visit our website and our Facebook page for all the updates!

We also will be on Video On Demand from May 4th on.  Click here for details.
Looking forward to seeing you at a screening soon!

My Best,
Anne

I am just back from The Provincetown International Film Festival where The Perfect Family played as the Opening Night Film and was extremely well received by audiences.  We arrived for Opening Night to crowds winding around the block outside the historic Town Hall right in the middle of Provincetown.  It was an exciting night for many as the Town Hall had been under construction and this was the first film to be shown there in several years.  The audience was thrilled that Kathleen Turner was present and we had a lively Q and A after the film.

The annual Film Festival is an important event in Provincetown and is supported by many local businesses.  My partner and I were lucky enough to stay at 8 Dyer (http://www.8dyer.com) a beautiful B and B with incredibly hospitable owners Frank and Tim.  We loved the local health food store around the corner, The Bradford Natural Market (http://www.bradfordnatural.com).  The owners Chris and Joe couldn’t be more delightful.

The programmers and everyone involved with the festival are true cinefiles and film enthusiasts and were so supportive of all the filmmakers.  There were parties, panels and events everyday and as such a well respected festival there were several high profile people attending.  It was wonderful to make contact and connect with film people in such a relaxed and organic environment.

I cannot recommend this festival highly enough for filmmakers or film lovers!!

My Best,
Anne

As a first time feature filmmaker, it truly is a privilege to sit with this film completed and be writing to you now.   It has been a long journey- 3 and a half years so far to be exact, from the time the script was optioned.  The journey continues as we head to the Tribeca Film Festival later this month.  It will be the first time an audience has seen the completed film- a thrilling and slightly terrifying prospect!

 
The film really has been a labor of love for so many people.  We were blessed to work with an extremely talented and dedicated cast led by Kathleen Turner, who moved to Los Angeles for 5 weeks for filming.  Kathleen was quite involved for many months prior to filming, giving us notes and input on the script and being willing to be the first cast member on board the project.  Kathleen is about to start a run of her play HIGH on Broadway- we are so excited for her.  During her press run for the play she is mentioning our film too and we are so grateful for her support.  Our strong supporting cast includes Emily Deschanel, Jason Ritter, Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Lawrence and Elizabeth Pena.  It was so incredible to work with such an ensemble of quality actors.

 
Our crew also showed up and worked so hard to bring this picture to completion-from our talented and creative cinematographer Andre Lascaris to our caterer, Carrie Cusack who provided us with healthy organic food every day.  Please see our crew page and imdb page to read about the wonderful people involved in The Perfect Family.

 
Also, we are infinitely grateful to our Executive Producer Connie Cummings who showed up every day and helped hold a balanced energy on our set and was always incredibly supportive and kind to our team.  Our editor Chris Kroll worked tirelessly to perfect and shape our story and brought his experience and wisdom all through our postproduction process.  And this film would never have been made without our fantastic producers Cora Olson and Jennifer Dubin, who brought everyone together to make this all happen.  They also provided their tremendous talent and experience and were integral in helping to craft and create this film.

 
But, most importantly we hope you, the audience, get to see the film and enjoy it!
The story is a comedy drama with a vast array of emotional ups and downs.  I feel the overarching themes of the film are very relatable. Though the specific issues may vary, I know many people have the experience of what it is like to not meet up to ones parents’ expectations, for many different reasons.  Or likewise for parents, wishing for different outcomes for your children’s lives, whether quietly or more overtly like our protagonist, creates a similar internal struggle.   Or perhaps sometime is it even ones own perceived projections of what their parents or family will approve of or tolerate that holds them back.  Ultimately I think we can all relate to a version of the not so ‘perfect family’ that is actually just perfect as it is.

 
So feel free to write a comment and keep in touch.  We will keep you updated here on tidbits about the film, the creative process as well as screening info with what is happening with the film.