PORT ANGELES — The public now has the opportunity to see a film produced by a Port Angeles High School graduate on the silver screen.
“Triumph of the Heart,” produced by 2010 PAHS graduate Cecilia Stevenson, will open at Deer Park Cinemas on Nov. 7. The film has available showings through Nov. 13.
The cinema had a private showing Oct. 19, which about 100 people attended, Stevenson said.
“For me, it was really moving,” she said. “It was a surreal, coming home, full-circle experience.”
People seemed to enjoy the movie, the true story of the last days of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s life.
“In the harrowing confines of Auschwitz’s starvation cell, Catholic priest St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteers to die in place of another prisoner, joining nine others condemned by the Nazis,” according to triumphoftheheart.com.
“As despair and fear grip the group, the pressures of starvation (and) internal ideological division mount. But throughout, Kolbe’s appeal to their shared humanity and Polish identity forges a brotherhood that culminates in a poignant act of sacrifice that echoes beyond the cell, illuminating hope in one of history’s darkest moments.”
“People were crying afterward and giving me hugs,” Stevenson said. “It was really well-received.”
After the event, Stevenson requested more showings from the cinema and received a week on the calendar, she said.
“My sweet father has been telling everyone at work about the movie,” she said. “There were a few people at church who couldn’t make it to Oct. 19 screening, so they’re planning to see it.”
The film played in a couple hundred theaters across the U.S. and a few in Poland. Domestically, it’s made about $1 million while the Polish box office is coming in at about $500,000, Stevenson said.
“It was a lot harder than we expected to get into theaters,” she said. “It’s been really hard. We’re a small but mighty time.”
Director Anthony D’Ambrosio comes from a creative marketing background so he has been leading the marketing efforts for the film.
“We’ve been building kind of like a grassroots of people talking about the film,” Stevenson said. “It’s small circles that are spreading out like wildfire.”
The next step for the film is online streaming. Stevenson said for $20, people will be able to stream the movie from triumphoftheheart.com by the end of this month. In mid-November, streaming also will be possible through formed.org, a Catholic streaming site. The plan is for additional streaming sites in the future.
The team also is selling licenses for large group showings such as churches or schools. Those licenses can be bought at triumphoftheheart.com. Stevenson said the film eventually will be released on DVD.
The film, which doesn’t have an official rating but is not recommended for viewers younger than 13, has been receiving good reviews online. It has 7.8 stars out of 10 on imdb.com and a 96 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
Through festival showings, the film also has earned number of laurels.
It won Best Feature Film at the Hard Faith Fest and was the Remi Winner at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. It is an official selection at the Religion Faith International Film Festival and an official nominee for Faith in Film at the International Film Festival and Screenwriting Competition.
The film has been nominated for eight categories at the Interntional Christian Film and Music Festival: Best Cinematography, Best Director — Feature Films, Best Lead Actor — Feature Films, Best Musical Score — Feature Films, Best Picture, Best Screenplay — Feature Films, Best Supporting Actor — Feature Films and Most Inspirational — Feature Films.
The movie also is an official selection at Lift-Off Global Network Berlin.
“I would love for everyone to come out and see it,” Stevenson said. “It’s a hard movie to watch but good for the soul.”
________
Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
