- Let Them Chirp Awhile
Infobox Film | name = Let Them Chirp Awhile
director =Jonathan Blitstein
writer = Jonathan Blitstein
producer = Jonathan BlitsteinAnouk Frosch
starring =Justin Rice Brendan Sexton III Laura Breckenridge Zach Galligan Pepper Binkley Charlotte af Geijerstam
and special appearance byAnthony Rapp
original score =Giulio Carmassi
cinematography =Andrew Shulkind
editor = Jonathan Blitstein
Status = Post-Production
runtime = 91 Minutes
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0857285"Let Them Chirp Awhile" is an independent film drama-comedy by
Jonathan Blitstein which was filmed in eighteen days in New York during October 2006. The film was produced by Anouk Frosch and Jonathan Blitstein. It was photographed by Andrew Shulkind. The film will be released theatrically in the USA in November 2008 in select theaters. [http://www.letthemchirpawhile.com]"Justin Rice (left) and Brendan Sexton III. Image copyright 2006-2008 Let Them Chirp Awhile, LLC."
The film had its World Premiere at the 2007
Woodstock Film Festival inWoodstock, NY where it received acclaim from both audiences and critics. The director of the festival, Meira Blaustein called the film a "a hidden gem" and praised Blitstein's "unique eye" during her introduction prior to the first screening [http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com] , as the film had been accepted through regular submission.Plot
The basic storyline of the film follows Bobby and Scott, two young men in their late twenties who are struggling to make careers out of their artistic dreams but their competitiveness with each other gets in the way. Bobby is a screenwriter and Scott is a musician but neither of them are productive because they don't believe in themselves and they share incredibly high standards for their work. Bobby meets an old lover, Deirdre, who is headed to Los Angeles and she begs Bobby to take care of her dog while she's gone. Bobby agrees but only in exchange for a sexual favor. Later, when Bobby makes the mistake of sharing an idea for the opening of his new screenplay with Scott, Scott tells their mutual friend, Hart, a playwright, and Hart steals the idea, incorporating it in his new play "Death of a Banker", a campy morality tale about the
September 11, 2001 attacks set to be performedoff-Broadway later that month. Bobby loses Deirdre's dog and tries to figure out a way to get out of the situation.tyle and Thematic Elements
The film builds on the cinematic style of 1970's New Hollywood filmmakers like Hal Ashby, whose "The Last Detail" and "Harold and Maude" begin with slapstick comedy and slowly shift to straight drama as the characters begin to look inward and make self-discoveries, ultimately returning to a blend of comedy-drama at the film's denouement. Let Them Chirp Awhile attempts to capitalize on this style while also maintaining a sense of heightened realism in order to lend the film an originality distinguishing it from other indie films of the late 2000s. The result is a coming of age tale disguised within the indie genre. Because of its comedy-drama blend, it has been compared at talkbacks and forums at film festivals to films by Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Todd Solondz and Richard Linklater.
Cast
*
Justin Rice — Bobby
*Brendan Sexton III — Scott
*Laura Breckenridge — Dara
*Zach Galligan — Hart Carlton
*Pepper Binkley — Michelle
*Charlotte af Geijerstam — Charlotte
* Amy Chow — Ariel
*Anthony Rapp — HimselfScreenings
World Premiere at the 2007
Woodstock Film Festival - October 11, 12, 2007 (Opening Night Screening)Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival - October 26, November 1, 2007Santa Fe Film Festival - November 28 - December 2, 2007 (Opening Night Screening)CINE-WORLD Festival - Florida 2007East Lansing Film Festival - March 12 - 20, 2008Filma Madrid Spain - March 28 - April 5 (European Premiere)Sonoma Valley Film Festival - 9 -13, 2008Atlanta Film Festival - April 10 - 19, 2008Rhode Island International Film Festival (Centerpiece Film) - August 5-10, 2008Mar del Plata International Film Film Festival Buenos Aires (South American Premiere) November 5th-21st, 2008Awards
Winner - "Best Feature Film" - East Lansing Film Festival 2008
Finalst - "Independent Spirits Award" - Santa Fe Film Festival 2007
Finalist - NYU's "Richard Vague Award Foundation" 2007 [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:-fae_08sbRAJ:www.factory630.com/files/vague_press_release.pdf+jonathan+blitstein+richard+vague&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us]
References
*1. http://www.letthemchirpawhile.com
*2. http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com
*3. http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:-fae_08sbRAJ:www.factory630.com/files/vague_press_release.pdf+jonathan+blitstein+richard+vague&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=usExternal links
* [http://www.letthemchirpawhile.com "Let Them Chirp Awhile Official Website"]
* [http://www.myspace.com/letthemchirpawhile "Official Myspace Page"]
* [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/418833/Let-Them-Chirp-Awhile/overview "New York Times Movie Page"]
* [http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com "2007 Woodstock Film Festival"]
* [http://www.sfnewmexican.com/Pasatiempo/The_Big_Picture__Bootstrapped_for_cash# "Santa Fe New Mexican Article"] From 12.13.2007
* [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/41838 "Pitchfork Article"] From 03.23.07
* [http://www.indiewire.com/movies/2006/11/production_repo_12.html "IndieWire Article"] From 11.06.06
* [http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=7520 "CHUD.com Article"] From 08.31.06
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