MUSIC-DRIVEN FAMILY DRAMA THE IDENTICAL, WINS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
FOR BEST U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURE AT 45th ANNUAL NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILM STARRING RAY LIOTTA, SETH GREEN, ASHLEY JUDD AND NEWCOMER BLAKE RAYNE,
SLATED TO OPEN NATIONWIDE IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
SOURCE: Rogers & Cowan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 1, 2014) – The music-driven family drama The Identical, made its national star-studded red carpet debut at the 45th Annual Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) this past week.
Opening to a sold-out audience and attended by many of the project’s stellar cast, the film won over the hearts of both the festival judges and moviegoers alike by being awarded the prestigious Southwest Airlines Audience Choice Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature.
“We are truly honored for receiving the audience choice award at the Nashville Film Festival,” says Director Dustin Marcellino. “The Identical has been a labor of love and our goal was to bring a picture that would encourage and bless those who get the chance to experience it. I want to personally thank the people of Nashville for their vote of confidence for this film.”
“Receiving this award was a big win for The Identical on a lot of levels,” Executive Producer Yochanan Marcellino said. “Nothing is better than receiving the audience choice award. It shows the tremendous support we have received from the great state of Tennessee, our star cast, our original music, and our leading man, newcomer Blake Rayne. We hope and pray that this kind of response will continue right through our release date on September 12.”
The Identical stars Golden Globe nominees Ray Liotta (The Place Beyond The Pines, Goodfellas, Field of Dreams) and Ashley Judd (Divergent, Olympus Has Fallen, Dolphin Tale), along with Emmy award-winning Seth Green (The Italian Job, Austin Powers, Dads, Family Guy, Robot Chicken) and newcomer music sensation, Blake Rayne. The full-length feature is produced by Mark G. Mathis (Precious), Yochanan Marcellino of City of Peace Films, Matthew Dean Russell, Coke Sams and Clarke Gallivan, along with Michael Edious Johnson, Yochanan Marcellino and Ray Liotta serving as executive producers.
Inspired by an original story by Wade Cummins, with a screenplay written by Howard Klausner (Space Cowboys), The Identical tells the story of identical twin brothers (both played by Rayne) who are separated at birth during the Great Depression. Despite their different upbringings, the boys share a similar passion for music, causing their lives to unknowingly intersect as they experience a powerful and mysterious connection often felt by twins.
The film also stars Brian Geraghty (“Boardwalk Empire,” The Hurt Locker), Emmy award- winning Joe Pantoliano (“The Sopranos,” Memento), Amanda Crew (Jobs, Charlie St. Cloud), and Erin Cottrell (lead actress in Michael Landon Jr.’s “Love Comes Softly” series).
Rayne’s film debut includes his performance of many of the original songs in the movie. The film’s soundtrack highlights over 20 original songs by legendary Motown record producer Jerry Marcellino (Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bobby Darin, Frankie Valli and many others) and Yochanan Marcellino. In addition to Rayne, the soundtrack also features a stellar line up of City of Peace Record’s recording artists including The Morph Kings, Darcey and Mo, House of Peace and the Ricky Reece Band. The music from the film represents three decades (the 50s, 60s and 70s) of Pop, Rock, R&B and Bluegrass.
Shot on location in and around Nashville, Tenn., the movie has strong ties to Music City. The Identical features scenes from some of Nashville’s most notable venues, including the historic Grand Ole Opry House and War Memorial Auditorium. In addition, Director Dustin Marcellino and his father, Producer Yochanan Marcellino, as well as Screenplay Writer Howie Klausner (“Space Cowboys”), are all Nashvillians.
The Identical will release nationwide in theaters on September 12, 2014 through Freestyle Releasing. For more information, please visit http://theidenticalmovie.com/.
About City of Peace Films
The primary focus of City of Peace Media and City of Peace Films is to provide framework where music, films and video with “redeeming value” can be developed, produced, marketed and distributed worldwide, bringing a message of hope, love and encouragement to this generation. www.cityofpeace.com. Website: www.theidenticalmovie.com.
About Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival (NaFF), April 17 – 26, presented by Nissan, brings the world to Nashville in an extended 10-day celebration of film. NaFF is in two locations for the first time: Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 with 200 competition films, educational presentations and parties, and downtown at Nissan Multicultural Village, Walk of Fame Park with free outdoor films nightly and Happy Hour Shorts at Festival Pub. NaFF is a public festival attended by filmmakers and industry insiders and an Academy Award Qualifying Event for short films. In addition to Nissan, NaFF is sponsored by Comcast/Xfinity, Cabedge Design, Regal Entertainment Group, Southwest Airlines, Tennessee Arts Commission and Metro Arts of Nashville. The Festival annually garners notice from the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal online, MovieMaker Magazine, Film Festival Today, IndieWire, Variety, Billboard, New York and Script Magazine.
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