| Greetings From The Shore - A Treat for New Jersey & Beyond |
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| Written by Fran Goldenberg | |||
| Monday, 07 July 2008 06:45 | |||
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After an amazing tour of the independent film festival circuit, coming away with 46 awards, Greetings From The Shore is returning home for release on August 8, 2008. “Lavallette was the first character of the movie,” says writer/producer Gabrielle Berberich. “If it couldn’t be shot there, it wouldn’t have happened.” Born and raised in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Berberich spent summers in Lavallette and now shares her inspiring coming of age story, her last summer at the Jersey Shore before heading off to college. “It is really one part memoir and one part nautical fairy tale,” admits Berberich, describing the narrative structure of the movie created with co-writer and director Greg Chwerchak.  A newcomer to the big screen, Kim Shaw, plays a perky and vulnerable Jenny, still feeling the loss of her father, full of his dreams for her to have a better life, and uncertain about her future. She loses her job at a beachfront pizzeria and stumbles into a world of illegal immigrants, high stakes gambling, and unexpected love. Reviewers have likened Shaw’s performance to the 80s classics of Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing or Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza. Greetings also stars Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas, Nixon), David Fumero (ABC’s “One Life to Live”), and Jay O. Sanders (The Day After Tomorrow).After seven years in Los Angeles as a casting director, it was Berberich’s keen eye for talent that netted such great finds as Kim Shaw, David Fumero, Lars Arentz-Hansen, Andrew Shaifer, and Ron Geren. Those were all her choices. “Hundreds of young girls auditioned for the part of Jenny. We kept coming back to Shaw. She brought her own experience to the character,” says Berberich. “She is the movie.” Both Berberich and Chwerchak, having spent summers as kids at the Jersey Shore, are the unofficial ambassadors for New Jersey, on a crusade to change the public's perception of the Garden State. The actors are uniformly strong with lush direction that maximizes the scenery, highlighting the real New Jersey - the beautiful, scenic New Jersey - not the Jersey that is often maligned in movies and TV. The beauty of this film easily translates outside the Jersey Shore area as well and could be anyone’s lakefront or beachfront experience. The successful reception of Greetings From The Shore comes to Berberich on the heels of Hounddog, a domestic violence drama she co-produced starring Dakota Fanning, Robin Wright Penn and David Morse. Hounddog’s writer/director, Deborah Kampmeier, teaches at Berberich’s Michael Howard Studios, the prestigious New York City acting school. “There’s some people who you trust so much, you just want to get on board,” Berberich states regarding her decision to co-produce Hounddog. After Kampmeier’s nomination for a Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Hounddog is being released theatrically later this summer.  “With independent films,” shares Berberich“, it is very important to create a buzz before the release. So many independent films never make it to release. We are very fortunate.” The film festivals, awards, and reviews have created quite the buzz as Greetings from the Shore opens August 8th. This romantic comedy-drama offers audiences across New Jersey--and the nation--a chance to go home again and definitely makes one proud to be a Jersey girl. For more information: www.greetingsfromtheshorethemovie.com
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| Last Updated on Monday, 14 July 2008 15:58 |
