Inqlings: Three Philly films meet Rockies

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Inqlings: Three Philly films meet Rockies
By Michael Klein

Inquirer Columnist

More than 1,000 films were submitted for next month's Sundance Film Festival in the "U.S. dramatic" category. Of those 16, three with Philly ties will make their world premieres in Park City, Utah.

The romantic comedy Arlen Faber was known as The Dream of the Romans during its springtime filming under the eye of John Hindman near Rittenhouse Square. Jeff Daniels stars as a wealthy author living as a hermit for 10 years until Lauren Graham helps gets him out of his house. (That house happens to be at 2032 Delancey Place.) Trivia: The title was changed because the line containing "the dream of the Romans" was cut from the film.

Also making its world premiere will be Dare, for which screenwriter David Brind, a Rittenhouse Square native, got such young stars as Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford and Ashley Springer to join Sandra Bernhard, Ana Gasteyer and Alan Cumming in a feature set in a suburban prep school. Brind based the Adam Salky-directed flick on an award-winning short he wrote at Columbia University.

Film No. 3 is Push, directed and produced by West Philly native Lee Daniels and based on the best-selling novel by Sapphire about a young girl in Harlem struggling to overcome obstacles and discover her own voice. The cast includes Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mo'Nique Imes, Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey.

Philly's Heery Casting, which worked on Arlen Faber and Push, will help find actors for the next big film shooting here: F. Gary Gray's Law Abiding Citizen, starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. Heery is looking for actors ages 18 to 70 - especially men 30 to 45 - for the shoot, running from January to March. Open call will be next Saturday at the Southwark House, across from the Rizzo Ice Skating Rink at Front and Ellsworth Streets in South Philly. Union actors should report from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and nonunion from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring a photo. Details: www.heerycasting.com

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