Festival Runs April 26 – 30th
The USA Film Festival will host the Texas Premiere of the short FAR FROM THE TREE starring Cheryl Allison (NO LETTING GO, Broadway star), Angie Bolling (ROBOCOP, TEXASVILLE) and Gabriel Rush (MOONRISE KINGDOM, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) to the Texas Shorts Showcase closing night of the 47th annual Festival – April 30, 2017.
Angie Bolling
“I am beyond thrilled that FAR FROM THE TREE is having its Texas Premiere at the 47th USA Film Festival. It’s an honor for our entire creative team, cast and crew to be screening at one of the first major festivals established in the nation. Award winning films, actors, and industry professionals have participated in USAFF over the years and to be included in this group is so exciting,” says Cheryl Allison, producer and actress in FAR FROM THE TREE.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
The film has it’s own unique family tree as lifelong friends of Cheryl’s all played significant parts in making this film. One branch is award-winning producer Carina Rush who Cheryl has known for 25 years. Carina came on-board to co-produce the film with Cheryl. Another branch is Dallas resident David Kear. David is the writer of the film and has been Cheryl’s friend since they met in Dallas during their college years. Another significant branch is our amazing Emmy-winning director Dave Thomas. Dave and Cheryl met over 15 years ago and are creative partners. Last but not least, one of the most sentimental branches of our film’s family tree is Gabriel Rush. Gabriel is the son of Carina and he also happens to be Cheryl’s godson. He plays Evan in the film. As you can imagine, bringing all of these significant people together was quite emotional. We were so lucky to be able to complete the cast with the incredible Angie Bolling, Michael Hunsaker, Stephen Newton and Anna Newton. Lifelong friends came together to create something special and with the help of the exceptionally talented cast and crew, that’s exactly what they did.
https://vimeo.com/211274138
TEXAS CONNECTION:
The film was shot on location in Eustace, TX at a farm owned by Cheryl’s aunt. The farm has been in the Allison family since 1851. Cheryl is a native Texan who was born in Fort Worth and raised in Dallas. The film’s crew was all from the DFW area except for our NYC based Director and Director of Photography. All camera equipment was rented through Panavision Dallas and lighting/grip equipment was rented locally through Bolt Productions.
Our cast combined the best of Dallas and NYC talent. Dallas favorite Angie Bolling was the first choice to play Aunt Dot and the role was written specifically for her. Cheryl and Angie met at the 2016 DIFF Opening Night Red Carpet. Publicist Kelly Kitchens introduced them knowing that they would immediately become friends. That evening at DIFF Opening Night, Cheryl told Angie she was going to find a film project for them, and that’s exactly what she did.
THE IMPACT:
We feel that FAR FROM THE TREE will resonate with a very large audience, whom can identify with the kind of struggle that Abbie and her son have to face. Recovering from sexual assault or abuse is a process and that process looks different for everyone. It may take weeks, months or years – there’s no timetable for healing.
FUTURE IMPACT WITH A FEATURE: depending on the response to the short film, the producers are considering making a full-length version after its festival run.
