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Indie film to premiere on Saipan
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Posted on Jan 24 2005
An award-winning independent film produced by a Saipan-based lawyer will premiere on island in February.
Attorney F. Matthew Smith, who co-produced the film, said “Baptists at Our Barbecue” will be shown at Hollywood Theater beginning Feb. 11.
“It’s a fun movie and everybody seems to want it. I think people in Saipan will enjoy it,” he said. “We’re planning a premiere and red carpet, if we can find it.”
“Baptists” is a romantic comedy about a 29-year-old single Mormon who finds love in a small town populated by feuding Mormons and Baptists.
“From the suspicious disappearance of half the Mormons’ double-wide trailer/church and rocks being thrown from heaven, to a mysterious humming being sounded off the mountains, ‘Baptists at Our Barbecue’ is a delightful parody displaying the absurdity of religious prejudice. ‘Baptists at Our Barbecue’ is a story for the ages, a reminder that people matter, whether or not their beliefs match your own,” the filmmakers described the movie.
Directed by Christian Vuissa, the film was based on a novel of the same title written by Robert Farrell Smith. The author shares credit with Vuissa and his brother Matthew for the screenplay. Their father, Farrell M. Smith, is the executive producer.
Filmed all across Central and Northern Utah with a budget of about $500,000, the movie has won various awards in big and small festivals since it opened in Utah in October 2004.
To date, “Baptists” has been awarded Best Picture in New Jersey’s Hope and Dreams Film Festival; Best Picture and Best Screenplay in Hollywood’s Arpa International Film Festival; Best Picture in Georgia’s Dixie Film Festival; and Best Picture and Best Comedy in New Mexico’s Fiery Film Festival.
The film was produced by Blue Crow Productions, which was formed by the Smiths, and distributed by HaleStorm Entertainment.
Principal cast members include Heather Beers, Dan Merkley, Frank Gerrish, and Duane Stephens.
