A screening of "Loving Vincent," the world's first fully oil painted feature film, will be presented in Hot Springs for a one night special engagement on Dec. 28 at The Maxwell Blade Theatre of Magic, located in the newly renovated Malco Theatre.
Doors will open at 7 p.m. with pre-film entertainment featuring live music and painting. The movie will begin at 8 p.m.
First released in the United States on Sept. 22 by Good Deed Entertainment, the film has been named one of the Top 10 Independent Movies of 2017 by the National Board of Review, and was recently nominated for three Annie Awards for Best Independent Animated Feature, Best Screenplay, and Best Score. Abroad, the film has won 14 awards at festivals from Shanghai (Best Animated Film) to Sao Paolo (Audience Award).
"Since we are a small town, we don't have a theater that specializes in art films. We do, however, have an arts community made up of artists and art lovers who will appreciate this beautiful film," said Mary Zunick, Visit Hot Springs' cultural affairs manager. "Yes, I do hope it will act as an inspiration for local artists; it's a unique and beautiful way to tell a story."
Hand painted in Gdansk and Wroclaw, Poland, with a smaller satellite studio in Athens, Greece, "Loving Vincent" was a titanic effort by 125 painters, selected from over 5,000 applicants from 20 countries, to complete some 65,000 hand-painted frames. It was directed by Polish painter and animator Dorota Kobiela and co-directed by her Oscar Award-winning husband, Hugh Welchman. The film took a total of nine years to create from inception to last month's first theatrical release.
Hot Springs is home to one of the movie's investors, Brian Burrough, who originally contacted Zunick in hopes of working together to get the film shown in the Spa City.
"Hot Springs is my hometown, so I wanted to make sure my family and friends get to see it on the big screen. Due to its small size Hot Springs is usually not targeted by art film distributors, but given that I'm an investor, the producer and distributor were kind enough to make an exception," Burrough said. "My first venue choice by a long shot was the Malco so we were really pleased that Maxwell graciously agreed to show it there."
After a successful initial Kickstarter campaign, the film was backed by funders including Silver Reel, RBF Productions, Sevenex Capital Partners, the Polish Film Institute, the Doha Film Institute, and private investors such as Burrough.
Welchman said in a news release, "It was a tough journey, but with support initially from within Poland, and then from adventurous individuals, companies and organizations from a whole range of countries who all passionately believed in this film, and with the incredible commitment of our talented painters and amazing cast, we were able to bring 'Loving Vincent' to audiences all over the globe."
A portion of the proceeds from the screening will benefit the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, a Hot Springs based nonprofit arts organization with a mission to celebrate, advocate and promote the arts and culture of Hot Springs. Tickets to the screening are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Ticket prices include the pre-film celebration.
Visit the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance website at http://www.hotspringsarts.org or call 501-545-6960 for more information or to purchase tickets.
Local on 12/15/2017