Park Theatre to Host Pre-release Screening of Groundbreaking Film

While actors with disabilities have long been underrepresented on the big screen, a new film with ties to Jaffrey aims to shine the spotlight on their talents when cast in leading roles. The Park Theatre will host an exclusive pre-release screening of the completed "Pointing Fingers" film on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. Following, there will be a Q&A session with the production team and actors. This free Filmmakers Series screening has been made possible by an anonymous underwriting grant, said Steve Jackson, CEO of The Park Theatre, who is connected to the film through his wife Lisa Bostnar, a professional actor with a role in the movie. The Park Theatre held a previous sneak preview of some footage from the groundbreaking film with a Q&A last year at a special event to assist with its fundraising. Produced in Boston, the storyline follows Francis and Claire, a couple with minimally speaking autism, who take the bold step of living alone with the help of their beloved aide Daisy. When Daisy is murdered, Francis and Claire are wrongfully accused of the crime. Deprived of their ability to self-advocate and treated as intellectually disabled, they must bring the real killer to justice to prove their innocence. "Pointing Fingers" stars autistic actors Emily Faith Grodin and Dan Bergmann. Bergmann also wrote the film, which is directed by award-winning filmmaker Michael Bergmann (Dan's father) and stars non-autistic actors like Lisa Bostnar, Kurt Zischke (who has acted with Peterborough Players), and Thomas Murphy. Another familiar face to many, Adam Sowers—who has played the part of Charles Dickens previously at The Park Theatre—has a role in the film as well. "It's a great story," said Jackson. "Not only is it a love story turned murder-mystery but add autistic actors and it becomes historic. It's a very innovative film. It's the first feature-length narrative film that stars two minimally speaking actors." The actors use tablets and communication cards to connect and interact with each other and with the other characters in the film, he added. The film will be screened in the 330-seat Eppes Auditorium of the theater, which was founded in 1922 and rebuilt nearly a century later as a premier performing arts center. Tickets are free, but reservations are requested to ensure seating. The film runs approximately 90 minutes, and the Q&A will most likely be about 45 minutes, Jackson said. The Park facility is completely accessible, and it serves beer, wine and alcoholic canned drinks (with proper identification) in its lounge area, as well as traditional concessions. "We have the Filmmakers Series bring in writers, producers, directors and actors to hold Q&A sessions with the films," Jackson said. "It only made sense to include this film. We love to put the spotlight on filmmakers." Jackson added that a documentary will be shown as part of the series on April 21 in honor of Earth Day called "The Issue with Tissue," with a Q&A by the film's writer, director and producer Michael Zelniker. It's the largely untold story of the boreal forest, the Indigenous Peoples who call it home and the clear-cutting it faces for the manufacture of toilet paper. Jackson sees the goal to cast actors with disabilities in more feature film roles and to be agnostic about the fact that they have a disability as an area where the United States is lagging behind other European countries. "We need to take more of a bolder stand, as the U.K. has, to cast actors for their acting ability regardless of the other aspects of who they are," he said. "Pointing Fingers"—the April pre-screening of which also coincides with Autism Awareness Month—has yet to have an official release date, but Jackson believes it will happen within the year, most likely at a film festival in attempts to find a distributor. Jackson has yet to view the completed movie and is eagerly anticipating the pre-screening event. "I can't wait to see the film," he said excitedly. "A lot of people will be here who gave gifts to support the film, and they'll all be very interested to see the final product." To reserve free tickets and view the "Pointing Fingers" trailer, visit theparktheatre.org/pointing-fingers, or call the box office at 532-8888 for reservations.