The screenings in Terrace on 4th September turned out to be a great success. Both screenings were close to sold out and the audience reaction to the film was again fantastic. Cynthia Northridge said “I thought it was a really powerful film, heartwarming and absolutely amazing”. The city of Terrace really embraced the event and made it into something special by helping to raise over $850 for Special Olympics Terrace.

One of TMW producers Gregory Rinaldi with the help of his sister Joan Wiebe were able to arrange everything needed for the screenings in under a week.  The banquet hall was donated by Best Western Terrace Inn, all of the audio/video equipment was provided by Sight & Sound and the posters, tickets and flyers were printed by Totem Press.  With the building blocks in place, it wasn’t long before everyone started talking about the film, bolstered by the help of the local media – two articles in the Terrace Standard, a ticket giveaway all week on CFTK’s Ryan Boult followed by promotions in the lead up to the screenings, a TV interview on the local news station and a radio interview on CBC radio.

Our faith in the message of the film was amplified when, in the hour between the first and second screenings, the audience from the first screening proceeded to call friends and family to get down to the second one.  The second screening ended up being even better attended than the first with extra chairs being brought in to accommodate the numbers. David Miller commented “It was an incredible tale of compassion and beautiful cinematography but most importantly for me was to show how something good can come from the obstacles in life”.

We will be starting our North America release next year and Terrace BC have shown us that we will be able to achieve our goals of raising both awareness and money for the charities involved.

Map <http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=best+western+terrace+bc&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=30.241767,61.523438&ie=UTF8&ll=54.516573,-128.58495&spn=0.006315,0.01502&z=16>

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Mr. Mikes or at Misty River Books in Terrace.

The response to these screenings has been amazing.  Within one day of arriving in Terrace we were able to secure a banquet hall from Best Western Terrace Inn, an audio visual system from Sight and Sound and all of our printing – including posters, flyers and tickets – from Totem Press.

The local press have welcomed the film with open arms – the Terrace Standard have run a piece about the screenings http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/terracestandard/community/56682642.html and the local radio stations have been promoting the film all week.  Local TV stations have already interviewed one of the film’s producers and there are several more interviews in the pipeline.

Terrace has really pulled out the stops to support the film and thereby raise money for such a great charity.  We will be posting updates on these screenings throughout the week as well as post screening interviews.

]]> http://www.themountainwithin.com/terrace/feed/ 0 http://www.themountainwithin.com/10-long-days/ http://www.themountainwithin.com/10-long-days/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:07:29 +0000 Gregory http://www.themountainwithin.com/?p=492

The story so far: The Mountain Within was finally completed less than two weeks before its premiere. At that time we didn’t even know that there would be a premiere but pressed on regardless, knowing that the Special Olympics GB National Games were too good an opportunity to miss to promote the film and its message with or without a cinema onboard.

Ten days before the start of the Special Olympics GB National Games, the cinema chain we had been in discussions with for several weeks made their final decision and it was not what we hoped for. Twenty four hours later, everything changed again when Showcase Cinema de Lux stepped in, offered us two prime screening slots and moved like lightning to get everything in place in time.

With less than ten days to promote the Leicester screenings from scratch, we had to move like lightning too. As always, everyone was fantastic. Nick Romney built our website in less than a day, our PR team – Jane Atkinson and Mary Collins – launched into action and almost immediately secured two radio slots and a piece in the Leicester Mercury, posters and flyers were produced at breakneck speed and Gregory Rinaldi – one of the producers and distributors of The Mountain Within – and his partner Samantha Hammond – who had kindly volunteered to help us promote the film – drove up to Leicester to start raising awareness straight away.

Even so, we knew that when the whole team arrived in Leicester three days before the premiere, we would still have a huge mountain to climb. As indeed we did – hitting the ground running doesn’t come close! By the time we left Leicester on Monday night, we certainly felt able to relate to the endurance challenges faced by the Special Olympics GB athletes.

Our three day marathon kicked off the Friday before the premiere when Gregory arrived in Leicester just in time for a talk with Chris Baxter on BBC Radio Leicester. Once Gregory’s adrenalin levels had returned to normal, the next stop was the Special Olympics GB Games Village (at the Walkers Stadium) to set up shop in the athletes’ Cybercafe – where our expanded trailer was screened on loop until Monday night – and meet up with some of the Special Olympics GB organisers.

After adding an extension lead to our shopping list (repeated note to selves: always carry extension leads) and collecting Alison Baxter – the other producer and distributor of The Mountain Within – and Samantha from Coventry station, the day was already over.

With 10,000 flyers at the ready, Saturday morning heralded the start of our ambush on the people and businesses of Leicester. From the outset, the response was warm and welcoming, which was a huge boost, unaccustomed as we all were to accosting complete strangers (we are now planning to audition for The Apprentice!).

Towards the end of Saturday morning, we headed for the Town Hall where the Special Olympics torch was about to arrive. Buoyed by our earlier experience, we tried out our sales pitch on the audience, the performers, the police and other official bodies alike. Intrigued, a community arts journalist approached Gregory who gave an interview to camera there and then. Gregory is now an old pro at this interview lark! It was also our first encounter with Solly the lion who then stalked us (well vice versa actually) everywhere.

After distributing more flyers to every library, museum and shop within a reasonable radius and co-opting two Leicester firemen who are climbing Kilimanjaro next week, we headed on to the Walkers Stadium to continue our ambush as everyone arrived for the Special Olympics GB National Games opening ceremony. Such was our determination to get The Mountain Within in front of as many people as possible that we missed our trailer being played to the crowd of almost 25,000 in the stadium!

The opening ceremony was an extraordinary display of talent, emotion and colour and it was a privilege to be there. The parade by the 2,700 athletes was a sight to behold and it was fitting that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, made an appearance to lend his support.

Our first stop on Sunday morning was the Special Olympics GB Games Village to set up our expanded trailer before the athletes and their families, along with the many VIPs, arrived. This time we came equipped with an extension lead, but not unfortunately a kettle lead. Yes indeed, all it takes to bring to life an enormous plasma screen is a kettle lead! Who would have thought it.

With the expanded trailer finally running, we decided to divide and hopefully conquer with Gregory and Sam hosting the trailer at the Games Village and Alison once again taking to the streets of Leicester. Gregory quickly charmed his way into the VIP tent to bend VIP ears, while Alison (once she’d navigated her way around Leicester in the rain with most of the streets and pavements closed for the cycling event!) chatted to those attending an inspirational talk at the New Walk Museum followed by an equally inspirational service of thanksgiving at Leicester Cathedral.

And finally, after a couple of hours of extreme nerves, it was time for the premiere. And what an amazing experience it was. The audience reaction was fantastic, and both the audience and the press were especially delighted to see two of the climbers, James Smith and Pauline, in attendance. After photo calls, and a quick “debrief” in the bar, we all collapsed into bed.

After the success of Sunday night’s premiere and two days in almost constant sales mode, it was hard to motivate ourselves to get out there again on Monday morning but we knew that we could not rest on our laurels. Having saturated Leicester’s shops and restaurants and knowing that most of the athletes and their families would have conflicting demands on their time that evening, we decided to target the spectators at the various sporting events taking place around Leicester that day. And we were amazed to discover that The Mountain Within already had a public profile – numerous people had heard Gregory on the radio, seen the trailer at the opening ceremony or just picked up a flyer.

Alison (herself a lawyer) decided that she couldn’t leave Leicester without targeting the legal community so transferred her efforts to telesales, ringing round all of the major law firms to tell them about the film and encourage them to come and watch it that evening. Once again, the response was extremely positive with several law firms immediately offering to promote it internally. Particular thanks go to Harvey Ingram and Freeth Cartwright in that respect.

Suddenly it was time for the second and final Leicester screening. After a successful premiere and another very positive day in the field, our emotions were completely different this time round. This time round, we were in the mood to relax and enjoy the film. Alongside another very positive audience – including various representatives from both our new friends Special Olympics GB and Leicester City Council, and our old friends Enham and their climbers – we enjoyed The Mountain Within even more than the last time we watched it.

As Alex Adams – one of the climbers – said afterwards “It’s like a Hollywood movie now”.

Since 1918, Enham has responded to the changing needs of people with disabilities. Founded as a rehabilitation centre for ex-servicemen returning from the First World War, Enham has helped people with disabilities find new lives, homes and employment in unique and innovative ways for nearly 90 years.

Enham’s vision is a society where people with disabilities are valued as individuals and are enabled to achieve their full potential. Enham has adopted a person-centred approach, which means that the individual’s goals and wishes are at the heart of the services. This approach is further underlined in Enham’s 2005 strategy, which emphasises equality of opportunity, increased access to employment and independence, and improved quality of life.

From housing and employment to personal development and care, Enham delivers a wide range of essential services that provide choice and empower people to make their own decisions about their lives.

Enham also operates a number of commercial enterprises. These provide direct employment opportunities for people with disabilities, improve access to essential products and services and generate income to support Enham’s charitable objectives.

www.enham.org.uk

The eleven standard screens all feature wall-to-wall screens with the added luxury of custom designed, deep cushioned, rocking recliner seats arranged in a stadium style to ensure cinemagoers an unobstructed view of the screen.

For the ultimate in luxury, guests can enjoy the Directors Hall, a premium auditorium featuring ultra leather seats, and exclusive access to the Directors Lounge where guests can indulge in dinner and drinks before or after the movie.  The Directors Lounge menu offers a wide variety of food from entrees to appetizers, speciality cocktails and a full service bar.

The cinema also features the Studio One restaurant and bar offering an internationally influenced menu, a full service bar, and special children’s menu. The comfortable surroundings of Studio One provide the perfect place for guests to enjoy dinner before or after a movie, catering to parties of all sizes.

Customer service is a fundamental part of the Showcase Cinema de Lux philosophy and the Elite Services team offers a concierge service – on hand to respond to virtually any guest need.

Showcase Cinema de Lux features the latest sound and projection technology including Dolby Digital Sound as well as full digital 3D projection capability in several screens. Guests can also take advantage of reserved seating throughout the complex via online booking and the ability to avoid the queues by printing tickets at home.

Please visit the website for additional information at:  www.cinemadelux.co.uk