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If you live in one of the cities where the film is opening (New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Baltimore) please show your support. And if you don't, please send this on to your friends who do! And remember, even if you can't get to the movie, stop by the theater and buy a ticket!
Below is a letter from the filmmaker and star of the film Hill Harper.
Dear Friends,
As you may know our movie THE VISIT opens this Friday, April 20th in over two hundred theaters in select locations. In number of theaters this is a larger than usual opening for what is considered a "specialty," film; if it does well it will then expand to more theaters and more locations. We are writing you to ask for your support in making this weekend's box office
performance of THE VISIT an EVENT.
If it is it will catch many of the powers that be in Hollywood by surprise. Despite tremendous audience reaction and numerous awards and nominations, THE VISIT is still considered by many within the film world to be without an audience.
This is because it is an emotional drama featuring AFRICAN-AMERICANS, WITHOUT BROAD COMEDY OR PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. Unfortunately, the daily life of black people in this country, with all its inherent and universal dreams, tears, and laughter--a life led by 14 Million ticket buyers, is considered a foreign language by studios and distributors.
The first studios that saw THE VISIT said essentially the audience it was intended for only wanted explosions and naked butts. The first offers by distributors were built around an assumption that African-Americans needed to be patronized to and treated like Child consumers to be coaxed into the theater. It was only upon meeting up with Urbanworld Films, a new black owned distribution company started by former executives from Miramax that THE VISIT found a home built upon respect for its audience. This did not please the distributors who had made offers, and as the movie has gained momentum they have been reassuring their colleagues that it will fail to attract its audience anyway.
THE VISIT is intended as a spiritual adventure, an experience that we hope after seeing it makes you feel more alive than when you came in. But there is something greater than this one movie at stake. The powers that be in this case need to be proven wrong so that THE VISIT stays in the theaters past week one. If it does not do well its opening weekend it will be yanked. If it does do well, not only will more people get to see it in the theaters but maybe it will also chip away at the ignorance and misperception of black audiences that pervades Hollywood. Maybe it will open up the opportunity for other movie makers to create their own emotional thrillers without the hassle of a thousand voices telling them that their audience is too dumb to appreciate it.
We are writing asking that you bless us with your participation in this part of the journey. THE VISIT opens Friday in New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Baltimore. It is pegged for ten more cities the following week if it does well Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We are asking that you alert all your friends via this email or phone in these areas and others to come out with you opening weekend and support the movie. It is not like taking medicine, we believe they will get more than their moneys worth in an enriching and entertaining experience. But if the movie does well in its first few days, we also believe we will have all participated in a movement. And maybe the mountain will shift a bit from our collective force and some sunlight will come down and create warmth.
Sincerely,
Hill Harper & Jordan Walker-Pearlman
http://www.redband.com/partners/urbanworld/visit/index.html
or visit http://www.urbanworld.com
http://thevisit-movie.com/index.html