This Just In

Durst’s cinematic debut starts making the rounds

Reel life

By BOB GULLA | October 31, 2007

The Education of Charlie Banks

Shot primarily on location in New York City and at Brown University, and produced by Cranston-based Strongheart Pictures, The Education of Charlie Banks is a coming-of-age picture notable in part because it marks the directorial debut of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this past spring to excellent reviews, but has not yet been introduced nationwide. At Tribeca, the picture earned a “Made in New York” Narrative Award for its excellent urban storytelling, and it seems headed toward even more accolades.

This week, the picture (charliebanksmovie.com) begins a weeklong screening in Portland, Maine. (On November 7, cast members will be in Portland for a post-screening Q&A.) Also on November 9, the film will receive an exclusive screening at Bill Paxton’s Lone Star International Film Festival in Fort Worth, Texas.

There are also showings at Vassar College, the location of screenwriter and Vassar alum Peter Elkoff’s original script, and at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany. Next spring, says Strongheart president Ken Guarino, the film is scheduled for a national release. “We’re really close to signing a deal for foreign distribution and being considered for a foreign premiere at Cannes in May,” he says.

Guarino is gunning for consideration by Film Independent and its reputable Spirit Awards, the country’s biggest celebration of independent filmmaking and a sort of prelude to the Oscars.

“We’ve received great feedback on the movie and it seems like we’ve got some momentum heading into the film’s national premiere,” he says. “I have to say that Strongheart Pictures feels confident about the success of the film.”

Whether the film debuts next spring in five or 50 cities remains to be seen, but all the pieces are in place for it to make a substantial splash. It has a talented cast, including Jesse Eisenberg as the title character, and Jason Ritter
as the principal antagonist. And it boasts a big-name director in Durst, a guy who is directing his second feature film as we speak, a sports movie starring Ice Cube.

Related: Action!, Life after Bizkit, Not so sentimental Education, More

Action!
If Kenny Guarino has his way, Rhode Island will become a mecca for independent film.
Life after Bizkit
Last week, Fred Durst made a quiet appearance in Providence, not trawling for nookie (though he did recently get engaged to a local woman), and not as a musicmaker.
Not so sentimental Education
The Education of Charlie Banks can prove an education for the close-minded critic.
A pleasure doing business
While Fred Durst has praised the Rhode Island locations used for his independent film The Education of Charlie Banks , he has a particular reason to appreciate the Ocean State.
The Longshots
A based-on-a-true-story inspirational tale of the first girl quarterback to take a team to the Pop Warner Super Bowl, The Longshots is directed by Fred Durst.
Small state, big stage
When some of his childhood friends in Cranston were starting to party, Steven Feinberg remained transfixed by the movies -- to the point where he envisioned one day serving as Rhode Island’s celluloid king.
The Big Hurt: Strung Out
A friend of mine is getting married soon, and she's been looking around for some classy wedding music.
Road trip
There comes a time in a woman's life when she just has to leave her husband at home with his mistress, toss her suitcase in a roadster, and head Downeast for a little timeout with her new, butch girlfriend. In July 1933, that's exactly what first lady Eleanor Roosevelt did.
Rumble final
This year, the WBCN Rock ’n’ Roll Rumble, which moved from the Paradise to the Middle East back in the ’90s, waited until the final to move from the upstairs where the preliminaries were held to the larger downstairs room.
War and peace
Since September 11, publishers have been rushing to supply Americans with non-fiction books about the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and anything relating to the upheavals in the Middle East.
Word up
It’s a sex columnist’s nightmare to be clueless when a well-worn sex term gets thrown out at a dinner party.
Less

Topics: This Just In , Entertainment, Movies, Limp Bizkit, More

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