Wolfe’s LADIES DVD out now!
The dance-filled family drama LEADING LADIES – filmed in Champaign-Urbana and Monticello just a shade more than two years ago – officially prances through the domestic video market on DVD and VOD beginning today, Tuesday, September 13, via California distributor Wolfe Video, a specialist in gay and lesbian-themed material. If you’re dying to land a physical copy, start with this product page at the Wolfe Web site, while fans can track the project on Facebook as it continues adding festival play and awards to its resume. The producers and directors, Daniel Beahm and Erika Randall Beahm, have offered up a fact-laden update about the LEADING LADIES success story for those who want to spread the word; you can copy-and-paste it directly from the aforementioned Facebook page or simply read it below the jump. After keeping an eye on its progress over the long haul and including updates here on C-U Blogfidential, we’re happy to see this ambitious comedy-drama finally take its next big dance steps forward! Congratulations to the LEADING LADIES production family which includes lead actors Melanie LaPatin, Benji Schwimmer, Shannon Lea Smith, Laurel Vail, and Nicole Dionne, co-writer Jennifer Bechtel, co-producers David J. Ward, Luke Boyce, and Brett Hays, and cinematographer Peter Biagi. Click here for the entire cast and crew listing – chances are great that you know someone partly responsible for the magic!
~ Jason Pankoke
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LEADING LADIES is a dance/musical/dramedy (in the vein of DIRTY DANCING and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) that weaves the tale of an overbearing mother and her two daughters through the vehicle of ballroom dance. The film stars Benji Schwimmer, Season Two winner of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, as well as long time SYTYCD choreographer and renowned Latin Ballroom World Champion Melanie LaPatin. The film’s “grocery store musical” scene also stars several SYTYCD finalists including Kherington Payne, Courtney Galiano, Katee Shean, Sara Von Gillern, etc., and features music by Ben Folds’ producer, John Mark Painters. The soundtrack has been garnering rave reviews with songs from Phoenix, Andrew Bird, The Old Ceremony, Alva Leigh, Malena Muyala, Earwig, The Randys, Havilah Rand, Danny Leisure and The Suites, and many, many more!
LEADING LADIES was shot by veteran cinematographer Peter Biagi, who worked with Robert Altman on THE COMPANY and A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION and is credited as cinematographer on over 40 feature films. Biagi was also the DP for the first season of HBO’s PROJECT GREENLIGHT.
The film was shot on the RED One camera – the same camera used for films like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE HOBBIT, DISTRICT 9, WINTER’S BONE, etc. – at 4K and projects in “scope” aspect ratio (2.39:1). Run time for the entire film, including credits, is 102 minutes.
Click here for the Variety review of LEADING LADIES!
Screening History
In recent months, LEADING LADIES took “Best Narrative Feature (Audience Choice)” at the San Francisco United Film Festival. The week prior, we screened to nearly 900 people in the historic Castro Theater at Frameline International Film Festival. LEADING LADIES also took “Best Picture” at the Palm Beach Women’s International Film Festival and the film screened at Cannes Independent Film Festival and the Marches du Film at Cannes International Film Festival, as well as many other festivals around the world.
LEADING LADIES premiered in 2010 with an early edit at the Sonoma International Film Festival where it sold out its 250+ seat screening and won a juried Showcase Award. Since then, LEADING LADIES has sold out shows at the Palm Springs International Film Festival (Gala Event, 800 seats over two shows), Starz Denver Film Festival (three sold out shows of 250+), Outfest in Los Angeles (opening weekend, sold out the 600 seat Directors’ Guild of America Theater), NewFest in New York City (sold out two shows of 250+ seats, plus an additional “Best of NewFest” screening), Alexandria Film Festival in Washington, D.C. (sold out 600+ seats), and many more!
LEADING LADIES has been chosen to screen at more than 60 festivals around the world such as in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Cannes, Mexico, Puerto Rico, San Diego, Chicago, Toronto, Miami, Washington, D.C., Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Seattle, Atlanta, Austin, Tampa, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Sonoma, Fresno, Palm Beach, Prague, Brno, Helsinki, Bremen, Cologne, Florence, Turin, Bologna, Brussels, Brisbane, Auckland, Wellington, and many more! A complete listing of festival screenings can be found on the LEADING LADIES Web site!
LEADING LADIES will be released for DVD/VOD distribution in North America by Wolfe Releasing on September 13, 2011. Theatrical presentation rights have been retained by Leading Ladies, LLC, and the film is currently showing at independent and art house theaters across the United States. Please suggest LEADING LADIES to your local independent theater and have them contact us via the Web site to arrange screenings!
Click here to order the film from Wolfe Video!
Click here to add LEADING LADIES to your Netflix queue!
Click here to see the most recent and up-to-date news and events on the Facebook page! (You don’t have to have a Facebook account to see the page and information.)
The link to the Official Web site is http://leadingladiesmovie.com/. Most of the information from the film can be found here, although you might have to dig around a bit. There are also “news & updates” on the Official ‘Blog at http://leadingladiesmovie.com/blog/.
All of our showings across the world are listed on the Official Web site’s festival page, and the four shows closest to today’s date are always on the Web site’s front page.
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