Legendary actor William Shatner will be honored at the 2009 Rhode Island International Film Festival during an evening of festivity and film that will include a showing of ON THE LAKE: Life and Love in a Distant Place and the trailer to BEHIND THE HEDGEROW, the Eagle Peak Media film now in production.
Shatner, whose distinguished stage and screen career includes leading roles in the TV series Star Trek and, more recently, Boston Legal, will be in Providence to receive the Film Festival’s first Nathaniel Greene Humanitarian Award. The actor will show his latest film, William Shatner’s Gonzo Ballet; participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience; and be guest of honor at two VIP events, details available soon.
The awards presentation will take place at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Columbus Theatre. ON THE LAKE and the trailer to BEHIND THE HEDGEROW will follow. Shatner’s conversation with the audience and the showing of his film will take place immediately following.
The evening is hosted by the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and Rhode Island College .
“This will be a great tribute to one of the giants of TV and film and an exciting evening for all,” said producer/writer G. Wayne Miller, co-founder with director David Bettencourt of Eagle Peak Media, the production company for ON THE LAKE and BEHIND THE HEDGEROW.
ON THE LAKE, Eagle Peak’s first title, premiered in February to critical acclaim. PBS broadcasts in major national markets began in March and continue today. The DVD has recently been released.
BEHIND THE HEDGEROW, which will premiere at the 2010 Rhode Island International Film Festival, is an exclusive inside look at the people of fortune and their descendants who have made Newport a coveted address and summer destination since the mid-1800s. Funding for the film is provided, in part, by grants from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
More, including a blog and how to follow production on Facebook and Twitter, is available at www.EaglePeakMedia.com and www.BehindTheHedgerow.com.
For more information about the William Shatner Evening, visit:
http://www.film-festival.org/WilliamShatner.php