FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PROVIDENCE –– The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities has awarded the makers of BEHIND THE HEDGEROW: Eileen Slocum and the Meaning of Newport Society a major grant that will help push the film through post-production and on to its premiere this August as one of the featured presentations at the 2010 Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Writer/producer G. Wayne Miller, director David Bettencourt and executive producer George T. Marshall joined other RICH grant recipients at a press conference Jan. 13 at the Statehouse announcing the awards. A one-hour documentary already scheduled for PBS broadcast, BEHIND THE HEDGEROW tells the story of Newport aristocracy, which traces its roots to the Gilded Age of Astors and Vanderbilts.
Part history, part contemporary look, the story is told through the focus of Eileen Slocum, Newport’s last grand dame, who died in 2008. Slocum’s family has given the filmmakers exclusive access to her archives and private Bellevue Avenue estate.
“Independent filmmaking is a labor of love, but in this business, love without money can be a sad romance,” Miller said. “We are deeply grateful to the Council for this grant, the Council’s second for Hedgerow and third to Eagle Peak Media.”
Said Bettencourt: "For two years now, the Council has kindly supported our filmmaking. Without their generosity, our success would be limited."
Added Marshall: "This generous support from the Council will make all the difference as the filmmakers take to the editing booth. We have very high hopes for Hedgerow, both artistically and in the wide audiences we expect to attract, and this will help us realize them. Grant support is vital to independent filmmaking."
This is the second grant the council has awarded Eagle Peak Media for HEDGEROW. A third was received last year from the R.I. State Council on the Arts.
BEHIND THE HEDGEROW is the second title from non-profit Eagle Peak Media. ON THE LAKE, its first title, premiered in February 2009 to critical acclaim. PBS broadcasts in major national markets began in March and continue today.
For news, links to the HEDGEROW blog and Facebook page, and more, visit www.BehindTheHedgerow.com
G. Wayne Miller
Partner, producer, writer
www.EaglePeakMedia.com
www.BehindTheHedgerow.com
Story is our passion ©
(This is not an RIFC Production)