Lucky 7 Movie - Electronic Press Kit

CONTACTS

PRESS RELATIONS 21 Cloud PR 8845 Lookout Mountain Avenue Los Angeles, California 90046 Gotham Chandna t. 323.432.6673 info@cloud21.com

PRODUCTION CONTACTS boomerang films inc.

236 Queen Street East 2nd Floor Toronto, Ontario M5A 1S3 Tara Boire t. 647.891.2585 e. tara@boomerangfilmsinc.com Amarcord Productions Inc. 705 – 126 Charlton Avenue Hamilton, Ontario L8P 2C6 Stephen Hayes t. 416.912.0140 e. lucky7movie@mac.com 94:00 / DCP / Colour / 16x9 / Stereo

SYNOPSIS

Our hero Lucky 7 ran into trouble years ago in the little storefront clubs that are really gambling dens and wound up owing money to the wrong side of the law.

Nine years later and thought to be dead, Lucky 7 has legit money to set things right with the boss Lucano. His debt isn't the only one Lucky 7 has to pay when he gets back to town. The other debt is to his family for leaving them without a word. The family runs The Emerald Isle Club, the old pub Lucky's dad started in the 50's, and that's the first place Lucky heads to upon his return. His brothers Brian and Alan are quick to accept him back but an old love named Sharon isn't quite so ready; but a new love interest Rachel is. Frankie, Lucky's younger brother, who has committed himself to a life of crime, refuses to accept he is back. Lucky can't help but feel he is somehow responsible and tries to help Frankie find his way back home but Frankie is in too deep and it becomes a dangerous game of life and death for everyone involved.

STEPHEN HAYES

THE FILMMAKERS

Stephen Hayes grew up in Peterborough, Ontario. In 1985 he enrolled at The University of Waterloo, and graduated with a BFA in Film Studies. Since the early 90's he has worked in Television and Film Production. His screen credits include: Saw 5, The Love Guru, La Femme Nikita, Honey, Cinderella Man, and Killshot.

In 2005 Amarcord Productions was formed to realize the dream of writing and producing independent feature films from the working class city of Hamilton. "Lucky 7" is his directorial debut. The screenplay was nominated for best original screenplay at the 2007 Queens International Film Festival in NYC. TARA BOIRE An award-winning producer, Tara creates high-quality fiction films. LUCKY 7 is Tara's third feature film and screening at the Shanghai International Film Festival this June 2012. Work produced by Tara has appeared on CBC, History Television, Discovery Channel, Superchannel, TMN and in cinemas across Canada and the world.

Tara has won an Audience Choice award at The Hamilton Film Festival 2011 for LUCKY 7, and THE WAKING was nominated by the DGC for Best Short Film among winning numerous other awards. She has also won Best International Film Award at the Chroma International Film Festival in Mexico, an Audience Choice award at the Vancouver Videopoetry Festival and the Bronze Award in Comedy from WorldFest Houston. SONG OF SLOMON was also nominated for a Best Comedy - Golden Sheaf at the Yorkton International Film Festival.

DIRECTOR'S VISION

Lucky 7 is a neo noir feature film, taking place on the gritty, urban streets of Hamilton.

The same streets that once hatched “The French Connection” and were the nerve centre for organized crime in Ontario. This is the backdrop for our story of loss, love and redemption centered on our main character Patrick Farley (LUCKY 7).

Given up for dead, Lucky 7 returns to town after many years away to pay back a mob debt and finds himself set-up for murder. Humbly inspired by a hard-boiled Philip Marlowe, Lucky 7 has embarked on a journey to discover the truth and his persistence sets off a series of events and consequences not always within his control.

A crime/gangster film on the surface, the film at its heart is a story about faith and finding a sense of belonging in the modern world. Like a modern-day Lazarus, our hero straddles the opposing forces and themes at work in the story to tries to come to a sense of understanding that will give him a hope for a better tomorrow.

The city is a character in itself and is a visual expression of thematic elements and oppositions in the storyline- and we are also trying to set up a link to Lucky’s character and the journey he is embarking upon. An important visual image will be of the flames and stacks of the steel mills- both red and white- these colours will act as a thematic pattern for Julia (Red-Fire) which represents the eternal flame or spirits that burns in her; and the Nurse (White-Ice) which tells she is a fallen character, her dreams and hopes faded and frozen.

The film has a recurring dream sequence, linked to Lucky’s journey and tied together with Julia’s “church” music. The culmination of Lucky’s dream: We see it in its entirety, and Julia’s music reaches a crescendo. Lucky finds himself in fields of trees in bloom (White) and hears strange sounds. He searches and comes across a pool of blood (Red) and eventually finds the prone body of Frankie. He touches his face with the blood on his fingers, bringing Frankie to life to give his line “Brother of Mine”. The colours become one, transcending the opposites symbolically.

DIRECTOR'S VISION

The final scene of the film has Lucky wandering away to be with his thoughts after Julia drives him through the forest. She follows him to the lookout, and tells him everyone is part of the same large dream. It’s magical and mysterious and somehow beyond our comprehension. But that hope survives. And she says that she loves him, and he has come home. We reveal the illuminated cross overlooking the city at the end as they embrace and walk back to their car.

Everything in the script is a fictional rendering of real people in a real city. It's based on a existing environment, and real people inspired some of our story and characters. I also put a lot of my heart and soul in here. I tend to write from the gut I guess. 40's Film Noir and the writing of Chandler were another source of inspiration. And of course there is the Irish Italian story-line/Catholic symbolism/New Age religion etc.

So everything in the story though fictionalized and compressed and dramatized over a period of a few days, is not anything that couldn't or hasn't happened, and some of the symbolic references aren't exactly new or something I made up.

I just went to the well and pulled them up. Hopefully they are woven in to the right extent. We are dancing a thin line, trying to get the right balance between dramatic narrative and symbolic message with humor, love, and everything else in the mix.

The acting style is a natural one, amplified to a certain extent, just as the story is a heightened version of real life. It's an emotional story. We are always searching for this emotional, and spiritual core trying to move beyond " melodrama", and express truthful emotions.

These characters live and breathe the same air as us, and are trying to come to terms with all their loves and losses in this crazy mixed up world. Just like everyone.

All the elements that we see on the screen were designed with the intention to desaturate in post-production. The idea being to bring the viewer more fully into the interior thoughts of the characters and the underlying thematic concerns motivating their actions.

AMARCORD PRODUCTIONS and BOOMERANG FILMS presents

KEY CREW

KEY CAST Patrick Farley (Lucky 7) Julia Nurse The Reverend Tamara Vinny Andreoli Frankie Joey Andreoli Brian Farley Alan Farley Sharon Mrs. Andreoli

a STEPHEN HAYES film

PHILIPPE BUCKLAND RACHEL MACMILLAN GINGER ST. JAMES DERREK PEELS DÉBORA DEMESTRE BRIAN VUKOVIC DORAN DAMON OKKEMA CARLOS G. JIMENEZ ROBERT NOLAN JULIAN NICHOLSON JANE SMYTH PAMELA FARRAUTO

Writer & Director Producer Director Of Photography Production Designer Costume Designer Editor Composer

Lucky 7 gratefully acknowledges the support of

LUCKY7MOVIE.COM

STEPHEN HAYES TARA BOIRE GABRIELE KISLAT NORMA JEAN SANDERS MARYA DUPLAGA PAMELA BAYNE NATHAN FLEET