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A poster for "Passionada" hangs up at the Flagship Cinema in New Bedford.
NEW BEDFORD -- "Passionada" is finally coming to town, but if you don't already
have tickets to the premiere, you might be out of luck. The premiere for the romantic comedy, shot in and around New Bedford, will take
place at the Flagship Cinema on Kings Highway on Monday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Eight hundred tickets for the premiere have already been allotted to local
dignitaries and people who worked with filmmakers during the 2001 production. The only way to secure the few remaining tickets is by chance. The
Standard-Times will be offering a chance to win tickets through a Website
promotion, and local radio stations also will offer tickets as prizes this week,
according to distributor IDP Samuel Goldwyn Films.
 A ceremony will begin outside the premiere at 6:30 p.m. Scheduled to appear are
the film stars Sofia Milos and Emmy Rossum, along with director Dan Ireland.
The film will begin its regular run locally on Aug. 15. Prior to this, it will
be screened in Newport on August 5, and then on August 8 at the Castle Cinema in
Providence as part of the Rhode Island Film Festival.
"Passionada" made its world premiere at the Seattle Film Festival in June 2002
and also was screened at a benefit in Brookline on March 31, 2003.
It will open nationwide on Aug. 29.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of New Bedford, "Passionada" "is a
wonderful romance centered on a Portuguese-American family where old traditions
conflict with modern views."
Sofia Milos, who has starred in the HBO television series "The Sopranos," plays
a beautiful and talented fado singer and single mother. She juggles the strong
personalities of her willful teenage daughter, played by Emmy Rossum, and
meddling mother-in-law (Lupe Ontiveros). Jason Isaacs ("Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets" "Peter Pan") is the sexy wandering stranger who captures her
heart and forces Sofia to decide if the wrong man might just be the right one.
The film also stars Theresa Russell ("Black Widow") and Seymour Cassel ("The
Royal Tannenbaums"). It was written by Steve and Jim Jermanok, with a musical
score by Harry Gregson-Williams, who wrote the score for the animated movie "Shrek."
Local residents expect the film to cast national visibility onto the Whaling
City.
The film "really brings New Bedford to the spotlight, especially for people who
have never been," said Helena Marques, Executive Director of the Immigrant
Assistance Center, who saw the film at the Seattle Film Festival. "For people
who live here, seeing it on the big screen will mean a lot to them. As far as
portraying the Portuguese community, Sofia did a wonderful job. I think she
understood fado from the beginning."
Arthur Motta Jr., city tourism director, noted the interest that films have
generated historically, beginning with John Huston's "Moby-Dick" in
1956. "(Films) are part of a spectrum of what we have to do to
promote the area," he said. "I was struck with how beautiful the
area looked in the film. The feast scenes look epic. I think it will
resonate with visitors and with residents."
(This story appeared
on Page A3 of The Standard-Times on July 27, 2003) |
