CURRENT SEASON 2009 - 2010 [SEE HOMEPAGE]
FOR GENERAL INFORMATION and PRESS-RELEASES about our triple award-winning independent feature film, "All For Liberty" go to the official website: www.allforliberty.com
Dick Reed, Reed Media or Chris Felder
ccfelder@aol.com 843.588.9636
reedmedia@hotmail.com (843) 406.2060
FEATURE FILM "ALL FOR LIBERTY "
RECEIVES GRANT FROM FIRST CITIZENS FOUNDATION
All For Liberty, a feature film exploring the little known true tale of Captain Henry Felder and his fight against the British during the American Revolutionary War in the Backcountry of South Carolina has received a grant from the First Citizens Bank of South Carolina Foundation to give copies to selected museums, libraries, colleges and high schools throughout the state. All For Liberty recently was completed and won seven international awards at top film competitions. The low-budget indie has won seven international awards; three awards from the Accolade Film Competition in California, including a Leading Actor Award for star, Clarence Felder, three more at the 42nd WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, including a prestigious Special Jury award, and the Audience Choice award for Best Picture at the Charleston International Film Festival.
“The First Citizens Foundation is proud to support Actors’ Theatre of South Carolina and its efforts to promote the award-winning All For Liberty film in state institutions of higher learning, libraries and museums,” said Peter Bristow, President of First Citizens Foundation, Inc., and President and Chief Operating Officer of First Citizens Bank. "We are hopeful that this grant in support of the Actors’ Theatre demonstrates our tradition of fostering education, theater, arts and cultural organizations in the communities where we live and work, and supports a film that will be meaningful to those who experience it.”
Producer Ron Mangravite explains, “It was memorable to work with actor, Clarence Felder the direct descendant of the main character, Captain Felder. His decades of acting in major films, television series and on Broadway brought authenticity and power to the film.” The Captain’s struggles, mostly forgotten and absent from history books, were researched by Felder, who is the hero’s sixth-generation great-grandson.
Renewed interest in colonial history and the essential contribution of South Carolina in winning the war has resulted from Felder’s story through his play, Captain Felder’s Cannon, and later the screenplay, All For Liberty. Leading actor and Executive Producer, Clarence Felder says, “This project has led to the rediscovery of historical sites, including Captain Felder’s grave, and hiding in plain sight, his two cannon in the middle of Orangeburg’s town square in South Carolina. There are many others who fought with him who should be remembered. We are very happy about the support from First Citizens Foundation to help us tell this wonderful story.”
The creative team, cast and crew banded together to produce the film without backing of a large studio, in order to have as much historical accuracy as possible and replicating Captain Felder’s persistence against all odds. All For Liberty explores the heroic story of Captain Felder, a Swiss-German immigrant, who was instrumental in diverting British troops while George Washington’s army lay nearly defeated in the North. Felder wrote a Declaration and Articles of Separation from the English King, months before Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. Felder’s militia of family and community members resisted Tory loyalists from 1776 to 1781.
Director Chris Weatherhead adds, “We're so grateful that First Citizens Foundation sees the value of this film for people in our state. It's a wonderful way for history buffs to get a better idea of the tremendous contribution the colonists of South Carolina made for us to be free. Captain Felder’s sacrifice, and that of his frontier community, led to final victory and freedom for our nation. This is a story I feel all Americans, or anyone interested in liberty, can relate to. We're very excited to have the grant to give free copies for as long as they last. We plan to make our selections by the end of September.”
All For Liberty’s world premiere was at the 2009 Beijing International Movie Week Film Festival. The film was produced by Actors’ Theater of South Carolina’s Moving Images Group division with support from the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the SC Arts Commission and the University of Miami School of Communication. Further information on the film is available at www.allforliberty.com For information on requirements for a free DVD of the movie, email Chris Weatherhead at ccfelder@aol.com
# # #
[from left] All For Liberty Executive Producer, Clarence Felder, Ana Lee, VP, Retail Sales Manager, Laney LaCorte, Relationship Manager, Charles Claus, Financial Advisor and Chris Weatherhead, Directer seen here at the Folly Road Branch of First Citizens Bank, with a blow-up of the grant check from The First Citizens Foundation to Actors' Theatre of SC's Moving Images Group's award-winning feature film to give free copies of the DVD of the movie to selected libraries, museums and institutions of learning throughout South Carolina...
