I attended the official theatrical premiere of Still Green at Showcase Cinemas in Worcester, Massachusetts last night. As readers of this blog know, it wasn't my first time seeing this indie gem.

Still Green was one of my Top Picks of the 2007 festival year. I attended and reported on the film's screenings at both the New Hampshire Film Festival as well as the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival that fall and have been following the film's progress on this blog ever since.



So it was with great anticipation that I traveled up to New England yesterday for the culmination of years of work on the part of a small group of dedicated filmmakers. Developed and post-produced there, it was only appropriate that director Jon Artigo and producers Doug Lloyd, Georgia Menides, and Andrea Ajemian chose their hometown for the film's premiere.

Still Green stars Sarah Jones (Big Love, The Riches), Ryan Kelley (Mean Creek, Prayers for Bobby), Noah Segan (Brick, What We Do is Secret), and Douglas Spain (Band of Brothers, But I’m a Cheerleader). The film won Best Narrative Feature at the New England Film/Video Festival, Sprit of Independence- Best Ensemble Cast at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and was rated Best Film Not Yet Released by popular Boston film critic TC Kirkham (Popcorn 'N Roses, parent of IndieFilmSpotlight and Larry Richman's Indie Watch).

Although I'd seen Still Green several times on the festival circuit, this was a brand new version created especially for the theatrical run of the film. It is common for a distributor to refine a movie after being picked up. Once again, many associated with the film were present, seeing it for the first time since those early festival screenings. It was like a family reunion as well as a film premiere. Those whom I'd already met and was thrilled to see again included producers Doug Lloyd, Georgia Menides (who also wrote the film), Andrea Ajemian, and Paul McKinney, along with director Jon Artigo, lead actor Brandon Meyer, and numerous family members.

Nothing compares to sitting with the cast and crew knowing that they are seeing a film for the first time, seeing and hearing their reactions, and since few had seen this new version it was like being back at that first festival screening. Cast and filmmakers went onstage to introduce the film and host a Q&A afterward. All audience members were then invited to a benefit party at the Worcester Youth Center, a local facility which provides valuable community services to area children and teens. I also enjoyed meeting many of the cast and crew of We Got the Beat, the followup feature for Still Green director Jon Artigo and producer Andrea Ajemian.

Of course, I photographed all the events from start to finish -- the arrivals, Q&A, and afterparty. Those will be posted soon.

Still Green is definitely a movie that can be appreciated even more with each successive viewing. The fact that this was a new cut made it even more exciting.

The official trailer can be seen at the film's official site. You can also view a high quality version there.

Still Green is being distributed by Osiris Entertainment. Following its theatrical run the film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray. Next stop is the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Boston on Wednesday May 27th and Thursday May 28th at 7:00 PM.