“Not Dead Yet” to Screen at the LA Femme Film Festival and Baltimore Women’s Film Festival
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 4, 2009 under Film Festival, drama | 
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“Not Dead Yet” – starring Susan Hess Logeais, Betty Moyer and Sherilyn Lawson and directed by Sam Hull – will compete at this year’s LA Femme Film Festival, Los Angelels, CA. Awarded 1st prize for Best Feature by the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the film co-stars Hollywood veterans David Ogden Stiers and Seymour Cassel. The Oregon-made film will next open the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival, October 23rd.
“Not Dead Yet” is a dramedy about three midlife women who join forces to revive their acting careers, only to find themselves on a quest for something far more important. Frustrated by the lack of roles for women over 40, they decide to create their own film, starring themselves. As the project spins out of control, the result of unwittingly hiring a kinky director, so do their lives.’
The film brings a dramatic new perspective to a range of women’s issues rarely embraced by American cinema. “Each character represents an aspect of what we face as women today,” says Logeais, 51, who spent a couple of years developing the story, which incorporates insights from her two co-stars, as well as others. “They say: ‘Write about what you know.’ Well, this is what we know. It’s what we’re going through right now, and what we felt was relevant.”
Indeed, “Not Dead Yet” was inspired by the real life frustrations of trying to make a comeback by the three Portland actresses. Having starred in network television movies and mini-series, former international cover girl and San Francisco Ballet dancer Logeais left the entertainment industry in 1990 to marry and raise a family. When she tried to return in her late forties, she soon realized that like her character in the movie, she would have to create opportunities for herself if she wanted to work again. New to Portland, Logeais joined forces with Moyers and Lawson, both classically trained actresses whose choice to live in Portland and raise their families had limited their career opportunities.
For the three, “Not Dead Yet” was both a cathartic experience and a back-to-the-present awakening. “When we first began meeting, we asked ourselves, ‘What should this movie be about?’ And it was Betty who said, ‘I think it should allow us to do everything we’ve always wanted to do, but never got to.’ So I wrote it from that perspective – giving all of us a second chance!” Logeais says with a triumphant grin.
Choosing to write a story about mature women– a market often ignored by the film industry, producer/writer Logeais hired a crew that was willing to take risks. “I wanted a fresh perspective, something that women could connect to,” says Logeais. To that end, she chose classically trained stage director Sam Hull to helm an outstanding production team, including producer/post supervisor Roland Sarrazen, and former Hollywood television writer Jackie Blain as associate producer.
Calling “Not Dead Yet” “a sweet and sensitive movie, the very definition of a chick flick for women of a certain age,” Providence Journal-Bulletin film critic Michael Janusonis notes that the acting is “first rate.” RIIFF Executive Director/CEO George T. Marshall describes it as “one of the most original and emotionally heartfelt films to be released this year. It’s strong storyline and exceptional ensemble cast, make for a poignant and wholly original experience. This is a gem of a film that definitely will find an appreciative audience hungry for its message.”
“Not Dead Yet” will screen Friday, October 16, from 6 – 8pm, at the Davidson / Valenti Theater, 1125 N McCadden Place Los Angeles 90038. Tickets are available at the box office or at http://www.lafemme.org.
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