2nd San Joaquin International Film Festival to close with premiere of Karen Kingsbury’s “Like Dandelion Dust”
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on April 21, 2009 under San Joaquin International Film Festival | 
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The 2nd San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF2), the ten-day flagship festival of the San Joaquin Film Society, will wrap with the California Central Valley premiere of Karen Kingsbury’s “Like Dandelion Dust,” based on the best-selling novel and directed by Jon Gunn: A heart-warming film from Downes Brothers Entertainment starring Academy Award-winning Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper, Sacramento-born Kate Levering, Maxwell Perry Cotton, and Cole Hauser - about the struggle of the blue-collar Porter family and the privileged Campbell family as their lives intersect for the love of a little boy. “Like Dandelion Dust” will screen at the Closing Night of the California Central Valley’s biggest film festival, beginning at 7:30PM on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at the majestic Faye Spanos Concert Hall at University of the Pacific (3601 Pacific Avenue - Corner of Pacific and Dave Brubeck Way - Stockton CA, 95211, USA).
ABOUT “LIKE DANDELION DUST”
Like Dandelion Dust (2009): Based on the best-selling novel by America’s leading inspirational novelist Karen Kingsbury, the film is a compelling drama that explores the different meanings of being a parent through the grittily realistic lives of the struggling, blue collar Porter’s, and the privileged Campbell family. Their lives intersect, intertwine and collide, all for the love of a little boy. This film is wonderfully acted, bravely exposing the humanity in each character and reminding us that we each have the potential to be the best and worst versions of ourselves at any time. (Downes Brothers Entertainment, 100 mins., USA, English)
“Like Dandelion Dust” held its World Premiere at the 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2009, and was selected for its Best of Fest programme. The film went on to be feted with the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Sedona International Film Festival, the Grand Jury Best Feature at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Feature at Vail Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Sonoma International Film Festival, and the Audience Award and Grand Jury Best Feature at the Las Vegas International Film Festival. The film comes to its first presentation to an audience in California’s 400-mile Central Valley at the Closing Night Gala of SJIFF2.
ABOUT DIRECTOR JON GUNN
American Writer, Director and Editor Jon Gunn made his feature film debut in 2000 with Mercy Streets. Before being released in theaters, Mercy Streets received the Best Feature Film award at the What You See is What You Get Festival, and the Movie Guide Award for “10 Best Films of 2000″.
His next feature, My Date with Drew, had a worldwide theatrical release in the summer of 2005 and won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival, NY Gen Art Film Festival, and Vail Film Festival. It also swept the 2005 Sonoma Film Festival, winning three awards, including the Jury Prize for Best Feature. My Date With Drew beat Napoleon Dynamite, Super Size Me and Garden State for Best Feature, and was listed on www.the-numbers.com as the fifth most profitable film of all times.
Gunn co-wrote Ian the Vampire and a comedy The Final Four, both currently in development at Fox Searchlight, where he has a blind script deal. He is now writing Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians for Dreamworks Animation.
In 2002, Gunn teamed up with producer Kerry David (Executive Producer, Agent Cody Banks; Producer, upcoming Don Cheadle Miles Davis project) to create Lucky Crow Films. They have produced both film and television projects, optioned numerous literary properties, and are currently in pre-production on a number of feature projects, including Why Beulah Shot her Pistol Inside The Baptist Church, a dark comedy adapted by Gail Gilchriest (My Dog Skip) from the novel by Clayton Sullivan.
Gunn and David also co-own IndieProducer (www.indieproducer.net), a renown, worldwide filmmaking community created to discover, educate and support new and emerging talent in film.
ABOUT THE SAN JOAQUIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The 2nd San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF2) runs May 14 to 23, 2009 in various venues across the city of Stockton, California, and will feature over 120 films from 40 countries.
