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Press
Releases
Contact:
Ellen Paris, Kiner Communications
760-413-0471
ellenp@kinercom.com
On September 11th 2011, Camelot Theatres Presents the 2003 Emmy Award Winning Documentary, "Telling Nicholas." This Critically Acclaimed Film has Earned Honors as One of the Definitive "Must See" Films about the September 11th World Trade Center Attack. Director James Ronald Whitney will appear at both the 1pm Matinee and 6pm Red Carpet Screening for Post-Screening Q&A Sessions. Proceeds Benefit Variety—The Children's Charity of the Desert.
(Palm Springs, CA. – August 23, 2011) "TELLING NICHOLAS" documents the heart-wrenching, yet hopeful days, in seven-year-old Nicholas Lanza's life after his mother (who was initially thought to be missing) was killed in the 9/11 Twin Towers Attack. On the tenth day following the September 11th Attack, Nicholas' father finally tells his son the unthinkable, "Mommy is dead. She is not coming home." That is the subject of "Telling Nicholas," the documentary film that won an Emmy, was inducted into The Museum of Television and Radio, and was selected by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as "One of the most outstanding movies of 2002!" It was also included in the Academy's prestigious documentary series. To learn more about the film and its Director, James Ronald Whitney, visit www.tellingnicholas.com and www.JamesRonaldWhitney.com, respectively. The film will be screened in Camelot Theatres' 542-seat theater on their new 58' Christie Digital Screen, the largest in the Coachella Valley.
Honoring the tenth anniversary of the September 11th Attack, Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs will present two exclusive screenings of "Telling Nicholas." A matinee will be shown at 1:00pm and a Red Carpet Evening screening will begin at 6:00pm. Director James Ronald Whitney will appear at both Post-Screening Q&A Sessions. Ticket prices are $15 for the afternoon screening and $25 for the Red Carpet evening show.
Whitney also follows 16-year-old Thanbir Ahmed, a Muslim, whose father, a waiter at Windows on the World, also died that day. Whitney explores the evolving friendship between these two boys from very different cultures brought together by tragedy.
This riveting yet sensitive 90-minute film melds hope and loss, honoring all of the families whose lives were shattered on that brilliantly beautiful Tuesday morning ten years ago. All who have seen this film come away shaken yet thankful for this "insider's view" into a very private and personal dimension of the September 11th World Trade Center Attack.
Tickets can be purchased at The Camelot Theatre Box Office, by phone at 1-888-71-TICKETS (1-888-718-4253) Monday-Friday, 6am to 6pm, and online at www.camelottickets.com, or www.showclix.com.
Camelot Theatres is located at 2300 East Baristo Road in Palm Springs. The phone number is (760) 325-6565.
ABOUT JAMES RONALD WHITNEY
James Ronald Whitney is a full-time, Palm Springs resident and chose Palm Springs over New York City for this Special Encore Feature Presentation of "Telling Nicholas" this September 11th honoring the ten-year anniversary of that tragic day.
Emmy Award Winning film director, James Ronald Whitney, won critical acclaim for "Telling Nicholas," and his other award-winning film prior to "Telling Nicholas," "Just Melvin." He has been interviewed by every major broadcast outlet and featured on The Oprah Show, Deborah Norville on Inside Edition, Anderson Cooper, MSNBC, Fox & Friends, Howard Stern, CNN Headline News and CNN Talk Back Live and The View—to name only a few. "Telling Nicholas" was prominently and positively reviewed by The New York Times, TIME Magazine, New York Newsday, Daily News, TV Guide, Boston Globe, Variety, Los Angeles Times, as well as countless other national publications.
Film Critics Roger Ebert and The New York Observer's Rex Reed, as well as numerous major news and entertainment outlets, also gave Whitney the much-coveted "Thumbs Up!" for his other Award-Winning films, "Just Melvin," "GAMES PEOPLE PLAY: New York" and his 'work-in-progress,' "TheWorkingGirl.com." The former is another difficult, heart-wrenching story that needed to be told of James and his family's multi-generational history of child abuse. In fact, of that film, in addition to his "THUMBS UP!," Roger Ebert furthered, "JUST MELVIN" is one of the best documentaries I have EVER seen!"
For more information about the Director, James Ronald Whitney, visit www.JamesRonaldWhitney.com
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September 11th, 2011 marks the
10-Year Anniversary of James Ronald Whitney's Emmy Award Winning film,
"Telling Nicholas"
On Sunday, September 11th, 2011 at 6PM
Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, CA will be hosting a
Red-Carpet Gala and Special Feature Encore Presentation of Whitney's
documentary that was both inducted into The Museum of Television and Radio,
and chosen by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as
"One of the most outstanding movies of 2002," and included in the Academy's prestigious series.
TIME Magazine describes the film as,
"WRENCHING!...James Ronald Whitney does something different!...
"Telling Nicholas" can be cathartic and even funny, but it is not easy to watch...
Discomfortingly private, yet strangely mediated."
There will also be an earlier 1PM matinee screening of Whitney's film that same day,
and both screenings of "Telling Nicholas" will be followed by a Q&A with the director.
All proceeds will benefit Variety--The Children's Charity of The Desert!
ORDER TICKETS ONLINE NOW AT
www.camelottickets.com or www.showclix.com
or call (888) 71-TICKETS or (888) 718-4253
Camelot Theatres (760) 325-6565
2300 East Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA
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NEW
YORK, September--AND THE EMMY GOES TO... Director,
James Ronald Whitney, recieved the Emmy
Award for his critically acclaimed movie, "Telling
Nicholas," which premiered on HBO
in 2002.
The
film documented ten days in 7-year-old Nicholas
Lanza's life after his
mother was killed in the fall of the twin towers. The film
also follows
16-year-old Thanbir Ahmed, a Muslim, whose father was killed
in the same
attack. Ahmed joined Whitney and Fire Island Films' executive
producer
Richard Reichgut, at the Awards Ceremony.
In
a grateful acceptance, Whitney thanked not
only "... the two brave and
courageous young men and their families for telling their
heart-wrenching
stories," but also the entire Home Box Office team,
headed by executive
producer Sheila Nevins and producer Lisa Heller for helping
to remind the
world that although the New York City skyline can and will
be rebuilt, the
families who lost their loved-ones will be at a loss forever.
James
recently completed his latest film titled, "Games
People Play: New
York," which received 4 stars from the Chicago Film
Critic's Association, and he is currently working on the
sequel, "Games People Play: Hollywood."
"Telling
Nicholas" will have an Encore Presentation
Wednesday, September
10th on HBO (see your local guide for details). For more
information on
" Telling Nicholas" visit http://www.TellingNicholas.com. Additionally,
The ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES has chosen "Telling Nicholas" as
one of the most outstanding movies of 2002. The Academy will be presenting this
film to the general public as part of their prestigious series during the evening
of Wednesday, October 1, 2003 at UCLA's James Bridges Theater. Whitney, will
attend this special screening. For additional information, visit http://www.JamesRonaldWhitney.com.
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'Telling
Nicholas' Nominated for Emmy Award James Ronald Whitney's
TV-Film Explores Child's Reaction to Losing Mom in 9-11 |
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NEW
YORK, July 22 -- How do you tell your son that his Mommy
is never coming home? "Telling Nicholas,"
an HBO TV-film that documented tendays in a child's
life after the fall of the twin towers, has been nominated
for an Emmy Award. As images of falling towers, debris
clouds anddisaster recede into the annals of history,
award-winning filmmaker JamesRonald Whitney has poignantly
captured one moment that seven-year-old Nicholas Lanza
will never forget -- the moment of realization when
he discovered that his mother was never coming home
from her job at Fiduciary Trust on the 97th floor of
Tower Two at The World Trade Center.
Although Whitney focuses on one American family, like
so many, Nicholas' grandmother simply blamed all Muslims
for the loss of her daughter."I want them all tortured,"
she explained, while sitting on her front porch."Their
hair plucked out, their fingernails ripped off one by
one ... men women and children, all of them." That
was until little Nicholas befriended Thanbir Ahmed,
a 16-year-old Muslim boy whose father was killed in
the attack, explains James Ronald Whitney,
whose premiere film "Just Melvin," won numerous
awards at film festivals both nationally and internationally.
"Ahmed becamepart of my film crew, and ultimately,
these two American families -- one Christian, the other
Muslim -- walked hand in hand to the memorial of Nicholas's
36-year-old mother, Michele Lanza."
Unlike the other nominated films which have several
contributors sharing the category nomination, James
Ronald Whitney single-handedly produced, wrote,
directed, edited and even composed the theme song to
his film. Whitney's gripping narrative moves the documentary
rapidly from scene to heart-wrenching scene, as psychotherapist
Dr.Gilda Carle compassionately guides Nicholas' family
throughout the telling ordeal.
For
more about "Telling Nicholas,"
visit the website at
www.TellingNicholas.com.
More news from PR Newswire...
Copyright © 1996-2002 PR Newswire Association LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
A United Business Media company.
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"Telling
Nicholas-a look at a Staten Island family that, after
10 days of making excuses, has to tell a boy that his
mother won't ever come home again--is...an incredible
microscopic look at the effect and devastation of the
Twin Towers tragedy on one American family. The film reveals
in intimate detail the suffering of one family and one
can only imagine the reverberation and effect on the thousands
of American families effected by September 11. This was
something so horrible. It's dizzying and sadness. Somehow,
though, it has made me feel useful about what it is I
do as a programmer."
--Sheila Nevins
HBO's Executive Vice President of Original Programming |
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HBO
SIGNS DEAL WITH JAMES RONALD WHITNEY
FOR SEPTEMBER 11 DOCUMENTARY
"TELLING NICHOLAS"
NEW
YORK, NY, February 14, 2002 - Filmmaker James Ronald
Whitney and HBO have signed a deal for his feature-length
documentary TELLING NICHOLAS. The film is scheduled
to premiere on HBO on Sunday, May 19, 2002 at 10:00
PM ET as part of HBO's new season of AMERICAN UNDERCOVER
SUNDAYS following SIX FEET UNDER. HBO bought the exclusive
broadcast rights to license TELLING NICHOLAS (www.TellingNicholas.com)
in the United States and the deal was brokered by
Whitney's rep., John Sloss.
"TELLING NICHOLAS is an incredible microscopic look at the
effect and devastation of the Twin Towers tragedy on one
American family," said Sheila Nevins, HBO's Executive Vice
President of Original Programming. "The film reveals in
intimate detail the suffering of one family and one can
only imagine the reverberation and effect on the thousands
of American families effected by September 11."
Within hours of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers,
flyers depicting missing loved ones wallpapered New York
City. Among the thousands posted was one that sought information
about Michele Lanza, the mother of seven-year-old Nicholas.
In TELLING NICHOLAS, James Ronald Whitney, chased from his
apartment by the debris cloud caused by the falling towers
and then temporarily left without a home, tells the powerful
story of Nicholas and his father, who waited 10 days before
telling him that his mother was dead. The film was completed
just a few weeks after that conversation between Nicholas
and his father about the loss of his mother.
"HBO's Sheila Nevins and Lisa Heller have been extremely
supportive of this film," said Whitney, who in addition
to being a filmmaker is also Vice President at the Wall
Street investment banking division of The Royal Bank of
Canada. "There are countless stories of loss and suffering
as well as those of love and support. With the tremendous
popularity of HBO, I'm certain that the story of Nicholas
and his mother will forever remind people of the devastation
caused by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center."
According to statistics in a recent article in New York
Magazine about the effects of the September 11 tragedy on
families and children, "Řas many as 10,000 children (sic)
lost a parent on September 11th. That is the saddest figure
that the day produced."
In 2001, HBO purchased James Ronald Whitney's award-winning
film, JUST MELVIN: JUST EVIL, which premiered April 22,
2001 after debuting at the Sundance Film Festival.
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Judy Twersky
Judy Twersky Public Relations, Inc.
(718) 263-6633
(718) 263-2394 Fax
Jennifer Bristol
Judy Twersky Public Relations, Inc.
(718) 263-2376
(718) 263-2394 Fax
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From
strippers to Sept. 11,
HBO's Sheila Nevins tells it like it is
BY MIKE REYNOLDS
Multichannel News
1/28/02
For Sheila Nevins, it has always been about keeping it real.
Home Box Office's executive vice president of original programming
has spent the past 23 years developing and producing documentaries
for the premium service... Her annual output schedule includes
13 films for the America Undercover franchise, four late-night
shows (Real Sex in its various iterations), three specials,
and a baker's dozen worth of documentaries for Cinemax under
the Reel Life banner.
Right now, she's charged up about a pair of projects centered
on the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, an event that
initially left Nevins traumatized.
"At first I was locked inside, watching TV," she said. "I felt
like an idiot."
Working on the projects has, to some extent, helped Nevins to
heal. In Memoriam: 9/11/01 New York City looks at the "macrocosm
of the tragedy, the heart of the people and the city, their
calm, their panic, their camaraderie, the work of [former New
York Mayor] Rudy Giuliani," said Nevins.
By contrast, Telling Nicholas-a look at a Staten Island family
that, after 10 days of making excuses, has to tell a boy that
his mother won't ever come home again-is the microcosmic view.
"This was something so horrible," said Nevins. "It's dizzying
and sadness. Somehow, though, it has made me feel useful about
what it is I do as a programmer."
Ironically, Nevins' passion for reality dates back to her days
at Yale University's School of Drama, where she received an
master's of fine arts degree. "I already do drama, without actors,"
she said. "I learned early on that working with actors wasn't
something I would want to deal with. I couldn't handle the entourages."
For Nevins-who began her career with Don Hewitt as a producer
for CBS's Who's Who, and as a writer for the Children's Television
Workshop-real life offers all the material she needs.
"I do drama docs, not docudramas. There are more than enough
intriguing situations in life."
For franchises like America Undercover and Reel Life, Nevins
tries to balance "heat with warmth." This approach to subject
matter doesn't just span the human condition. It has practical
purposes throughout an annual production schedule... Nonetheless,
Nevins maintains that quality is more important than Nielsen
results...The reality genre's rise on broadcast television has
brought more attention to HBO, she says - with mixed emotions.
..
After nearly a quarter of a century on the job - and having
amassed a growing collection of Academy Awards, Emmys, Cable
Aces and George Foster Peabody Awards - Nevins has no plans
to stop anytime soon...Nevins said she's never considered her
job to "be work work. What I have been able to do for more than
20 years here, is like a gift."
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LOS
ANGELES -- The hit weekly documentary series "America Undercover
Sundays" returns for its second season this spring, debuting
12 specials Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. (ET), immediately
following new episodes of HBO's hit series "Six Feet Under,"
it was announced today by Sheila Nevins, executive vice president,
original programming, HBO. Running March through May last
year, the initial season of "America Undercover Sundays" achieved
some of the highest ratings ever for HBO's documentaries,
reaching a total audience of 51 million households and 64
million viewers.
The
new season of "America Undercover Sundays" will feature a
full spectrum of unique, no-holds-barred films that reflect
contemporary American issues and topics, from Monica Lewinsky
answering questions without restrictions for the first time
ever, to the last days of a woman on death row; from a dysfunctional
family struggling to survive the drug Ecstasy, to a provocative
transgendered love story set in rural Georgia.
Specials
include...TELLING NICHOLAS (May 19) documents shattered
lives in the wake of Sept. 11 through the eyes of seven-year-old
Nicholas, whose mother worked in the World Trade Center.
Nicholas struggles to understand how his "mom went missing
in one small place," certain she'll be found in "Jersey."
Filmmaker James Ronald Whitney (HBO's "Just, Melvin:
Just Evil"), who lived and worked blocks from the World
Trade Center, uses unique footage shot through his apartment
windows, as well as interviews with Nicholas and his
family.
...Now
in its 19th year, the AMERICA UNDERCOVER provocative anthology
series has won critical acclaim and virtually every major
programming award. Overall, HBO documentaries have won 43
Emmy Awards, 10 Academy Awards and 16 George Foster Peabody
Awards.
*Academy
Award and Oscar are registered trademarks and service marks
of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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