<i>Once Not Far From Home</i>: Skye McCole Bartusiak's official website

Once, Not Far From Home is the second in a series of four short films being produced by Stars North™. The film is a love story about a boy who meets a girl only once, but carries her with him in his heart for the rest of his life.

The film is set in the 1930’s and stars Erik Per Sullivan (Malcolm in the Middle), Skye McCole Bartusiak (The Cider House Rules), Daniel Hugh Kelly (Stars Trek: Insurrection) and veteran actor James Best (The Dukes of Hazard). Ben Van Hook is the director. The screenwriter is Todd Thompson.

Once, Not Far From Home is a SAG Experimental film that shot for four days, Jul 7-10, 2004, in and around the Orlando area. It premiered at the Florida Film Festival on 16 Apr 2005. The film will be submitted to festivals around the world.

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on 11 Nov 2005
Delray Beach Film Festival on Sat 11 Mar 2006 at 2:20pm
Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival on 12 Nov 2005
Gulf Coast Film Festival in Houston during 16-18 Sep 2005
Hollywood (CA) Film Festival during 21-23 Oct 2005.

It has been nominated for Best Short Film in Florida, and was shown as part of the Best in Florida / Made in Florida Film Festival at Fort Lauderdale's Cinema Paradiso. (Focus In, 13(7):14, Jul 2005)

Skye & Eric	Director Ben Van Hook	Screenwriter Todd Thompson


Eric Per Sullivan	Ben Van Hook, Director	Todd Thompson, Screenwriter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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      Orlando-based, Stars NorthT, Brings Home Three Best Short Film Awards

            Erik Per Sullivan Skye McCole Bartusiak Daniel Hugh Kelly
            Brett Rice James Best

      ORLANDO, FL -Stars North's latest film project, Once Not Far From Home, has already garnered three Best Short Film Awards for the Orlando-based production company. The first award came at the 2005 Best of Florida/Made in Florida competition this past June in Ft. Lauderdale, followed by a Best Short Film win at the Festival In The Gardens event in Miami on August 5th. Their next win will be announced in Tampa on September 16th as the filmmakers take the stage of the historic Tampa Theater at the 2005 Independents' Filmmakers Festival.

      Once Not Far From Home was directed by Ben Van Hook and written by Todd Thompson and features a strong cast of recognizable faces, including TVs Erik Per Sullivan (Malcolm In The Middle), Skye McCole Bartusiak (The Patriot), Daniel Hugh Kelly (Star Trek: Insurrection), Orlando's own, Brett Rice (Monster) and veteran actor, James Best (The Dukes of Hazzard).

       The film is the second in a series of four short films produced by Stars North. Their first short, Time & Again, which starred Academy Award®-nominee Seymour Cassel, premiered for a sold-out audience during the 2003 Florida Film Festival and went on to earn the filmmakers over six independent film awards, including Best Short Film and Best Original Score.

      Produced by Thompson and Stars North partners Smithy Sipes and Kathryn Ruscio Kelly, Once Not Far From Home is a dramatic piece that explores the notion of true love between a curious little boy, a beautiful young girl and a mysterious old house that holds the secrets to their love and fate. The movie is set in the South sometime in the 1930s and is a thought-provoking, picturesque tale that illustrates how first love can last forever. Stars North shot the 35mm piece over a four-day period last July, and premiered it the film at the 2005 Florida Film Festival for two sold-out audiences.

      Thompson's goal when penning the script for Once Not Far From Home was to create a visual poem; a story that was driven exclusively by moving images set to music. When combined, he hoped that these two ingredients would make for a reminiscent, emotional experience that audiences wouldn't soon forget.

      "We were basically making a silent film," director Ben Van Hook explains. "There is no dialogue between the main characters which made it extra challenging to direct. I knew I had to capture the perfect facial expressions, subtle nuances and find the right emotion levels in each scene in order to successfully communicate the tale we wanted to tell."

      And if lofty story concepts and challenging performances weren't tough enough, there was certainly an abundance of "other" production feats that this band of die-hard filmmakers had to overcome.

      One such challenge included the untimely death of one of their principle actors, Jack Kelly, who was to play an older version of Erik Per Sullivan's character later in the story. The actor, who enjoyed a lifelong career working as a stunt man and character double for Hollywood legend, James Cagney, passed away three weeks before cameras were ready to roll.

      "This would have been his (Kelly's) last project" Thompson explains. "He was so excited to be a part of it, and would call me at least once a week to remind me that he was 'ready for action!' He was 86 years old and so full of life. We were absolutely speechless when we got the bad news and decided then to dedicate the film to him as a small tribute to the life he lived."

      Even without their fair share of challenges, Stars North knows that the "Road to Hollywood" is a long one. But something the filmmakers certainly have an abundance of is talent, not to mention the knack for attracting a network of industry professionals who share their enthusiasm and passion for making good independent films.

      "We couldn't have done this film, or any of our films for that matter, without the help and support of everyone involved" producer Sipes says. "The crew we had while shooting, and the people and companies we worked with to process, edit, composite our special effects and mix the final score were all top notch. This film is definitely a good example of their hard work and dedication and what's possible when it comes to making movies right here in Florida."

      In addition to all the film's success on the east coast, Once Not Far From Home will be making it's west coast premiere at the 2005 Hollywood Film Festival this October. For more information about the film and any upcoming screenings and special events, please visit Stars North online at www.starsnorth.com.

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      Interviews

      Interviews with actors Erik Per Sullivan, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Brett Rice, James Best, director Ben Van Hook, writer/producer Todd Thompson, and producers Smithy Sipes and Kathryn Ruscio Kelly are available. Please call (407) 292-6240 for scheduling.

      Additional PHOTOS and ACTOR BIOS are available by request or by visiting www.starsnorth.com.

      About Stars NorthT
      Stars NorthT is an independent movie production company based in Orlando, Florida. The company produces commercially appealing, quality films with memorable characters, engaging plots and redeeming messages. Stars NorthT is committed to developing and producing projects in Florida that employ local cast and crew for worldwide distribution. The company has released four short films to date: The Paper Route (1999), King Pathetic Creep (2000), The Chad Effect (2001), Time & Again (2003) and Once Not Far From Home (2005).

      For more information, please contact Stars NorthT at (407) 292-6240, or visit the company's Web site: www.starsnorth.com.

Skye and Eric Per Sullivan star in Once, Not Far From Home