Craig Brewer to Speak at Orpheum Screening of 'Hustle & Flow'
By: Kelsey Denette Jun. 24, 2011
On Friday evening, July 1st The Orpheum Theatre will launch its first ever Memphis Film Fest beginning with the critically acclaimed indie drama, Hustle & Flow. Writer and director Craig Brewer will open the night with a special guest appearance and a brief discussion before the film begins.
In the past few years, director Craig Brewer has amazed audiences by creating projects that have brilliantly bridged the worlds of music and movies together. Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan both feature great performances, stunning soundtracks and, best of all, original stories. MTV has premiered the first trailer for Brewer's newest film, a remake of the 1984 classic, Footloose. The film stars Kenny Wormald, Dennis Quaid, Julianne Hough, and Andie MacDowell and is set to open in theatres on October 14th 2011.
Brewer spent his childhood in Memphis where he grew up writing and directing plays in school, ultimately landing at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Missing the South, Brewer moved back to Memphis with his wife, Jodi. After his father's untimely death, Brewer use the small inheritance to make his first feature. Shot on digital video, The Poor and Hungry became a hit on the festival circuit and was later sold to the Independent Film Channel. Brewer's next script, Hustle & Flow, was partly inspired by the experience of finding his own voice and all of the collaborations it took to get his first film made.
Hustle & Flow is the 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard turns in an Oscar-nominated performance as DJay, a pimp with aspirations of grandeur who wants to make it as a rapper but discovers that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. Offering strong characters and notes of sweet romance amid the urban beats of its central plot, this 2005 Sundance Audience Award winner also won an Oscar for Best Original Song ("It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp").
Taking place during the month of July, The Memphis Film Fest features Memphis themed movies in celebration of The Orpheum's 2011-2012 Broadway Series. With MEMPHIS and Million Dollar Quartet set to hit The Orpheum stage, the new series has been appropriately deemed the "Memphis season". Movies in The Memphis Film Fest will include pre-show talks and special appearances by some familiar faces from the Memphis film scene.
The 2011 Memphis Film Fest
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/1 Hustle and Flow
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/7 The Firm
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/8 Last Picture Show
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/14 The Rainmaker
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/15 The Blind Side
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/21 Great Balls of Fire
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/22 Memphis Heat
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/29 Walk the Line
The Orpheum Theatre is operated by the Memphis Development Foundation, a non-profit organization which depends on the financial support of the community to carry out its mission to foster the enjoyment and understanding of the Arts in Memphis, as well as the economic prosperity of Downtown and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.orpheum-memphis.com or call 901-525-7800. The Orpheum is located at 203 South Main Street Memphis, TN 38103.
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