Grand Valley feature film hits the big screen

The first feature-length film produced by a Michigan university is ready for its debut.

“To Live and Die in Dixie,” produced by the Grand Valley State University Summer Film Project, will make its world premiere in high definition format at Studio 28 in Grand Rapids, on Friday, June 20, at 8 p.m. A question and answer session with the director and select cast members will follow the premiere. Additional screenings are scheduled for June 21-22, at 3:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. and June 23-26, at 8 p.m. A generous 50 percent of the box office proceeds will be donated to Grand Valley to benefit students.

The story is based on true facts about a love triangle on a southern college campus that ended with two murders. The lead character, secretary to the university president, jeopardized her career and marriage during her quest to bring the killer to justice when the police and courts failed.

Based on the book by Frances Parker, the screenplay was written by John Dufresne, creative writing professor at Florida International University in Miami, with assistance from Donald Papy, a lawyer in Miami. All three made visits to the set during filming.

“It’s a complex story, with a big cast, and takes place over four years in three states, all presented in a tidy 85 minutes,” said the film’s director, John Harper Philbin, who led the student crew. “I certainly could have chosen an easier screenplay to do, but this one was the most compelling - and we pulled it off.”

Established in 1995, the Grand Valley Summer Film Project has offered junior and senior students in the School of Communications an opportunity to work side-by-side with professionals to produce a 30-minute film in 12 weeks. This was the project’s first feature-length film.

“While other, much larger schools have programs in film theory, I consider Grand Valley to have the best true film program in Michigan,” said Janet Lockwood, Michigan Film Office director. “Philbin deserves a lot of credit, having spent years seeing this project through to fruition.”

For more information, contact John Harper Philbin at (616) 331-3668 or visit www.gvsu.edu/dixiefilm .