'16 to Life' to be screened in Elkader

ELKADER -- The coming-of-age comedy “16 To Life,” written and directed by Iowa native Becky Smith, will be shown twice in Elkader on Thursday, Sept. 3.

The film will screen at the Elkader Cinema at 4 p.m. and at the Elkader Opera House at 7:30 p.m. with “red carpet” welcome festivities at 7 p.m. Cast and crew members will answer audience questions after the screening.

Elkader Cinema admission is free, while the Elkader Opera House screening is $5. Tickets for the Opera House event can be purchased in advance at Strutt's Clinic in McGregor and Moser's Pharmacy in Elkader.

 The film stars Hallee Hirsh ("Grey's Anatomy," "ER," and  "90210") as Kate, a rural American teen who is turning 16. Kate's angst about her sexual inexperience drives a comic quest for love and understanding on a birthday to end all birthdays. Before the end of the night, Kate and her best friend, Darby, will discover more about love than most 16-year-olds can imagine.

 This is the first feature film from Emmy-nominated writer/director Becky Smith ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"). “16 to Life” stars veteran screen actress Theresa Russell ("Spiderman III," "Black Widow"), Jaime Gomez ("Nash Bridges," "Training Day"), Carson Kressley ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"), Mandy Musgrave ("South of Nowhere") and Shiloh Fernandez ("Gossip Girl," "The United States of Tara").

 “16 to Life” was filmed in McGregor with the support of many local people who served as cast and crew. Iowa actors play strong supporting roles in the film, including Nicholas Downs as Bobby, Ryan Gourley as Harley, Brendan Dunphy as Jordan and Rachel Salowitz as Harley's girlfriend. Gabrielle McNally of Luana was cast as Kate's sister, Terry. The film features a number of other Iowa actors as well, and all supporting cast and extras were cast in Iowa.

“16 to Life” premiered nationally at the Los Angeles Method Fest this year, where it received five nominations and won Best Film (Audience Award) and Best Supporting Actor (Theresa Russell).

 Several cast members will attend the Elkader screenings, including the lead, Hallee Hirsh, who was recently featured in the final episode of "ER," where she reprised her role of Rachel Greene.

The film set for “16 to Life” was built on the banks of the Mississippi River, and filming took place over a three-week period in the fall of 2007. The entire cast and crew stayed in McGregor during pre-production and production. The film was one of the first to go into production in Iowa under the tax incentive program.

The film is having its Iowa debut Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City, as part of the Landlocked Film Festival. "Green" carpet festivities get under way at 7 p.m. and cast and crew members, including Smith and Hirsh, will answer questions after the screening. Admission is $5 at the door.

Gov. Chet Culver visited the set during filming.

For more information on the film, go to www.16tolifethemovie.org