From Jedi Knight to 'Good Night'

Independent feature film starring Mark Hamill jets to cybershelves.

Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) August 15, 2006 -- "Thank You, Good Night," an award-winning independent feature film starring Mark Hamill, goes on sale exclusively on Amazon.com and CustomFlix.com.

The rockin' directorial debut is the brainchild of Chuck Griffith, who produced, directed and co-wrote the feature in 2001. Griffith, then 25, optioned the script from a comedy TV writer, Chris Provenzano, for $10.00 at Hollywood's popular greasy spoon, Mel's Drive-In on Sunset Boulevard. Griffith teamed up with WGA award nominated producer/writer Robert Zimmer and executive producer/actor Scott Burkhardt to shoot the feel good indie flick under the shingle, Burkhardt/Griffith Productions.

The all-star cast includes Christian Campbell ("Trick," "Refer Madness"), J.P. Pitoc ("Trick," "Six Feet Under"), Jay Leggett ("Ally McBeal"), Nicole Eggert ("Baywatch," "Blown Away"), Golden Globe Winner Sally Kirkland ("Anna"), and Mark Hamill ("Star Wars").

Hamill plays the New Jersey father of Lee, a drummer for fictitious 1990s grunge band, The Handy Kaufmans. The band hits the road for the last time in an all out guitar-blazing trek in hopes of getting a record label deal.

The 35mm feature film was a darling of the festivals in 2001 and 2002, going on to premiere at trendy film festivals like Durango and Dances with Film and eventually winning a Jury Prize in Florida; however, the film never got to major distribution.

Enter Roaring Leo Productions, a distribution company in New York, as they scrambled earlier this year to get the rights to the film, recut it down to a tighter 89 minutes(originally 104), and revamped the soundtrack with edgier indie bands all under the supervision of Griffith. The result was distribution on Amazon.com. The film goes on sale today for $19.99. It will include downloadable songs and a director's commentary.

The soundtrack will include original Handy Kaufmans tunes written by Andre Devon Magone, Robert Zimmer, and Chuck Griffith; songs by rocker Martin Diener and ska band Senza Motiva.

"The market changed," Griffith, now 30, explained. "I've always wanted to get the film out there. It's a mainstream indie. I set out to direct in the tone of Billy Wilder, and while that may not play in urban arthouse theaters, we believe this will be a popular cult favorite. Anything is possible with companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Here! OnDemand."

Griffith has teamed up again with Producer Robert Zimmer, Jr. to create a feature film project about the battle between art and commerce called "Shifting the Canvas." Chuck hopes to shoot within the year and claims it to be a step up in style, drawing inspiration from Peter Greenaway and John Cassavetes.

When asked about working with legendary Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, and Golden Globe Winner Sally Kirkland, Griffith responds, "These actors have a lot more to them than just blue screens and effects. They're top notch. Working with Mark Hamill and Sally [Kirkland was quite a treat. It's impressive to work with people who have been in all the limelight. They come to a little indie film set and are the first to engage the director and jump into the role."

Chuck Griffith is a feature film and television director currently developing an action thriller entitled "A Lion's Wake," a trilogy about a lawyer turned assassin, and an independent feature set in Brooklyn named "Shifting the Canvas." He resides in New York City.

Robert Zimmer, Jr. is a feature film producer currently finishing post-production on the much-anticipated Asian-American independent motion picture, "Half Life" (no relation to the video game of the same title). He resides in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.

Roaring Leo Productions, Inc. is a production and distribution company of fine cinema based in New York City.

"Thank You, Good Night" is available starting today on DVD. For sale on Amazon.com and is distributed by Roaring Leo Productions, Inc. Executive Producers Scott Burkhardt, Brandon Lyons; Producers Robert Zimmer, Jr., Inman Young, Chuck Griffith; Associate Producers Jeremy Rubins, Andre Devon Magone, Larry Cohen (DVD); Co-Producer Angelo Spizzirri; Director Chuck Griffith; Screenplay Chris Provenzano, Robert Zimmer, Jr., Chuck Griffith; Original Score Christopher Hoag; Cinematography Matthew Irving; Editor Gloria Vela; Production Design Madla Hurza; Costume Roger Forker; Handy Kaufmans Songs written by Andre Devon Magone and Robert Zimmer, Jr., lyrics by Robert Zimmer, Jr. and Chuck Griffith; Cast Christian Campbell, Lara Boyd Rhodes, J.P. Pitoc, Scott Burkhardt, Mark Hamill, Sally Kirkland, Nicole Eggert, Eddie Singletary, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Davis, Jr., Matthew Bordofsky, Terri Garber, Bret Domrose, Robert Raad, Danny Wood, Dee Freeman, Diva Zappa, Vicki Kleist, Sam Scarber, Erik Passoja, Gail Oakhem

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