IOW: Conner’s ‘I DO’ debut soon
Nestled amongst the on-line Christmas hullabaloo of last week was a cinematic present from independent producer Kimberly D. Conner of Predestined Arts & Entertainment in Springfield, the new trailer for her second full-length film BEFORE ‘I DO’. We thought it prudent to re-gift the long-awaited sneak peek as our final “Image of the Week” for 2015, dearest revelers, so you can view it right here on C-U Blogfidential! (Thanks to her canny timing, it is the third “first look” at downstate Illinois movie projects to appear here in less than two weeks. Keep them coming, gang!) Not unlike JUMP IN, her previous feature distributed nationally by Maverick Entertainment little more than a year ago, BEFORE ‘I DO’ is a layered relationship drama led by a stellar African-American cast, this time including Jensen Atwood, Omar Gooding, Andrea Kelly, Harold Dennis, Thea Camara, Joel King, Lamar Barnes, Danielle Ward, Kathleen Turner, Michelle Ivy, and Michael Pittman. An official plot crunch describes the action of the film, based on Conner’s own screenplay, as “a story about two firefighters [in which] their bond is tested when one is left at the altar. Firefighter by day, artist by night, Caleb Abrams (Atwood) finds himself at a crossroad [sic] … when Asia Redmond (Ivy) shows up at Caleb’s doorstep out of the blue one year later [after the cancelled wedding]. He unknowingly opens the door to a game of Russian roulette, inviting humbling consequences.” Filmed in Springfield and adjacent Dawson in 2014, BEFORE ‘I DO’ will most likely premiere in the Capital City soon after the New Year with legitimate release occurring in the near future. Once you’ve checked out the trailer – promising a subdued, mature approach to the material and photographed with naturalism by Michael Ware – be sure to follow the respective Facebook and Twitter accounts for developments. We’ll close with a bonus video, this an interview between Maverick personality Simply Tiffany Soul and producer/director Conner that provides anecdotes about the making of JUMP IN as well as the latter’s background and goals. It is an empowering listen with charm to spare, if we do say so ourselves!
Following this week’s Calendar, we’ll rejoin you on the flip side with all the crackling headlines you can handle in 2016 about the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond!
~ Jason Pankoke
p.s. At this point, it is probably never too soon to remind you that we have an important milestone to herald once the winter begins making way for spring – the 10th anniversary of CUBlog arrives in late February! More soon on that esoteric achievement, as we go…