SOMETIMES THE END OF THE WORLD
is where the story begins.
THIS MOVIE HAS A MISSION
A theater is a communal space.
Whether we’re talking about a Broadway stage, a movie theater that can seat an audience of hundreds, or a family living room in which you and your loved ones are clustered around a television, there is something ancient and powerful about people coming together to hear a story.
For Jeanine Thomas, the theater is also a place of healing.
Thomas produces films not merely to entertain, but to call attention to the trauma that surrounds us in the world — and to use stories as a therapeutic tool. That process begins with elevating the stories that can be difficult to face. “If it’s not pretty, if it’s not fun to talk about, if it’s hard, if it’s messy, we don’t tend to talk about it out in the open,” Thomas says. For her, Avenue of the Giants provides an opportunity to look at trauma from two generational vantage points: both Herbert’s hidden memories of the Holocaust and Abbey’s struggles as a young person in contemporary America.
“One of the interesting things about doing this film is the research I’ve done, and the second leading cause of death for teenagers is suicide,” she says. “Suicide levels are at an all-time high.” She hopes that young people see themselves in Elsie Fisher’s performance as Abbey, and she hopes that the story helps them feel less alone. Indeed, she wants that to happen for everyone who engages with the film. “Every time I see it,” she says, “I grow.”
For Thomas, Avenue of the Giants represents only the beginning of the journey. She has several films in development now, all of which return to that promise of examining trauma and providing a communal path toward healing. “I have been very blessed in this world,” Thomas says, “and I could just play and have fun and make life a lot easier. Instead, I do things to change the world. And it fulfills me so much more than the other road.”
For Festivals and One-Off Inquiries, please contact:
ohorowitz@greenwichentertainment.com or oded.horowitz@gmail.com"
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