Farside Pictures announces that Dear Kate, a short film by actor/writer/director Ilona Elizabeth McCrea, will premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 26th. The film stars Elizabeth Shepherd—Emma Peel from the original 1960’s British spy series, The Avengers; later portrayed by Diana Rigg.
In McCrea’s directorial debut, Dear Kate follows Lorna, a retired vocalist, who on the eve of her granddaughter’s birthday, tries to repair the widening rifts that isolate her from her kin. Estranged from her husband, by dementia; and her daughter, by emotion, she struggles with her isolation, and seeks comfort in her memories. While her caregiver, Gary, quietly and dutifully performs the function of a surrogate son.
Produced by Matthew Ackland, Executive Produced by Patrick Butler, with Cinematography by Aaron Bernakevitch. The cast includes Gemini Award Nominated actress Elizabeth Shepherd, as Lorna. With over 500 Film and TV appearances, her credits include: The Tomb of Ligeia, starring Vincent Price; Damien: Omen II, starring William Holden; Criminal Law, starring Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman; and Amelia: starring Hilary Swank. Julian Black Antelope co-stars as Gary (Into the West, Blackstone, Penny Dreadful, Hell on Wheels) and Ilona Elizabeth McCrea plays young Lorna (Law & Order: SVU, ’79 Parts).
McCrea states, “By journeying with Lorna I wanted to give the audience a juxtaposition between a rich, full, life and a present reality that feels stagnant and isolated.”
The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050. According to Statistics Canada, as many as 1.4 million elderly Canadians report feeling lonely. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 11 million, or 28% of people aged 65 and older, lived alone. A 2012 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that both social isolation and loneliness are associated with a higher risk of mortality in adults aged 52 and older. In England alone, more than 2 million people over the age of 75 live on their own, and more than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbor or family member.
Dear Kate is nominated for six Alberta Film and Television Awards (AMPIA), including: Best Short Dramatic, Best Director (Drama Under 30 mins), Best Screenwriter (Drama Under 30 mins), Best Cinematographer (Drama under 30 mins), Best Costume Design, and Best Editor (Drama Under 30 mins). The AMPIA Awards will be presented at a ceremony on April 29th in Edmonton, Alberta. The film also received an Award of Excellence at Canada Shorts in December.
Elizabeth Shepherd and Ilona Elizabeth McCrea are available for interviews upon request.
For more information, interviews, photographs please contact:
Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575
Social Media Handles
Website: dearkatefilm.com, farsidepictures.com, ampia.org/2017-rosie-award-nominees
Twitter: @DearKateFilm
IMDB: Dear Kate, Elizabeth Shepherd, Julian Black Antelope, Ilona Elizabeth McCrea
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