Photo courtesy Edgewood Studios
Laura James and Ryan Wesen by River St. bridge.
Friday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.—RUTLAND— The Paramount Theatre will present two screenings of David Giancola’s latest film, “Axcellerator” on Friday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children, available at paramountvt.org.
“Axcellerator” director David Giancola commented on the upcoming premiere: “Something rare and unique is about to happen in Rutland, Vermont. A bit of Hollywood is coming to The Paramount Theatre … with the world premiere the sci-fi adventure, ‘Axcellerator.’ The public is invited to join the film’s cast and crew with screenings at both 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and an after-party at the Franklin Conference Center in Howe Center. The independent feature was filmed primarily in Rutland, Killington, and Londonderry at locations that include the Magic Mountain Ski Resort, the Rutland Free Library, the Killington Mountain Lodge, the Diamond Run Mall, and … Downtown Rutland.”
When a car thief stumbles onto a teleportation device and the girl of his dreams, the invention of the century takes them on an adventure of a lifetime in the film, which director Giancola described as “a bit of ‘Back to the Future’ meets a James Bond film.” The film’s cast includes many favorites from the cinema and television of the 80’s , and is also peppered with a substantial number of Vermont locals in acting roles both as featured characters and in cameos.
“We knew viewers in Vermont might be surprised by the amount of local faces in the film, but they were actually hand-picked by David for their talents. A lot of these parts were written for local actors he had in mind,” remarked one of the film’s producers, Joey Palumbo.
“We don’t want to give away any ‘spoilers,’ but because it is already on the web, I can say my favorite cameo is ‘Big Lenny’ Montuori as a grumpy landlord,” chuckled Alec Kozlowski, another producer.
Cast scheduled to be in attendance at the premiere and after-party include Sam J. Jones, John James, Ryan Wesen, Laura James, comedian Woody Keppel, and John Romeo, as well as the director and crew.
“I am really excited to be able to share our film with my hometown first,” reflected Giancola. “The film takes place literally all over the world. Still, I don’t think that anyone but the editors and I will ever know how surprisingly much of the movie was able to be filmed right here in Vermont. We never could have achieved that without the generous support of the local community. That is why it feels so great to be able to return the favor.”
All proceeds from the premiere will be donated to the Rutland Free Library and the Paramount Theatre. Ticket-holders also get access to the after-party and receive free “Axcellerator” movie posters. “I can’t tell you how cool it was to see just a little peek of what they filmed in the Fox Room of the Library pop up on the internet!” gushed Randal Smathers, director of the Rutland Free Library.
