DECEMBER 1, 1994

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

"SOLSTICE", AN INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCED HOLIDAY
DRAMA TO HAVE ITS NATIONAL DEBUT
ON LIFETIME TELEVISION

(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS...) Local director Jerry Vasilatos officially announced today the sale of his locally produced Christmastime drama "SOLSTICE" to Lifetime Television in New York. Lifetime, owned by the Hearst Corporation & ABC-Cap Cities Broadcasting, serves 5,800 cable systems and is seen in over 59 million households.

"SOLSTICE," which Vasilatos also wrote and produced, is set in Chicago on Christmas Eve and follows the story of Nick Allman (Michael Kelley), a sort of everyman who, through a series of encounters, manages to re-discover the true spirit of the holidays. "I think the story has something in it for everyone" Vasilatos says. "Nick is a guy who's down on a lot of things, and who's lost a lot of faith in a time when everyone's expectations seem to run high. In this story, although Nick'sown life is in disorder, he sees others around him that are not in tune with what the holidays should be about, and this is what sparks his Christmas Eve journey."

"SOLSTICE" was written by Vasilatos during the Christmas of 1991. Facing the usual logistics that confront all independent filmmakers, Vasilatos spent the fall of '92 figuring out how to pull the project together for shooting during the holiday season. Working out a production schedule that would span the winter of '92 and spring of '93, Vasilatos assembled a cast and crew from the local production community and, working closely with the help of the Chicago Film Office, set out to shoot his film.

After 26 days of shooting, 3 months of editing and 6 months of sound work, Jerry contracted the services of Shel Beugen of Video/Media Distribution earlier this year, who quickly turned the project around and helped find a market for the 48 minute short feature. "This kind of exposure is as overwhelming as it is rewarding" Vasilatos states. "I've invested three years of my life in this project, and knowing it has the potential to be seen by such a large audience on Lifetime Television is extremely gratifying. It is also very rewarding to see the efforts of everyone involved helping bring to life, on screen, something that was just in your imagination."

A Chicago premiere of "SOLSTICE" was held in June to an overwhelmingly positive response. The broadcast premiere on Lifetime is scheduled for December 9th with repeats on December 24th and December 25th. It will also be shown on Lifetime again next year during the 1995 holiday season.