Michael Glover Smith’s ‘Hekla’ Wins Big in Florida, Announces LA and NYC Premieres in June

A Chicago indie is celebrating a prestigious win in Florida, as director Michael Glover Smith announces premieres in Los Angeles and New York City this month. Smith’s fifth feature film, the acclaimed comedy/drama Hekla, has won the Best Director award at the 16th annual Fort Myers Film Festival in southwest Florida.

Representing the movie in person for its Saturday night screening at the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center were writer/director Smith and star/co-writer Elizabeth Stam. Hekla was competing with dozens of other titles from around the world that had screened over the course of the festival’s five days. It is the third award the film has won, following the Festival Spirit award bestowed upon Stam at the film’s George Lindsey UNA Film Festival premiere in Florence in March, and the Best Performance honor she received at the Covellite International Film Festival in Butte in April.

In an exclusive chat with SCREEN, Smith said, “It was truly an honor to win Best Director in Fort Myers. I self-financed Hekla through the sale of my condo, so it’s gratifying to see that my gamble is paying off and that this movie really seems to be connecting with audiences. Film festivals are the lifeblood of the independent film scene in the U.S., showing movies on big screens to viewers who would otherwise not have the chance to see them that way, and Fort Myers is a fantastic regional festival.”

Enjoy the trailer for this festival winner right here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30GCHHWiM8

LA and NYC Premieres in June

Hekla will receive its Los Angeles Premiere on Tuesday, June 23, at the 29th edition of Dances With Films, one of the most important film festivals in North America. Smith and Stam will be at TCL’s historic Chinese Theatres in person to walk the red carpet, along with cast members Conor Foley and Edie Ellis, and editor Eric Marsh, and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Additionally, Hekla will have a New York Premiere at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn on June 8 at 7:30pm. Smith and Stam will be on hand for a Q&A there as well, which will be moderated by filmmaker Paula Gonzalez-Nasser (The Scout).

As reported recently, Chicagoans who missed the film’s local premiere at the Music Box will have a second chance to catch it at FACETS on June 4. That screening will be preceded by Sandro Miller‘s John Malkovich-starring short Psychogenic Fugue and followed by a Q&A with Smith, Stam and other cast and crew, moderated by critic Matt Fagerholm.

For the most up-to-date screening info, visit the Smith’s official website: www.michaelgloversmith.com

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