Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

(New York) The independent film "Clear Blue Tuesday," which opened Friday, September 3rd in New York at the Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street), has caused an uproar among film critics, feature writers and bloggers - most of whom have not even seen the film before making negative comments about it and dubbing it the 9/11 rock musical film, according to filmmaker Elizabeth Lucas.

CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY is the story of eleven New Yorkers who are dealing with their sense of personal loss after 9/11, and who are forced to re-examine their dreams and relationships. The film stars a number of known actor/ singer/ songwriters from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, and features original songs written and performed by the cast. One of the actors, Jan O'Dell, is a 9/11 survivor. The film was directed by Elizabeth Lucas, who is a highly accomplished stage director and a founding producer of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Ms. Lucas strongly feels that her film has been misrepresented and mischaracterized as a 9/11 rock musical instead of what it really is: a character-driven story that deals with the emotional baggage of eleven New Yorkers over a seven-year period after the devastating events of 9/11. The film is a personal journey for the filmmaker, who herself has dealt with injuries from a bike accident in Manhattan, that became a catalyst for her to make the film.

There's a lot of controversy that's currently surrounding the film, but moviegoers who have actually seen the film are coming to the filmmaker's defense on popular online sites.

Filmmaker Elizabeth Lucas: "The media has characterized my film as if it was a musical where people are singing and dancing as the Twin Towers collapse. I think that's a terrible idea, too, and that's not at all the movie I made. CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY explores the effects on a diverse group of New Yorkers in the aftermath of 9/11. The movie was developed by a community of creative New Yorkers. We drew on our experience of coming to terms with the 9/11 events."

Executive Producer Al Parinello: "Both the director Elizabeth Lucas and I were extremely sensitive about making sure this film hit exactly the right tone, and that the storyline was respectful of the 9/11 tragedy. To now have the film mislabeled by media outlets, many of which have not even seen the film, is deeply hurtful and disappointing to all involved."

The film will play in NY thru Sept 16th, and then expand into additional markets in the coming weeks.

Resources:

http://www.clearbluetuesday.com