COLUMBIA, S.C. – Dr. Howard Kingkade’s original screenplay, “Hole in the Paper Sky” premiers in Los Angeles in March. Iron Ocean Films, a production company co-owned by Los Angeles movie producer Michelle Purple, and film and TV actress Jessica Biel, purchased the screenplay in 2006. It was shot in Los Angeles in January 2007.
Kingkade, a speech and English professor at the University of South Carolina Lancaster, recently attended a screening of the film at Creative Artists Agency in Century City, one of Los Angeles' most prestigious business communities. “My trip to Hollywood was great—the people there were friendly and the reception was fantastic,” said Kingkade. “I had a chance to talk to Jessica Biel, Gary Marshall, and other members of the cast and crew. I look forward to going again.”
The story focuses on a graduate student, whose life is turned upside down just before he’s about to complete his doctorate in mathematics. Forced to start a new job in an unrelated field, he unearths his own compassion while risking all he has for a laboratory dog. The 34-minute film stars Jason Clarke (The Brotherhood), Jessica Biel and Gary Marshall.
“I wrote the screenplay a few years back, and it won and placed in a number of contests, including Fade In Magazine’s Fade In Awards,” said Kingkade. “The screenplay has also been entered in Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival and in a number of other film festivals, including the Cannes and the Berlin International Film Festival.
Kingkade and his wife, Helen, recently completed a documentary, and he is currently working on a full-length comedy screenplay that he plans to finish in 2008. More information is available about "Hole in the Paper Sky" on the Internet Movie Database Web site at www.imdb.com.
About S.C. Arts Commission
The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission is celebrating 40 years of increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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