Carson Kressley wants to know about your first kiss! He got 16 to Life Director Becky Smith and star Hallee Hirsh to talk about their FIRST KISS and would love to hear about yours! Please leave a comment about your first kiss on Youtube! and please share it with your friends

Technorati Tags: Romantic, Comedy, Carson, Kressley, Independent

… that was held between 27 to 30 May, handed over the best film award of $5000 … while Hallee Hirsh was named best actress for her role in the US director Becky Smith’s film 16 to Life. …

The festival, now in its fourth year had the words ‘Women, I Love You as its slogan and strove to honour women for their role in the film industry and in all walks of life. The event that was first launched in 2007 has always upheld the same slogan.

(article from Indiantelevision.com)

Technorati Tags: Romantic, Comedy, Hallee, Hirsh, Independent, Film

16 To Life will screen at the Seoul International Youth Film Festival July 8th  through July 14th.  For more information visit www.siyff.com.

The Des Moines Register featured a story on Iowa native Nicholas Downs on his acting role in 16 to Life:

The Register writes:

The Iowa Motion Picture Association named Nicholas Downs, a 1994 graduate of Bondurant-Farrar High School, best supporting actor for his role as a small-town cop in the romantic comedy “16 to Life.”

“Nicholas has a great capacity for really finding honesty and truth in characters,” said Becky Smith of Okoboji, who wrote and directed the movie. “In a film that has a somewhat comic character, he was able to show what this guy really feels and why he feels it, so he wasn’t just a superficial, comic person.”

Read the rest of the article at The Des Moines Register’s wesbite.

Technorati Tags: Romantic, Comedy, Nicholas, Downs, Independent, Film

Nicholas Downs, Becky Smith, Ryan Gourley and Terry Trimple celebrate FOUR wins at the Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa on May 1, 2010.

Technorati Tags: Romantic, Comedy, Iowa, Finance, Independent, Film

Apr 21, 2010

In the romantic comedy, Nicholas Downs (Pearl Harbor, Constantine, Is It Just Me?) plays Bobby, the town’s young Deputy, who overextends his authority to get all sorts of attention, particularly from his own mother; Louise, played by Theresa Russell (Black Widow, Spiderman III). Hallee Hirsh (ER, You’ve Got Mail) plays the lead character, Kate.

In “16 to Life” a rural American teenager’s angst about her sexual inexperience drives a comic quest for love and understanding on her sixteenth birthday. This first feature from Emmy-nominated writer/director Becky Smith (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) puts a wry, witty, and unpredictable ensemble cast in a small-town locale reminiscent of a Capra comedy. The comedy

was shot entirely on location on the Mississippi River in McGregor and Marquette, Iowa. It has played at festivals around the world and received five “Best Feature” awards.  The film will open in theatres in September 2010.

Becky will also give the keynote address at the award ceremony and Nicholas will participate in a number of the IMPA workshops.

Please join us for our industry workshops and the Iowa Motion Picture Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at the Des Moines Holiday Inn Downtown, 1050 6th Avenue.

You can find more information at the Iowa Motion Pictures Awards Website.

Here’s what the festival’s artistic director Patrick de Bokay writes:

The 4th Tunis International Film Festival will provide an occasion for dialogue between cultures and colleagues, with a special focus on the role of women in society. The Festival’s theme “Femme je vous aime” and its location in a cultural capital of the Islamic world present an exciting opportunity to participants.  Every year the Festival brings together artists and films that contribute to the ongoing international dialogue on women in society in a culturally diverse atmosphere of education and celebration, and considers 16 to Life an important part of reaching that goal.

We’re extremely excited for this invitation!  So if you missed us in China, Canada or Germany, join us at our 20th film festival and our fourth internationally.  We know our Tunisian fans are celebrating this one!

Hope to see you there!

Director Becky Smith and Carson Kressley Celebrate The Win!

The 8th Annual Female Eye Film Festival concluded on Sunday with unprecedented attendance and success. Celebrating women in film, the festival attracted notable talent from around the world including Twilight Director Catherine Hardwicke, Style Icon Carson Kressley, Screen legend Karen Black, actors Hallee Hirsh and Julia Garcia Combs, Oscar Nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, as well as Canada’s own Wendy Crewson, and Kit Redmond.

The festival named 16 To Life the festival’s “Best Foreign Feature” during the gala award ceremony in Toronto—making it the 5th Best Feature Award for our film!!

Thanks everyone for your support!

Read more on the festival on Our Facebook Page!

16 To Life will play at The Women’s International Film Festival in Miami
as one of the ‘New Visions’ Selections.

16 To Life Screening
Thurs. April 1
Icon Theater in Miami, Florida USA
Time: TBA

Visit  wiffonline.org for more info and to buy tickets!

16 To Life @ Laemmle Sunset 5 in Hollywood
Wednesday March 31, 2010 from 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Laemmle’s Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, California 90046

Q & A with the director and actors to follow the screening!