Local Production Company Scores Victories with George Washington Documentary

Local Production Company Scores Victories with George Washington Documentary

PITTSBURGH, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Written, directed and produced by local filmmakers Robert and Mary Matzen, the feature documentary PURSUIT OF HONOR: THE RISE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, is being recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for its portrayal our country's first president.

PURSUIT OF HONOR was chosen as a feature selection by the third annual ReelHeART International Film Festival (RHIFF) to be held June 18-23 in Toronto, Canada. RHIFF is dedicated to supporting the need for exposure for all levels of independent filmmakers around the world. PURSUIT OF HONOR will be shown at the main venue on the final afternoon of the festival.

The film was also recently awarded a 2007 Aurora "Platinum Best of Show Award" in the biographical documentary category. The Aurora Awards is an international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. In addition, the city of Steubenville, Ohio invited the filmmakers to show PURSUIT OF HONOR as the featured event kicking off the annual Fort Steuben Festival parade on June 16, 2007.

Acclaim is not foreign to the Matzens. PURSUIT OF HONOR is one of three historical documentaries they have created, which together have earned 13 awards. The showing at an international film festival marks a new milestone.

"We felt like it was a charmed production - we found a way around every challenge, whether it was lack of funding or 10 straight days of rain in mid- production," said Mary Matzen. "The Aurora Award and the screenings are payback for our hard-working cast and crew, for Pittsburgh, and for the foundations that believed in the project. And, it's rewarding that ReelHeART thought the film worthy to show our peers."

Set in the period between the French & Indian War and the American Revolution, PURSUIT OF HONOR may surprise audiences, as they will not see the Washington of legend - a white-haired man with a square jaw and an imperious nature. Instead, they will be introduced to the real Washington, a strapping, young, passionate redhead with an explosive temper; a man of incredible drive and ambition. This portrayal offers audiences a new perspective on one of the most mysterious presidents in American history.

Local audiences can see PURSUIT OF HONOR at the Fort Steuben Festival in Steubenville on Saturday June 16 at 11:45 a.m. Bryan Cunning, who plays Washington in the film, will be on hand in uniform along with Baron Von Steuben to greet viewers for this first public showing of the feature documentary.

For more information please visit www.gwmovie.net or call (866) 831-4840.

ABOUT PALADIN COMMUNICATIONS

Paladin Communications, www.paladincom.com, was formed in 1999 to take advantage of the rich base of film production and talent in Western Pennsylvania. Paladin staff has won more than 50 national awards for film and video productions ranging from broadcast learning to featurettes in Super 16 and film and video documentaries. They have shot high in the Rockies and deep in the Amazon. The 2001 Paladin historical documentary, WHEN THE FOREST RAN RED: WASHINGTON, BRADDOCK & A DOOMED ARMY, was broadcast on PBS affiliates around the country and earned six awards, including a MUSE award from the American Association of Museums and recognition by the American Association of State & Local History.

Source: Paladin Communications

CONTACT: Sarah Thurston, +1-412-373-3604, sarah@visibilityink.com, for
Paladin Communications

Web site:

http://www.paladincom.com/
http://www.gwmovie.net/

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