Ocean Avenue Entertainment Announces National Theatrical Release For 23 Blast, A Dylan Baker Film

Ocean Avenue Entertainment Announces National Theatrical Release For 23 Blast, A Dylan Baker Film

Movie Inspired By The True Life Story Of Blind Athlete Travis Freeman Slated To Open In Theaters On October 3, 2014

Family-friendly drama stars Stephen Lang, Alexa Vega, Becky Ann Baker and Kim Zimmer

LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Having been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, NBC's Today and Dateline NBC, Travis Freeman's story now comes to the big screen in the family-friendly drama 23 Blast. The Dylan Baker Film, inspired by the true life events of Freeman, who played football for Corbin High School in the mid 1990's despite being blind, will release nationwide in theaters on October 3, 2014 through Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Inc. in association with Toy Gun Films.

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Winner of the 2013 Heartland Film Festival's Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature, 23 Blast is written by Bram Hoover and Toni Hoover, directed/produced by Dylan Baker (Spider-Man 2 & 3, 13 Days) and produced by Gary Donatelli and Toni Hoover. Executive producers for the movie include Daniel Snyder (owner of the Washington Redskins), Misook Doolittle and Brent Ryan Green.

The film stars Stephen Lang (Avatar, Terra Nova), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids, Machete Kills), Mark Hapka (Days of Our Lives, Criminal Minds), Max Adler (Glee), Bram Hoover, Kim Zimmer (Guiding Light, One Life to Live), Becky Ann Baker (Men in Black, Freaks and Geeks, A Simple Plan) Timothy Busfield (Field of Dreams, thirtysomething), Dylan Baker, and Fred D. Thompson (Sinister, Law & Order, Die Hard 2).

23 Blast features Freeman, a typical teenager growing up in a small town in Kentucky, who is a local hero on and off the field. In the fall of 1997, in the prime of his youth, he is unexpectedly stricken with an infection that destroys his optic nerve. He becomes blind overnight. Under the influence of parents who love him, a physical therapist who challenges him, a coach who inspires him, and a best friend who he cannot bear to leave behind, Freeman shows us what true bravery is by competing on the gridiron, helping his Corbin High School team advance to the state playoffs. 23 Blast follows Freeman and Jerry Baker, his closest friend, from the time they meet on the football field as kids through high school. Baker's attraction to the dark side of teenage temptations, beer and drugs, threatens to pull the friends apart. It is only on the football field where they truly connect.

"Our cast and crew had Travis and his family on the set the whole time," says Baker. "He kept us laughing with his upbeat nature. We were inspired by him and his story each day, and 23 Blast is fueled with that spirit of joy and courage he exudes."

Depicting a story of hope triumphing over despair, of courage and faith overcoming fear and of victory prevailing over adversity, 23 Blast is designed to encourage and uplift audiences.

"This movie is so much bigger than me," says Freeman. "It represents the gift of a community coming together to help its own, and how faith manifests itself in many ways in the face of a tragedy; such as in hope, love, and personal courage."

23 Blast was shot entirely on location in Corbin, Ky. "We always said we wanted Corbin to be a character in it and you can't miss Corbin in this film," Baker said. "It's a town where a young boy went through such an awful, awful thing and the town comes off as somewhere they give the encouragement and support where a boy can succeed and go forward."

Freeman has been busy since his football days. He recently earned a Ph.D. and is currently an instructor of religion at the University of the Cumberlands in nearby Williamsburg, Ky.

Upcoming opening major market cities include New York, N.Y., Los Angeles, Calif. and Washington D.C., among others. For more information about 23 Blast, please visit:

Website: www.23blast.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/23Blastmovie
Instagram: instagram.com/23blast
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/23Blast#!/23Blast

Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Inc.
Launched in January 2009, Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Inc. is the destination for productions that offer hope to audiences looking for inspiration in entertainment. It is committed to releasing films and television programming that are inspiring and redemptive. For more information, please visit www.oceanave.tv.

About Toy Gun Films
Toy Gun Films is an independent film production company run by Director/Producer Brent Ryan Green. For more information, please visit www.toygunfilms.com.

About Dylan Baker
With two Emmy, Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, Dylan Baker brings a wide-ranging acting career, from Planes, Trains and Automobiles to Anchorman 2, from Secretariat to The Good Wife, to directing plays and now film. Having acted alongside such stars as Steve Martin, Robert DeNiro, John Candy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Lane, John Goodman, Tom Hanks, Juliana Margolies, Kevin Costner and Emma Stone, Baker goes behind the camera for the first time in 23 Blast.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Rogers & Cowan
Lesley Burbridge
310-854-8170
lburbridge@rogersandcowan.com

Tracy Cole
310-871-8349
tcole@rogersandcowan.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140528/91931


SOURCE Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Inc.

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140528/91931
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.oceanave.tv


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