Carson McCullers
The Story
LONELY HUNTER is the story of Carson McCullers, 1940′s southern author of Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and Member of the Wedding, and her two tumultuous marriages to the same man. Best friend of Tennessee Williams, mentor of Truman Capote, roommate of Gypsy Rose Lee, collaborator with Ethel Waters, she was a wild woman who transgressed gender laws and the color bar searching to understand her own mysterious passions.
The Team
Directed and Produced by Deborah Kampmeier
Produced by Annarosa Mudd
Executive Produced by Abigail Disney
Deborah Kampmeier’s second feature film “Hounddog,” was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It won the top jury prize, Best of the Show, at the 2009 Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto and Best Feature at the 2008 Foyle Film Festival in Northern Ireland. Deborah’s first feature film “Virgin,” which she made for $65,000 was nominated for two 2004 Independent Spirit Awards, the John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for under $500,000) and the Best Female Lead for Elisabeth Moss’ performance in the film. In addition, Kampmeier won Best Screenwriter at the 2003 Hamptons International Film Festival. And “Virgin” garnered Best Feature Film at the 2003 Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto, won Best Independent Spirit at the Santa Fe Film Festival and Best Actress at the Sedona Film Festival. “Virgin” had its world premiere at the 2003 IFP Los Angeles Film Festival. Deborah is the founder of Full Moon Films, a company dedicated to the development and production of films by and about women.
Sarah Schulman is the author of 9 novels and 6 nonfiction books. Her plays have been produced at Playwrights Horizons, La Jolla Playhouse and The Wilma Theater. Her most recent film “The Owls,” co-written with director Cheryl Dunye, premiered at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival, in the Panorama. Their second project, “Mommy Is Coming,” is in post-production after shooting in Berlin. Awards include Guggenheim, Fulbright and 2 American Library Association Book Awards. Sarah is a Professor in the City University of New York, a Fellow at The NY Institute for the Humanities at NYU and on the advisory council of the Carr Center for Human Rights and Social Movements at the Harvard Kennedy School. “Lonely Hunter” is based on her play, “Carson McCullers,” developed at Sundance Theater Lab and produced by Playwrights Horizons.
Troy Johanson is currently producing with Deborah on her forthcoming films, Split and Lonely Hunter. He is also an executive producer on Booster, a film by Matt Ruskin, which recently wrapped shooting in Boston. Troy is a founder of skrounge (a soon to be launched web startup) and consults on various media related projects. Previously Troy was part of a boutique consulting firm in Seattle handling due diligence projects in a range of industries; from production companies to big pharma. An angel investor himself, Troy has wide range of experience with venture fundraising. Troy received a BSc from the London School of Economics.
Abigail E. Disney is a filmmaker, philanthropist, and scholar. She has produced a number of documentaries focused on social themes, including the award-winning 2008 film “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which discovered and shared with the world the little-known story of how a small band of women dared to break barriers of gender and politics in Liberia and end a century of entrenched civil war. The film inspired her to form Peace is Loud (peaceisloud.org), an organization that supports female voices and international
peace-building through nonviolent means. Her current project, “Women, War & Peace,” is in production for PBS Wide Angle by her production company, Fork Films. Fork Films LLC is a film production company based in New York City founded in 2007 dedicated to the development and production of films that move, inspire and enlighten. “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” was Fork Film’s first production.
Director’s Statement
Carson McCullers led a brilliant but tumultuous life. I’m excited to join with such talented colleagues to dig deep into a colorful cast of characters and into the mysteries and secrets of McCullers’ heart. And I am grateful for this opportunity to share the story of such a provocative woman on the big screen
Investment Opportunities
please contact Troy Johanson at troy@fullmoonfilms.com
