A feature-length film created by a Penn State alumnus won an online contest will be released in 50 theaters nationwide beginning April 15.
"Cost of a Soul" won the Big Break Movie Contest, which was conducted by a partnership between Relativity Media's Rouge Network and AMC Theatres. Films submitted to the contest were full-length features that had not been distributed.
A panel of judges, including actress Kate Bosworth and top-ranking officials from both Relativity Media and AMC Theatres, selected “Cost of a Soul” as the winner. Online voting was also part of the contest.
“AMC Theatres salutes ‘Cost of a Soul,’ which is a perfect example of the types of films we showcase through AMC Independent,” said Nikkole Denson-Randolph, vice president of specialty and alternative content for AMC Theatres, and one of the contest’s judges.
Sean Kirkpatrick, a 2006 graduate with a degree in film-video, wrote and directed the film about two veterans who have returned home to Philadelphia from the Iraq War.
One of the protagonists, Tommy Donahue (Chris Kerson) has connections to the Irish-American mob, and is portrayed slipping back to his criminal tendencies in order to make ends meet for his family. The other protagonist, Darren “DD” Davis (Will Blagrove), returns home only to find his younger brother has taken control of the African-American drug trade.
The film shows how these two parallel stories unfold, and offers the viewer many plot twists and dramatic situations along the way.
Kirkpatrick said he recently met with audio personnel who work for acclaimed director James Cameron so the film can be reformatted into surround sound for theaters. Kirkpatrick also met with producers of “The Fighter” to help him convert the film to the 35mm format required in theaters.
Nationwide screenings of “Cost of a Soul” begin after the film screens at the Kansas City FilmFest and the Philadelphia Cinefest.