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Firetrail Premiere

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The Imperial Theatre marquee displays the Firetrail logo.

 By Lydia Hawke

 

Firetrail, a movie based on my novel of the same title, blazed into Augusta, Georgia August 25, showing to a packed Imperial Theatre. The Imperial is a landmark in downtown Augusta, located across the street from a Confederate memorial. Civil War reenactors conducted a parade just before the movie started and gathered in around the memorial. The troops fired volleys from their black-powder muskets to celebrate the movie opening.   

Known as "South Carolina's Gone With the Wind," the three-hour Civil War epic takes place during Sherman's march through the Carolinas. Scenes were shot on location all over South Carolina's low country and other areas in the state. 

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Author Lydia Hawke and daughter Jennifer Filzen at the booksigning.

How did the movie come about? I go to Civil War reenactments to do booksignings, and I freelance for Civil War magazines. I heard about a set built for filming the burning of a town at the Battle of Aiken event, and thought that would make an interesting article. So in February of 05 my husband and I drove up to Aiken, South Carolina. I sold some books, got some great pictures, met filmmaker Chris Forbes, and watched them shoot the burning of Barnwell, South Carolina (renamed Burnwell by the waggish Yankees). Oh, yeah, I sold the article, too. 

 

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Just before the movie started, cast member Maj. Terry Gatch proposed to musician Jennifer Dyches. She accepted!

Chris acquired a copy of Firetrail and loved it. He was ready for aJust be more ambitious project, had the cooperation of some of the reenactment community, and sent me a contract in September of 2005.

 My husband and I passed the screen test, and we're in the movie as the hero's mother and father. We spent a lot of weekends driving up to various locations in South Carolina (we live in NE Florida) doing our scenes and assisting with the shoots. We met some great folks and some quirky horses. We now have a whole new family up in South Carolina, as we really enjoy the characters who became the characters in my book. Along the way Chris built two sets and burned both of them in concert with reenactment weekends. Is he a pyromaniac? Hmmm. 

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Leading man Jim Hilton

 

 The premiere went wonderfully. The cinematography is beautiful and the acting is amazing, putting to shame those Hollywood A-list types. Chris Forbes and the cast did a great job of developing the characterization and building tension. There's lots of action and a couple of love stories. The soundtrack music written for the movie by Jennifer is perfect for the movie.

 

 

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Cast members Jerry Chesser, Maj. Terry Gatch and Roger Wanke.

Since the premiere, Firetrail has had successful showings in Aiken, Hampton and Columbia, South Carolina. Audiences have received the movie enthusiastically. According to reviewer, James Banfield of The Light of the Low Country Magazine, "This movie can be seen by the whole family, something that is rare these days. The depiction of the characters and their steadfast fight to stand and be who they were, South Carolinians, was great." Mary Clayton Banfield writes in the same magazine, "An excellent plot of love, suspense, survival, and the ravages of war are brought home to the viewer in a very real way. This is a movie that any history buff will want to see, and any moviegoer will be left in anticipation, waiting for the next scent."

 

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Reenactors fire a volley

The next scheduled showings will be 2 p.m., October 21 at the Palmetto Grande theatre in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and 3 p.m., October 28 at The Book Store and So Much More in Ormond Beach, Florida. 

The DVD's will be printed up in October and we're taking pre-orders. Check my website, www.lydiahawke.us for order information and updates.

Click here for information about Lydia

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