March 26, 2012 12:01 am
Hollis McLachlan is the director, star, co-writer and co-producer of "Pie Head: (A Kinda'' True Story)" which will have its Pittsburgh premiere on Thursday, at Destinta near Bridgeville.
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The movie "Pie Head (A Kinda' True Story)," made by a Canonsburg native, had its world premiere Friday at the International Family Film Festival in Hollywood and is moving east for a showing here.
The Pittsburgh premiere of "Pie Head," at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Destinta theater near Bridgeville, will double as a fundraiser for Autism Speaks. Admission will be free, but suggested donations of $5 will be accepted at the door and turned over to the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization.
Canonsburg native Hollis McLachlan stars in and directed, co-wrote and co-produced the movie, which she calls a family friendly, diversity-friendly comedy.
"We have a varying cast of people from different racial backgrounds as well as disabilities, and within the context of the film, these characters just happen to exist within the world of 'Pie Head,' " she said in a recent call from Los Angeles where she now lives.
"So, for example, the casting that I went for is very nontraditional, in that a person in a wheelchair is not necessarily written to be that way within the script. They just happen to be an actor in a wheelchair. We also have quite a few crew members with autism, as well."
The idea behind the movie and family run company, Pie Head Productions, is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities, particularly autism, that wouldn't otherwise exist.
"Pie Head," which takes its title from the director's childhood nickname, is about a young woman who graduates from college in the Pittsburgh area and moves to Los Angeles, where she's pursuing her dream of being an actress.
"That's the story on the surface. She has to hurdle over all of these different obstacles, but the real point is no matter who you are or where you are in your life, at this moment, if you have a goal and want to achieve that goal, hopefully you'll have that tenacity to do it."
Movie editor Barbara Vancheri: bvancheri@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1632. Read her blog:www.post-gazette.com/madaboutmovies.
First Published 2012-03-26 04:26:30
First Published 2012-03-26 04:26:30
