This Friday night (Aug. 21st), starting around 8pm, prepare to enjoy some FREE, local entertainment as Burien Parks’ “Music and Movies in the Park” presents its final films, including the area premiere of the locally-produced “The Day My Parents Became Cool” and “Freaky Friday” at Lake Burien School Park, SW 148th & 16th Ave SW.

Local Writer/Director Steve Edmiston has created a fun, family-friendly film with great original music, all beautifully shot in HD mostly in and around Highline High School and a home in Normandy Park, “The Day My Parents Became Cool” has been in several short film festivals, and this will be its local premiere.

Here’s the trailer for the film:

Edmiston sent us this email Friday morning, which includes other area screening info as well as how to buy a DVD of the film:

Good news – starting tonight, screenings throughout the greater Puget Sound!

One of the goals of this project was to be able to share the work of so many Puget Sound area high school students (particularly those from the Highline and Federal Way School Districts) around the State.

After our world premiere at the Sedona International Film Festival, winning the best short comedy at the International Family Film Festival, being selected as the opening night film for the new Prescott Film Festival, and having our aloha moment in the sun at the Big Island Film Festival, we came home in June to have our Northwest premiere at one of the ten best film festivals in the world, the Seattle International Film Festival.

Now, we tour the Northwest!  Upcoming screenings include:

Burien – tonight!
Burien Music and Movies in the Park
(outdoor double feature with Freaky Friday)
Friday, August 21, 2009 – 8:30 p.m.
Lake Burien School Park
http://www.burienwa.gov/index.aspx?NID=792

Seattle:
Bumbershoot 1 Reel Film Festival
Monday, September 7, 2009 – 5:00 p.m.
SIFF Cinema
http://www.siff.net/cinema/detail.aspx?id=29276&FID=163

Port Townsend:
Port Townsend Film Festival
Saturday, September 26, 12:00 noon.
Sunday, September 27, 12:00 noon.
http://www.ptfilmfest.com/

Tacoma:
Tacoma Film Festival
October 1-8, 2009 (date/time TBD)
http://www.grandcinema.com/page.php?id=43

We’re hoping for the opportunity to add more Northwest fests (including the Olympia Film Festival, the Spokane Festival, and the Lakeside International Film Festival), to make our tour complete.

A burning FAQ – the holidays are coming, how will I buy my own copy of The Day My Parents Became Cool?

Good news – The Day My Parents Became Cool WILL be available for purchase for the 2009 holiday season, at a price that will allow you to stuff every stocking, provide a gift to every co-worker, and still squirrel away a few copies for yourselves.  We plan on partnering with IndieFlix.com for distribution – a wonderful Seattle-based leader in online independent film distribution.  Their model is terrific – short films delivered to your home on DVD for $5.95, just click of a button!  More to come…

Thanks for all your support!

- Steve

Oh, and the other family-friendly film on the bill, “Freaky Friday,” was shot in Hollywood in 2003 by some corporate entity called “Disney,” and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan.

Here’s a trailer:

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• UPDATE: “The Day My Parents Became Cool” LA Screening
• VIDEO:”The Day My Parents Became Cool” Trailer + News
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

Burien’s annual free Music and Movies In The Park begins July 2nd with concerts every Thursday night and outdoor Movie Nights every Friday beginning Aug. 14th, all at Lake Burien Memorial Park, which is located at at SW 148th and 16th SW.

The lineup includes:

MUSIC CONCERTS (every Thurs. night from 6:30pm-8:30pm):

• July 2nd: Total Experience Gospel Choir, one of the Northwest’s finest soulful ensembles
• July 9th: Bottle Rockit, Seattle’s Party Animal Band Let Out of the Cage
• July 16th: Family Fiesta Night featuring Evolucion Latina
• July 23rd: Manooghi Hi, Psychedelic Bombagrunge that will Rock Your Socks Off
• July 30th, Deadwood Revival, Some of the Best Hillbilly Jam Grass!
• Aug. 6th: The Staxx Brothers, An Eclectic Experience Blending Hip-Hop, R&B and Powerful Funk

FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIES (every Fri. night beginning Aug. 14th at dusk):

• Aug. 14th: “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 3-D!
• Aug. 21st: Double Feature: “Freaky Friday” and the Burien premiere of “The Day My Parents Became Cool” (see our previous coverage of this locally-shot film here)

To get you in a musical or cinematic mood, here are some videos to enjoy from the comfort of your PC:

Total Experience Gospel Choir:

The Staxx Brothers:

“Kismet” by Manooghi Hi:

“Good Day Sunshine” by Deadwood Revival:

“The Day My Parents Became Cool“:

“Journey to the Center of the Earth“:

For more information, please call (206) 988-3700 or visit www.burienparks.net.

Burien-area filmmaker Steve Edmiston (Writer/Director of “The Day My Parents Became Cool“) has doubled up with two films premiering at the prestigious Seattle International Film Festival, including his latest work “The Spy and the Sparrow,” which will premiere at 9pm tonight (Wed. June 10th).

Edmiston’s short comedy (and his directorial bow), “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” made its Northwest premiere at SIFF on Sunday, May 31st, at the SIFF Cinema (Nesholm Family Lecture Hall. Then, SIFF hosts the world premiere of “The Spy and the Sparrow,” a feature length spy thriller with an A-list Hollywood cast that Edmiston wrote and co-produced, tonight (Wed. 6/10) at 9pm (SIFF Cinema), as well as on Saturday, June 13th at 11am at the Egyptian (801 East Pine Street, Seattle).

“The Day My Parents Became Cool” is a 17-minute comedy about a group of teenagers who wake up one morning to find that adults have co-opted teen fashion, complete with tattoos, body piercings and sagging jeans. The film was named “Best Short Comedy” at the recent International Family Film Festival in Los Angeles, world premiered at the Sedona International Film Festival, just screened at the Big Island Film Festival, and was selected to open the Prescott Film Festival. The film has a unique local pedigree – it features nearly 150 public high school students (both in front and behind the camera) from seven high schools in Highline and Federal Way school districts (see our previous, extensive coverage here).

“We wanted to bring an arts experience to students who are suffering the loss of their access to art at school. What we never anticipated is the degree to which the community would jump on board the project – we had two cities, arts commissions, county officials, private businesses and individuals – all saying ‘yes’ to nearly whatever we needed to bring this project to the kids,” said Edmiston. “Sharing the film at SIFF is a very big deal – most of the kids haven’t seen it yet and have no idea how wonderful they are in the film.”

The Spy and the Sparrow is directed by award-winning and Seattle-based Garrett Bennett. Edmiston scripted the character-driven thriller about the deep devotion and repressed love that reunites a retired CIA deep cover operative and his estranged daughter following two decades of separation. The film features perhaps the finest cast ever assembled for an independent film produced entirely in Seattle, including Academy Award Nominee Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, Heroes), David Rasche (Burn After Reading, Flags of Our Fathers), Elisabeth Rohm (Law & Order, The Mentalist), and Chad Lindberg (CSI: NY, The Rookie, The Fast and the Furious).

The film is described as a “sly and surprising,” and is part of “unprecedented lineup of work by local filmmakers,” says SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence. “These films are an important testament to the burgeoning Seattle filmmaking community and give Northwest audiences another way to find the unexpected in extraordinary films that enrich us all.”

Now in its 35th year, the Seattle International Film Festival is the largest and most highly-attended film festival in the United States, showcasing more than 400 films from over 60 countries to an audience of 150,000 attendees annually. Listed by Variety as one of the world’s “50 unmissable film festivals,” SIFF continues to be recognized as one of the top festivals in North America.

Here’s a scene from “The Spy and the Sparrow“:

We first reported on the locally-made short comedy film “The Day My Parents Became Cool” last June when we posted a call for extras needed for scenes being filmed at Highline High School.

We reported from the set, showcased photos of the action, produced a video on the first sneak peek screening, interviewed Writer/Director Steve Edmiston as well wrote about the film’s first showing in various festivals (can you tell we love to see creative success?), and heck – we even proclaimed it as the #10 Top Burien-area story for 2008!

Well now we’ve got more exciting news about this B-Town Baby, including the Burien-area premiere date, time and place:

WHAT: Outdoor screening and Burien “public” premiere at the “Music and Movies In The Park“

WHEN: Friday, August 21st starting around 8:30pm, just before the outdoor showing of “Freaky Friday“

WHERE: Lake Burien School Park

Here’s a letter from Writer/Director Steve Edmiston on what else has been going on with this film:

Friends!

So much exciting news to share!

After our debut in February/March at Sedona, and the “Best Comedy Short” award in LA at the International Family Film Festival, The Day My Parents Became Cool will finally be screening in Seattle! We are an official selection of the 35th Seattle International Film Festival! You can see us in the press release at http://www.seattlefilm.com/about/news/detail.aspx?NID=158&year=2009.

Specific dates and times are TBD, but we will be screening on weekend of May 29-31, 2009. We will screen in the new state-of-the-art SIFF Cinema at Seattle Center, where all formats are brilliantly projected.

SIFF is an Oscar-eligibility-nominating festival (winning films become eligible for Academy voting) – so hopefully we’ll fill the house with motivated Parents’ fans! SIFF is the largest and most well-attended film festival in the United States with 150,000 attendees expected in 2009. With extensive local, national and international media coverage, SIFF is frequently included among the top 10 film festivals in the world.

We will organize event(s) around our Seattle premier, and keep you posted! (Please contact me if you wish to help!)

But wait, there’s more…

Big Island Film Festival Festival dates: May 14-17, 2009 Parents screening date: Saturday, May 16
BIFF is one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Twenty Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.” Please let me know if you might wish to attend this outdoor fest! We need a representative to talk up the film during Q&A! Doesn’t get any better than this – big screens and palm trees, tropical beaches and celebrities! http://www.bigislandfilmfestival.com/

Prescott Film Festival and Series Parents screening date: May 13, 2009
This is a brand new festival and film series (the festival directors saw us at Sedona), and we have been invited us to be the opening night short film (so, does that mean “we’re number one?”). http://www.prescottfilmfestival.com/

A very special treat – the Seattle True Independent Film Festival Festival dates: June 5-14, 2009
Parents screening dates: June 8, 2009
This festival is the ultimate in cool, eclecticism, and fun. Last year, Moby (yes, Moby) was the special guest. We love this fest. Check us out at http://stiff.bside.com/2009/films/thedaymyparentsbecamecool_stiff2009.

A truly big, truly outdoor screening – Burien Strawberry Festival Parents screening date: Friday, August 21, 2009
Once again, thank you Burien! We are a special screening before Freaky Friday.

Thanks for all of your support – our Parents team is phenomenal, and we’re about to have a bunch of fun – thanks!

- Steve

www.thedaymyparentsbecamecool.com

And, in case you haven’t seen it yet, the sharply-edited trailer:

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• UPDATE: “The Day My Parents Became Cool” LA Screening
• VIDEO:”The Day My Parents Became Cool” Trailer + News
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

Megan Joy, left, is Paige and Highline Schools' Superintendent John Welch is Principal Higgens in "The Day My Parents Became Cool."

Area lawyer-turned-filmmaker Steve Edmiston, the Writer/Director behind the locally-produced comedy short “The Day My Parents Became Cool” has sent us this update on how his film is screening in Hollywood this coming week:

Friends –

“The Day My Parents Became Cool” is screening this week in Hollywood!

In addition to our world premiere at the Sedona International Film Festival, we are delighted to be “double-booked” with an official acceptance and two screenings in Hollywood at the 14th International Family Film Festival!

“Our man in Hollywood” representing the film at the IFFF is none other than Peter Weinstein – our wonderful “Dad” in the film. Peter will be attending both LA screenings for Q&A and we thought that many of our cast, crew, and “cool” supporters may want to forward this message to their LA contacts if they want to “show off” our collective efforts!

Also – we will have the additional support on Sunday of being represented in LA by Victor Kepler of EKE Pictures (our “executive-executive producer?”); Victor is flying to LA from Seattle to attend events on Sunday.

The scoop on the screenings:

* Thursday, February 26, at 2:00 pm
* Sunday, March 1, at 2:00 pm

The festival is at the wonderful Raleigh Studios in Hollywood:

Raleigh Studios
5300 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
Website: iffilmfest.org

A special thanks to Peter and Victor for “representing” at this event; and thanks, and a hearty congrats, to all on the successes so far.

-Steve

P.S. – if you haven’t already, check out the website and trailer at www.thedaymyparentsbecamecool.com. Very cool start! Updates to come.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• VIDEO:”The Day My Parents Became Cool” Trailer + News
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

We first broke the news about an original short comedy film being made in the area last June, then did reports from the set, at the sneak peek screening, and now we get official word that the world premiere for “The Day My Parents Became Cool” is set for the Sedona International Film Festival on Wednesday, February 25.

A second showing—on the festival’s biggest day—will be Saturday, February 28.

The film was written and directed by local filmmaker Steve Edmiston, a lawyer-turned-filmmaker, and here’s the well-produced trailer – see if you recognize any of the locations used:

The short has also been selected by the International Family Film Festival, and will play there on Thursday, Feb. 26th and Sunday March 1st in Hollywood.

“The Day My Parents Became Cool” is a comedic short about a group of teenagers who wake up one morning to find that adults have adopted teen fashion, complete with tattoos, body piercings, sagging jeans and lots of ‘tude. Edmiston describes the film as “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Patrick Schweiss, Executive Director of the Sedona International Film Festival, says “I was HOWLING through it (especially having an 11-year-old and 7-year-old myself)…I could totally relate.”

Some other reviews of the film we found on the film’s website (including our very own…):

“… a slick-looking comedy that goes beyond image and explores how parents and their kids relate..”
- Richard Seven, The Seattle Times

“…a cute, family-safe comedy about high school students’ reactions when all grown-ups (including parents and teachers) suddenly change their looks and personalities to rival that of the most outrageously-dressed teen. Solidly acted and directed, with a fun script, great original music, all beautifully shot in HD…”
- Scott Schaefer, B-Town Blog

“… a bizarre world where all of the adults on the entire planet have literally “become cool” and desire to look and act just like their teenage kids, which provides both comedy and horror.”
- Steve Clare, Prost Amerika Film

“…the story of a cosmic catastrophe that causes all adults on the planet to become “cool,” adopting teen fashion and body image… high school students are more than just another brick in the wall.”
- Lynsi Burton, Seattle Post Intelligencer

More than 100 students from Highline, Mount Rainier, and Federal Way high schools were involved with the movie as extras, script consultants, and production assistants. A band formed by Federal Way high school students composed and recorded music for the movie’s soundtrack.

The movie was shot at Highline High School in Burien and a home in Normandy Park.

The Day My Parents Became Cool was made on an extremely low budget, funded by contributions from community members and grants from King County 4Culture, the City of Burien and the Federal Way Arts Commission.

“This film literally started out as an idea for a neighborhood home movie for my daughters, but the script quickly turned into a much larger idea,” says Edmiston.  “We couldn’t have stepped up to a project of this size without the support of the schools, the cities, and local arts community.”

Other films written by Steve Edmiston include The Spy and the Sparrow and A Relative Thing. For more information about The Day My Parents Became Cool, go to www.thedaymyparentsbecamecool.com.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

Locally-shot and produced short film “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which we first reported on during its filming at Highline High School in late June had a sneak preview on Sunday, Dec. 7th and the B-Town Blog was there, along with nearly 300 other invited guests (including cast members, parents, production crew and more):

Our review of the 16-minute film is positive – it’s a cute, family-safe comedy about high school students’ reactions when all grown-ups (including parents and teachers) suddenly change their looks and personalities to rival that of the most outrageously-dressed teen.

Solidly acted and directed, with a fun script, great original music, all beautifully shot in HD mostly in and around Highline High School and a home in Normandy Park, “The Day My Parents Became Cool” has the potential to not only make it to several short film festivals, but to possibly be optioned (and re-made) into a feature-length motion picture.

If you’re wondering when and where you can see it, be patient – the goal now is to get it into as many film festivals as possible, which means it can’t be shown locally until then. Rest assured, The B-Town Blog will keep you updated as to its progress in 2009, and we’re certain there will be a screening in the Burien area sometime soon.

Written and Directed by area resident Steve Edmiston, the film’s plot is (according to its website):

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a short comedy that arises from the battleground conflict between parents and their rebellious teenaged children everywhere — fashion and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a modern, comic, costume drama — and every teen’s worst nightmare — creating a brave new world where adults, for inexplicable, perhaps cosmic, reasons, simultaneously adopt every teen trend in attire and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool tells the story of what one small group of teenagers do when every outward manifestation of their “rebelliousness” has been co-opted by . . . the enemy.

High School student Paige and her middle-school sister Madison drift off to sleep one night after being chastised by their conservative parents for staying up late on a school night, completely mesmerized by the classic film, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

The next day, Paige discovers the horror: inexplicably, both her parents are dressing for the day in clothing identical to that she sees in school. Her mother has super-tight jeans, with a thong extending up over her hips; her father pulls his suit pants down below his butt, exposing his white boxers. What Paige thinks is a lame Dr. Phil reverse-psychology stunt turns out to be a much bigger problem. At school, every adult — every teacher, coach and even the principal are in full-on teenage apparel mode. Hip hop, Goth, Emo, Gangster, Preppy — tattoos, piercings, thongs, sagging jeans. And acting like nothing is out of the ordinary.

When Paige and her friends learn the problem is worldwide, they band together and begin to fight back. First they try their own brand of reverse psychology; then they try to lead the adults down a completely alternative path of “cool.” Nothing works.

When Paige learns the REAL reason that the adults have suddenly lost all sense of taste and conservatism, it becomes clear that there is only one course of action.

Abandon all forms of manifested rebelliousness and individuality to the adults.

And start anew.

Quick update from area resident Steve Edmiston, the Writer/Director behind “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which we reported on during its filming at Highline High School in late June:

“We’re about one week from being ready to begin the film festival submission process.  Of course, we (as everyone in this business is compelled to do, down to our DNA) will send the film to Sundance!  Of course, our festival strategy does not plan on Sundance, and we anticipate that in 2009 we will screen at as many as 30 festivals around the world.  In Washington, we will seek to share the film at terrific festivals in Port Townsend, Bainbridge Island, Tacoma, Olympia, and of course, the Seattle International Film Festival.

It’s cool!

We WILL be scheduling some free test screenings in the Burien/Des Moines/Federal Way areas.  I will keep YOU posted!

Now, you know that I’m biased, but I think the film turned out wonderfully!  One of the fun things (strangely) is the credit roll, because it is LONG – and what I mean by that, it reflects a huge outpouring of support from our local communities – including the City of Burien, Highline Public Schools, Highline High School, Federal Way Arts Commission, King County 4Culture, Des Moines Rotary, local businesses, 150 high school and middle school kids, parents, volunteers – it just goes on and on.”

As always, we’ll keep you posted on the progress of this locally-created and produced film, so stay tuned!

Just got back from spending a couple of hours on the shooting set of “The Day My Parents Became Cool,” which (as we first reported here) is filming all weekend at Highline High School.

The film is sponsored by the City of Burien, 4culture, the City of Federal Way, and many others, and has been fully approved by the Highline School District as well as Highline High School.

On set, we saw:

• Several scenes being shot (and re-shot)
• Numerous extras in wild costumes from various high schools in the area
• Actual teachers and staff
• A few real, paid actors and actresses
• And in what is sure to be a massive career change, even Highline Schools Superintendent John Welch as a high school principal gone nutty:

All under the supervision of local Writer/Director Steve Edmiston, who’s doing a heckuva job.

If you’ve ever been on an active movie set, you know that the combined collaborative creativity makes it one of the most enjoyable “jobs” in the world. Being a show biz vet ourselves, we appreciate what it takes to get to the point that Steve and Co. are at this weekend – hours and hours of writing, re-writing, pre-production, fundraising, phone calls, meetings, making deals with School Superintendents, Teachers, managers, staff, students, hiring an entire film crew, getting props, costumes and more, as well as unpredictable variables like whether the weather will cooperate or not (BTW, today’s light overcast is ideal for film lighting so here’s one reason to hope the sun does not come out today).

Below are some photos we took as we silently lurked during actual production:

You can still help support this film by buying t-shirts and other swag here!

Local resident Steve Edmiston is Writing and Directing a short comedy film in Burien this coming weekend (6/20-23), and he’s still seeking some extras for an all-day Saturday shoot at Highline High School.

The film is called The Day My Parents Became Cool, and is sponsored by the City of Burien, 4culture, the City of Federal Way, and many others. It has been fully approved by the Highline School District as well as Highline High School.

Steve is a local lawyer and gamemaker whose true passion is filmmaking. He has written several feature films before, and this will be his first time Directing.

The B-Town Blog plans to be on set Saturday, so expect a full report (with photos and perhaps video) early next week.

This is a not-for-profit production meant to entertain, educate and inspire through humor, along the lines of comedic role reversal films like Freaky Friday and Big:

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a short comedy that arises from the battleground conflict between parents and their rebellious teenaged children everywhere — fashion and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool is a modern, comic, costume drama — and every teen’s worst nightmare — creating a brave new world where adults, for inexplicable, perhaps cosmic, reasons, simultaneously adopt every teen trend in attire and body image.

The Day My Parents Became Cool tells the story of what one small group of teenagers do when every outward manifestation of their “rebelliousness” has been co-opted by . . . the enemy.

High School student Paige and her middle-school sister Madison drift off to sleep one night after being chastised by their conservative parents for staying up late on a school night, completely mesmerized by the classic film, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

The next day, Paige discovers the horror: inexplicably, both her parents are dressing for the day in clothing identical to that she sees in school. Her mother has super-tight jeans, with a thong extending up over her hips; her father pulls his suit pants down below his butt, exposing his white boxers. What Paige thinks is a lame Dr. Phil reverse-psychology stunt turns out to be a much bigger problem. At school, every adult — every teacher, coach and even the principal are in full-on teenage apparel mode. Hip hop, Goth, Emo, Gangster, Preppy — tattoos, piercings, thongs, sagging jeans. And acting like nothing is out of the ordinary.

When Paige and her friends learn the problem is worldwide, they band together and begin to fight back. First they try their own brand of reverse psychology; then they try to lead the adults down a completely alternative path of “cool.” Nothing works.

When Paige learns the REAL reason that the adults have suddenly lost all sense of taste and conservatism, it becomes clear that there is only one course of action.

Abandon all forms of manifested rebelliousness and individuality to the adults.

And start anew.

The film is being produced with the cooperation of two Washington State school districts and three high schools, and is providing an opportunity for over 100 high school students to work with filmmaking professionals.

This is a project of the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF), and donations are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows (click here to donate and “Become Cool”).

If you are in High School or look like it, Steve invites you to take advantage of this opportunity to be in a short film that will have you, your friends and your parents laughing all the way out of the theater.

Extras need to be on set at Highline High School, in Burien, the whole morning of Saturday, June 21st, and according to Steve, calltime is 7am!

Extras will get food and film credit (but no pay), as well as the close-up experience of seeing how a professional film is made.

NOTE: To sign up as an Extra, you must first register online, so please click here.

To donate, and “Become Cool,” please click here.

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