Golden Globe Nominee Thora Birch and director Samantha Davidson Green are going to be discussing their Stony Brook Film Festival movies with Tom Needham on ‘The Sounds of Film.’
‘The Etruscan Smile’ star, Thora Birch, and ‘Thrasher Road’ director Samantha Davidson Green are Tom Needham’s exclusive guests this Thursday at 6pm on WUSB’s ‘The Sounds of Film.’ They are going to be speaking about their films’ screenings at the upcoming Stony Brook Film Festival.
Thora Birch is one of America’s most celebrated actresses. She rose to fame as a child star after starring in films like ‘Purple People Eater, ‘All I Want for Christmas,’ ‘Patriot Games,’ ‘Now and Then,’ and ‘Alaska.’ In 1988, she won the Young Artist Award for ‘Purple People Eater.’ She later became an international star when she was featured in the hit, ‘American Beauty.’ This role earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Next, she starred in critically-acclaimed film, ‘Ghost World,’ in which she was nominated for a the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Through the years, she has starred in memorable films and TV series and including ‘Parenthood,’ ‘Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story,’ and ‘Colony.’
Thora’s latest film is ‘The Etruscan Smile.’ The film tells the story of a rugged, old Scotsman who has reluctantly left his beloved Scottish Isle for medical treatment in America. Along the way, his life is transformed by a new-found bond with his baby grandson. ‘The Etruscan Smile’ stars Brian Cox, JJ Field, Thora Birch and Rosanna Arquette. Several of the actors are planning on attending the Stony Brook Film Festival’s 9:30pm screening on Saturday, July 21st.
Also on the ‘The Sounds of Film,’ is writer/director Samantha Davidson Greene. Her latest film, ‘Thrasher Road’ will be screening at the Stony Brook Film Festival on Sunday, July 22nd at 9:30pm. The film tells the story of a pregnant woman, Chloe, and her elderly dog, Thrasher, who drive off the road while leaving behind their broken dreams in California. Chloe receives unwelcome help from Mac, Chloe’s father. Stuck together with thousands of miles ahead of them and thirteen years’ estrangement behind them, they start to reconnect along the way. The movie features Allison Brown and Christian Kohn.
Samantha Davidson Greene earned her MFA in Film Directing at UCLA Graduate School of Film, TV & Digital Design. Her award winning short films have played around the world in festivals including Tribeca Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival and the AFL-CIO D.C. Labor Film Festival. She teaches Film Directing at Dartmouth College.
The 2018 Stony Brook Film Festival presented by Federal Credit Union presents films of great diversity this summer, both in their themes and settings. The schedule for the ten-day Festival, held at Staller Center at Stony Brook University from July 19-28, is available at stonybrookfilmfestival.com.
The Sounds of Film is the nation’s longest-running film and music themed radio show. For the past 30 years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming worldwide live on the internet. Previous people interviewed for the show include Cicely Tyson, Julie Andrews, Gretchen Carlson, Peter Singer, Dionne Warwick, William H. Macy, Ernest Dickerson, Mark Isham, Carter Burwell, and Alexander Payne.