Submitted by Sandy Prescott, Whiteside County Economic Development
Dashford Media announced that their film Blacklight has been selected to be screened at the Julien Dubuque Film Festival on April 24 and 25, 2021, along with a special screening in Galena, IL on April 17. Dashford Media, owned and operated by local filmmaker Don Hatton, and his partner Nick Snow, have offices in Rockford, IL and Brooklyn, NY.
Blacklight is a supernatural crime thriller directed by Nick Snow and produced by Don Hatton. The movie was primarily shot between Brooklyn, NY, Hawley, PA, and the Rockford, IL region. They filmed scenes in areas of NW Illinois utilizing exterior spaces in downtown Rockford and also Rock Cut State Park. Some interiors included the National Lock Building and Carl’s Auto, both located in Rockford. They also filmed at Stronghold Castle located in Oregon, IL. where they stayed in the castle for a week. The staff at Stronghold put them up and fed the cast and crew making the overall shoot flow with ease since there was no need to leave the property.
So far in 2021 Blacklight has been screened in various film festivals and has pulled in several awards, including the Award of Excellence for Best Feature Film, and Lead Actor & Award of Merit for Lead Actress at the Indie Fest Film Awards. Blacklight was also selected internationally in the Montreal Independent Film Festival. The movie features an ensemble cast that includes actors Victor Verhaeghe (Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks and Boardwalk Empire with Steve Buscemi), Grant Lancaster, Bristol Pomeroy, Brooks Russell, Samantha Aneson, Richard Templeton, Corey Scott Rutledge, Brad Stuart, and Roberto Serrini.
You can see Blacklight at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival by purchasing tickets on their website. There will be limited seating in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines so be sure to check out availability as soon as they go on sale 4/12/21. The 4/17 screening will be in Galena, IL. while the 4/24 and 4/25 screenings will be in Dubuque, IA. Nick Snow and Don Hatton will be attending and will host Q&A after each screening. Some of the featured actors cast locally in the NW Illinois region are expected to be present as well. Visit https://julienfilmfest.com/schedule to view the schedule and purchase tickets.
Gary Camarano, Executive Director of Northwest Illinois Film Office said, “Blacklight is one of three independent films that recently finished production in the Northwest Illinois region and are beginning to attract industry and viewer interest. Rockford’s Never Submit Entertainment’s Without Grace and Chicago’s JJack Production’s Hunter’s Creed are also attracting a lot of attention and gathering film festival awards.” The Northwest Illinois Region is home to over 5,000 miles of film friendly communities and locations for film production, and has also provided locations and post-production facilities for two major studio productions, and two independent documentaries.
For additional information about Blacklight visit BlacklightMovie.com . For information about the Northwest Illinois Film Office contact gcamarano@whiteside.org
