FOR RELEASE: Oct. 28, 1999

CSUN Professor Sees Dream Come True
with Los Angeles Opening of Film

The film will enjoy a premiere screening tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Charlie Chaplin Theatre on the Raleigh Studios lot in Hollywood before it opens Nov. 5 at the Laemmle's Grand 4-PLEX and selected theaters nationwide. Friday's premiere will benefit Zenith Youth Homes in Inglewood and CSUN's Department of Radio-Television-Film.

"I'm ecstatic that it's opening. After three years, you have moments when you doubt that the project will ever end," Thomas (right) said. "The film has such a powerful message and a timely topic with all the problems with child protective services around the country, especially in cities like Los Angeles."

"East of Hope Street" was written and produced by Thomas and his lifelong friend, actor Tim Russ, star of UPN's "Star Trek: Voyager" television series. It features the work of Northridge students both as actors and members of the movie's crew.

"The professional level of the students was just outstanding," Thomas said. "They could easily walk onto any set in Hollywood and do the job."

Russ agreed, saying, "We couldn't have made the film without the university's help or the students."

The film, made on a budget of about $100,000, was financed by Russ (left) and family and friends of the actor and Thomas. It was shot over a 17-day period in the summer of 1996 around Los Angeles and on the Cal State Northridge campus.

"East of Hope Street" offers a view of Los Angeles few people ever see. It focuses on a teen-aged Latina who is taken out of an abusive home and endures a series of painful experiences while growing up in a child protective program.

The film is based, in part, on Thomas' 10 years of working as a counselor at a Los Angeles-based residential treatment center for teen-aged girls.

"The vast majority of the information in this film was taken from actual events," Russ said. "When we decided to put together a story about these kids, we made the lead character a composite of several kids. All the events were real, we simply put them in order, into a two- or three-year slice of this young girlšs life."

Thomas said the movie's gritty subject was one of the reasons it took three years, from the time it was made, for the film to finally open.

"There's a resistance in Hollywood in dealing with a topic matter like this," he said. "Very few people want to deal with serious social issues in film right now."

It may have taken three years to get released, but along the way "East of Hope Street" has garnered several accolades, including Best Urban Drama at the New York International Independent Film Festival in 1998, Best Feature Film at the New Orleans Urban Film Festival in 1998, First Place in cross cultural entries at the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Festival in 1998 and a Jury Award at the Hollywood Black Film Festival in 1998.

Russ said he is happy the film is finally being released.

"It's the story about one person's efforts to deal with obstacles not brought upon herself, but rather as a victim of circumstances," he said. "She is forced to make some very tough decisions about what she wants to do in her life. Her experience is something we can all learn from."

A scene from the film "East of Hope Street."