New York playwright with local ties to show and discuss his movie 'Driveways' at free event Monday
Aug. 3—GRAND FORKS — A playwright and a native of East Grand Forks, Paul Thureen will show his award-winning film, "Driveways," at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Ave.
Thureen, who lives in New York City, will also host a "talkback" discussion following the film screening. He is the son of Faythe Dyrud Thureen, children's author and longtime UND Norwegian language teacher, and the late Gordon Thureen, who farmed in this area.
The event is free and open to the public.
Thureen and Hannah Bos wrote the screenplay, drawing from their experience growing up in the Midwest. Thureen is also a writer for shows including "Somebody Somewhere," "Strangers," "High Maintenance" and "Mozart in the Jungle."
The movie, directed by Andrew Ahn, made its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and its American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, both in 2020.
"Driveways," a drama shot in New York's Hudson Valley region, mostly around Poughkeepsie, garnered positive reviews and several award nominations, including two 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards: for Best First Screenplay and Best Female Lead.
Variety, a film industry publication, praised it as "an all-too-welcome gift: a film about kindness."
The 83-minute film follows a lonesome, 8-year-old boy who accompanies his mother on a trip to clean out his late aunt's house and prepare it for sale, and ends up forming an unexpected friendship with an elderly widower and Korean War veteran, played by Brian Dennehy, who lives next door. Dennehy, a Golden Globe Award winner, died a month before the movie was released.
In the U.S., the film was released by FilmRise via video-on-demand, instead of a theatrical release, in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During Monday's event, the winner for the "Driveways" photo contest, sponsored by the Empire Arts Center, will be announced.
The photos will be shown on the Empire's lobby screens and auditorium screen. Visitors may vote for their favorite photo. The winner will be announced that evening.
Thureen is in town, working with students enrolled in the two-week Empire Arts Center's Summer Movie Camp for Teens. The camp is meant to give students hands-on experiences in movie-making — writing, shooting and editing.
The students plan to present their films during a "red carpet" premiere and reception beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 at the Empire. Films will be shown at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $8, including fees.