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‘Station to Station’ to have its world premiere at the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival

The Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival (LVIFSF) announced the world premiere of Station to Station — the highly anticipated psychological drama from writer-director Benjamin Bryant — will take place opening night of the festival, Tuesday, November 9, with the film available for virtual screening throughout the festival. Digital Journal has the scoop.

David Eggers II in 'Station to Station'
David Eggers II in 'Station to Station.' Photo Credit: Bryant Zamberlan Group
David Eggers II in 'Station to Station.' Photo Credit: Bryant Zamberlan Group

The Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival (LVIFSF) announced the world premiere of ‘Station to Station’ — the highly anticipated psychological drama from writer-director Benjamin Bryant — will take place opening night of the festival, Tuesday, November 9, with the film available for virtual screening throughout the festival. Digital Journal has the scoop.

The award-winning feature will screen in competition, following the announcement of ‘Station to Station’ as one of three finalists for “Best Drama Feature.” Immediately following the screening (scheduled for 9 pm Eastern/6 pm Pacific), Bryant and star David Eggers II, will sit for a live Q&A session about the film.

Shot and set in Las Vegas, “Station to Station” tells the story of Tom Ryan (David Eggers), the boundary-pushing, David Bowie-obsessed son of a housekeeper in New York’s tony Hamptons. After the revelation of a long-held secret shatters his sense of self, Tom flees to the electric anonymity of Las Vegas to forget, where a chance meeting with an intriguing stranger offers him the ultimate distraction, launching Tom headfirst into a 20-something’s paradise—a charged, stimulating world of indulgence, adulation, and exhibition; where he makes unexpected connections and a “found” family of choice.

When his new world starts to come apart from within (in a harrowing series of third-act events, each with Tom at the center) Tom learns how easily things left unresolved find their own ways to force resolution.

Early reviews of “Station to Station” have drawn comparisons of Tom to both J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye protagonist, the aimlessly seeking, unfulfilled Holden Caulfield, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Eddie Adams (of Boogie Nights), and both make for fitting comparisons, but Tom Ryan and the characters of Station to Station are decidedly placed in a uniquely 21st-century environment, as the film explores our rapidly evolving perceptions and conventions of family, friendship, gender roles, sexuality, and self-determination–probing, and often challenging, the assumptions and judgments we (both the characters and the audience) make about ourselves and each other.

“Station to Station” is the debut feature film for writer-director Bryant, a former broadcaster-turned-Obama administration official Bryant, who turned his attentions to creative pursuits in 2016, producing the Emmy-winning digital drama ‘Anacostia’, several holiday-themed films, and developing news/documentary projects along the way (Bryant has also developed a substantial voicework career in recent years, playing lead roles on several narrative podcasts, including multiple seasons as “Gregory Marshall,” alongside daytime icons Beth Ehlers and Lauren B. Martin, on the audio serial “Forever and a Day”).

The film has been an early breakout at non-festival independent film awards events, winning “Best Narrative Feature,” “Best Actor,” for Eggers, and “Best Ensemble Cast” honors in July from the IndieEye Film Awards; taking home six Awards of Merit — for Actor (Eggers, with Special Mention), Supporting Actor (Jordan Getty as Jordan, Andrew Cawley as Casey), Script/Writing, Original Score, and an Award of Recognition (Cate Farrow as Sarah), from the IndieFEST awards program in August; while FILMHAUS Berlin announced seven nominations for Station to Station including Best Feature, Original Concept, Directorial Debut, Score, Costume Design, and Ensemble Cast in October.

In addition, the film has been recognized with both nominations and wins for both LGBTQ and Asian/Asian-American inclusion in the film.

In addition to the film’s nomination for “Best Drama Feature,” at the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival, Station to Station will compete for the additional genre, performance, and technical awards, to be given out at the festival’s closing event, the LVIFSF 2021 Film Awards ceremony, to be streamed nationally on Saturday, November 13th.

For Bryant, the selection of the film to help open LVIFSF 2021 is an honor with deep emotional resonance.

“When we set the film in Las Vegas, and began planning, we had no idea the city would still be under heavy restrictions in October,” he notes.

“That created many challenges, both practical and creative, but we were fully supported by the people of Las Vegas and Clark County, who were having to adapt their own professional pursuits and way of life, for the same reason. We felt embraced and our love of the city and her people only grew—even as we shot in a bubble, ‘experiencing’ Vegas very differently than the average visitor. As a result, everyone involved in the film feels such a connection and kinship with Las Vegas. It is extremely significant for us to be able to debut the film in Las Vegas, and we are both humbled and grateful to be selected as LVIFSF’s opening night selection,” he elaborated.

COVID-19 has also brought changes to the annual festival, which will again be virtual, a change that does have a silver lining for lovers of both Vegas and film everywhere: the bulk of the festival program will be available online and available to viewers all over the country, including screening films, filmmaker Q&As, educational seminars with industry insiders, and awards ceremonies for screenwriting and film finalists. Films and film blocks can be unlocked and streamed for only $10, and most seminars and ceremonies are free. (Passes are also available.)

And for those who can’t watch the screenings or other events in real-time, the virtual format allows ticket holders to buy a ticket at any time, but watch films and events when most convenient to them over the week following, something Bryant thinks creates an opportunity for both the festival and Station to Station.

“It’s my hope the virtual format of this year’s festival — which will allow visitors to buy tickets upfront, but watch the films or events on any day — allows an even greater audience to not only see ‘Station to Station,’ but also to experience the truly exceptional event that is the Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival.”

The film features an original score, also nominated by the LVIFSF judges, by Austin-based musician Francis McGrath, and three original songs – two dance songs and memorable rock ballad “Changing Stations,” that closes the film – written McGrath and Bryant, sung by a variety of artists, including Broadway star Jon Hacker (currently resuming the national tour of ‘Jersey Boys,’ as Frankie Valli), who performs “Changing Stations.”

The film also stars Anthony Henderson, Nailya Shakirova, Anthony Henderson, Josh Beck, and South African singer, model, and actor Benedikt Sebastian in a memorable turn as a reminder of the past Tom is seeking to outrun.

‘Station to Station’ is produced by Bryant and Tommy Zamberlan for the Bryant Zamberlan Group and the BZ/MP, with McGrath, Diann Lewis-Charles, Christopher Matteis, and playwright Matthew Weaver among the key production team. Learn more about Station to Station, get details on the film’s world premiere Tuesday, November 9th on the opening night of the Las Vegas International Film and Screenplay Festival.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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