At *long* last, I can happily say that Lebanon, Pa. is coming to theaters!

We open in NY and Philadelphia on April 29th!

We are booking more cities and will announce them as we lock dates.

New poster, new trailer and more info coming soon!

If you’re not following us on facebook yet, now is a good time do so for the latest updates! www.facebook.com/lebanonpa (more…)

I know it’s been a long wait. But rest assured, anyone who wants to see Lebanon, Pa. in 2011 CAN see Lebanon, Pa. in 2011!!

Release info coming soon…

We had a wonderful week in the Philadelphia Film Festival. Three packed screenings with enthusiastic crowds and spirited Q&As with Rachel and I (and we got Josh and Samantha to call in!). I hope to get pictures up soon…

Including a pic of Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter handing me the “Filmadelphia” award, the jury prize for best film made in PA! (more…)

In advance of our official East Coast Premiere in the Philadelphia Film Fest this weekend, we’ve got a new batch of reviews!

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR ALL THREE SCREENINGS: Fri 10/15,Sun  10/17 and Sun 10/24. Click here to buy tickets!

First, a glowing review in the Huffington Post:

Click here to read the HuffPost review!

“Ben Hickernell, the writer and director of Lebanon, PA, has created a superb bittersweet drama that’s low key until it works itself up into a real tornado. He has courageously taken on the cultural divide and the political war in America, and smartly by exposing the human story behind the political headlines. While entertaining us, Hickernell has given us much to think about.”

Second, 3 out of 4 stars from Carrie Rickey in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Click here to read the Inquirer review!

“…a poignant portrait of unlikely friendship and a pungent contrast of urban clamor and small-town murmur… Without taking sides in the city-vs.-country debate, Hickernell elicits sympathetic performances from both of his leads, particularly newcomer Kitson, who is a performer of subtlety and intelligence.”

Third, FilmThreat gives us 4 out of 5 stars:

Click here to read the FilmThreat review!

“Lebanon, PA is a beautiful film with powerful characters and a story you can really connect with…”

Fourth, we’re included on the Philadelphia Weekly’s list of suggested movie to see at the festival!

Click here to read the Philly Weekly Review!

Lebanon, Pa. “limns our culture clash without pandering to either side…”

Fifth, The Philadelphia CityPaper says Ben Hickernell “elicits warm performances from his three leads, and exhibits an eye for composition, an ear for dialogue and a nice sense for the rhythm of life.”

Click Here to read the Philly CityPaper review!

And finally, another positive mention in the Inquirer:

Click here to read the Inquirer article!

“A heart-warmer… (that) features the knockout movie debut of Rachel Kitson…”

First order of business: Tickets are on sale right now for our Pennsylvania homecoming at the Philadelphia Film Festival – 10/15, 10/17 and 10/24. Click here to buy tickets.

Second order of business: Brand new trailer with new footage! Click here to view! (Or click the trailer tab).

Now, that being said, let me report that Lebanon, Pa. won the “Standout Film Award” at the Hells Half Mile Film Festival in Michigan! Full report (with lots of pics!) if you click “more.” (more…)

We’re bringing the movie home to PA for the first time as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival!

Our official East Coast Premiere will be at the Prince Music Theater on Friday, October 15th at 5pm. We will also screen Sunday, 10/17 at 4pm at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and Sunday 10/24 at 7:15 pm at the Rave University City. The Philadelphia Film Festival is really stepping it up this year with some new high-profile programmers and a fantastic lineup. We’re honored to be a part of it!!

You can buy tickets starting today here: http://filmadelphia.bside.com/2010/films/lebanonpa_filmadelphia2010

Pennsylvanians, hope to see you there!!!

Back to Philly from Traverse City and Woods Hole. Traverse City was an amazing experience and I need to do another entry with stories and photos from our trip to both festivals. But first, I have to share that Lebanon, Pa. won the “Founder’s Prize for Best Fiction Film” at Traverse City Film Festival! It’s a huge honor and we are so grateful for the warm reception we received in Traverse City. The audiences just *got* the film, and it was humbling to see how deeply the film moved people. Thank you, Traverse City!!

http://www.traversecityfilmfest.org/traverse-city-film-festival-movies/awards/

Time to pack before my afternoon flight to Traverse City… We’ll be posting pics, videos and posts from TCFF and Woods Hole this week so keep checking in!

First up: Two stories hitting today.

1) Variety story on TCFF which includes a quote from Ben

2) Film Gecko (film blog) interview w/ Michael Moore in which he says some awesome things about the movie and why he chose it for Traverse City

The official blog for the Traverse City Film Festival just interviewed me. The personnel at the fest have been wonderfully supportive of the film, and I’m grateful. Should be a great time!!

http://www.traversecityfilmfest.org/496/tcff-filmmaker-spotlight-ben-hickernell/

I’m very proud to announce our inclusion in the invitation-only Traverse City Film Festival! This will be our first screening since SXSW. We play in Traverse City, Michigan on Wednesday July 28th and Sunday August 1st. You can purchase tickets here: http://traverse.bside.com/2010/films/lebanonpa_traverse2010.