FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 1, 2001
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Jongiorgi Enos, Co-President of Pacific Island Films and Producer, Director and Screenwriter, will direct the feature-length film "The Long Walk of Patience Loader", an historical drama in which American emigrants triumph over adversity and find religious freedom.
Scheduled to begin filming in Utah and Wyoming this July, the movie traces the arduous, 1,300 mile journey of the Edward Martin handcart company across the plains to Utah in the fall of 1856. Caught in an unseasonal blizzard, large numbers of the company of 500 people died of starvation or froze to death.
Seen through the eyes of Patience Loader, a young woman in her twenties, this poignant film uses first-hand accounts of the pioneers gleaned from the diaries and journals that they kept while making the westward exodus. The movie features stylized re-creations of select events that set this American experience apart as one of the truly heroic events of the 19th century.
To be filmed in New York, Wyoming, and Utah, "The Long Walk of Patience Loader" visits actual Mormon Trail locations. Just as the Spanish Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Trail of Tears mark rich periods in American history, "The Long Walk of Patience Loader" tells another chapter in the settlement of the West with the story of a courageous group of pioneers seeking religious freedom at all costs.
Over a period of 20 years, beginning in the winter of 1846, more than 70,000 men, women, and children trekked to the Salt Lake Valley along the Mormon Trail. Led by Brigham Young, most of the emigrants walked the incredible 1,300-mile distance, carrying their earthly possessions in covered wagons and handcarts as they traveled across Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming into Utah, with the first group arriving at the Great Basin on July 24, 1847.
Filled with the fervor and fortitude of the Mormon pioneers who were part of that general migration, this landmark movie will recount the story of some five hundred pioneers from the eastern United States, Canada, England, the European continent, and South Africa. They traveled on ships, canal boats, trains, and riverboats and then came on foot in wagon trains and handcart companies.
"The Long Walk of Patience Loader" shows why this phenomenal journey was so significant in the historical fabric of the United States. Forsaking all they knew -- sometimes leaving behind friends and family -- these emigrants moved toward the unknown with hope for a new start and a better life. Plagued by religious persecution, these Mormons relocated from upstate New York, to Kirtland, Ohio, to Independence, Missouri and to Nauvoo, Illinois before being driven West. While the two-decade long migration saw thousands perish due to sickness, harsh weather, and the elements, the Mormon journey is seen as a tremendous success and a testament to human endurance.
For Latter-day Saints, the handcart story, particularly the account of the Willie and Martin companies, has unfortunately darkened the collective memory of the westering saga. But that episode should be remembered for the unparalleled gallantry exhibited by so many, immigrants and rescuers alike. Of particular note is the superb performance of the women; their courage and mettle contributed enormously to the eventual survival of both companies. It was at once the most ill-advised and tragic, the most heroic, and arguably the proudest single event in the Mormon pioneer experience
Sweetwater Films, a division of Pacific Island Films, will raise $U.S.2.5 million to produce "The Long Walk of Patience Loader". Production of the movie is timed to coincide with Sea Trek 2001 (the re-enactment of the historic European migration to America in tall ships) and the domestic release of the film is tentatively scheduled during Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in February, 2002. International release will follow thereafter.
The producers of the film, Jongiorgi Enos and Steve Stubbs, will conduct an international search for descendents of Patience Loader and also descendents of the surviving Martin handcart company members. One hundred of these descendents will be randomly chosen to attend the movie's premiere in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Mr. Enos has almost 25 years of industry experience in theatre, television and film both in front of and behind the camera, and is a prolific writer with an extensive library of original works currently in development. Mr. Enos was the associate producer of the low-budget feature, "Girl Crazy", which was sold to HBO/Cinemax, and has performed in close to 100 productions since his youth. He has worked with Richard Dutcher ("God's Army"), Helen Hunt, Mike Farrell, Paul Sorvino, Mercedes Reuhl, Bernie Kopell, Stanley Brock, Sonny Fox, Greg Louganis, James Wilder, Dion Anderson and others. Currently, Mr. Enos has a major supporting role in Zion films' "Brigham City", which will begin its national release on April 6, 2001.
After eight years working at the executive level of the Hollywood studios in legal and marketing, and after over 24 years working hands-on in every creative aspect of film, theatre and television, Mr. Enos will be deeply involved in every facet of the production process on "Patience Loader".
For more information : E-mail: starz@filmandtv.net
For a copy of the investment prospectus and marketing plans : Call (310) 384-FILM or E-mail: starz@jps.net
Copyright © 1997-2001 Pacific Island Films
Enos is probably best known to broader audiences for his supporting role in Richard Dutcher's "Brigham City." Enos plays "Ed", the boyfriend of Peg (the film's female lead). Ed is a tow truck driver in the small town of Brigham, Utah. After Richard Dutcher, Matthew Brown, Carrie Morgan and Wilford Brimley, Enos had the fifth largest role in the film. It was also one of that film's most challenging and multi-layered roles.
For the record, Jon Enos is not the same person as actor John Enos. John Enos may be best known for a major role he had on the TV series "Melrose Place", but he has also had small parts in such major films as Blade (1998), The Rock (1996) and Death Becomes Her (1992).
Steve Stubbs is a partner, and is an independent producer. Mr. Stubbs owns Pacific Island Films, and is a principal partner in the internet-based FilmandTV.net. He has been involved in the film and TV industries for more than twenty-five years, both in front of, and behind, the camera.His career began in 1974 when he became a regular cast member of "The Class of '74", a nationally syndicated TV series on Australian television.
He has appeared in numerous TV commercials, print ads, TV series and films. His post-production experience includes working with Director Yahoo Serious on the film Young Einstein, and with Robert Wagner on an episode of "Hart to Hart."
He brings to the project a wealth of experience in Internet, Television and the Film Industry.
I am co-producing a feature film titled "The Long Walk of Patience Loader" and need to contact descendents of Patience Loader and descendents of the other Martin Handcart Company members.We are scheduled to begin filming in Utah and Wyoming this July. The movie traces the arduous, 1,300 mile journey of the Edward Martin handcart company across the plains to Utah in the fall of 1856 after they arrived from Europe on the tall ships. Caught in an unseasonal blizzard, large numbers of the company of 500 people died of starvation or froze to death. Patience Loader survived and had four children.
We would love to hear from you if you are a direct descendent of the Martin handcart company members.
One hundred of these descendents will be randomly chosen to attend the movie's premiere in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Please contact Steve Stubbs at starz@jps.net or starz@filmandtv.net
Budget: $2,500,000.00
Length: 118 min
Circa: Past
Premise: Based on the true story of the ill-fated 1856 Martin Handcart Company crossing the great western plains and the main characters' struggle to survive. Romance, drama, period setting, very established niche target market appeal. Several A-list talent expressing interest. Thank you.
[Excerpts from the press release which relate to "The Long Walk of Patience Loader" are reproduced below:]
Los Angeles - September 17, 2001
Pacific Island Films (PIF), a fledgling mini-studio founded by Australian actor-turned-entrepreneur, Steve Stubbs (Class Of '74), was recently joined by Mormon actor-writer-director, Jongiorgi Enos (last seen by Mormon audiences as "John The Baptist" in Testaments Of One Fold And One Shepherd and as Peg's boyfriend "Ed" in Richard Dutcher's Brigham City). Since joining forces the two partners have announced their intention to launch Sweetwater Films (SWF), a division of the parent company, Pacific Island.
"The Sweetwater Films Division," explained a company spokeswoman, "Has a charter to produce films which explore, or at least certainly do not shy away from, faith-promoting themes, and the topics of faith in people's lives. For example, things like prayer, service, sacrifice and the general idea of religious devotion as motivating force behind human action." The spokeswoman went on to point out that while stories from many different faiths were being developed, including Catholic, Jewish and general Christian perspectives, SWF's initial production slate includes at least six Mormon-themed films. Sweetwater Film's Mormon-themed slate includes some sweeping historical epics, some contemporary dramas...
Ever since Richard Dutcher pioneered the niche market of theatrical motion pictures with Mormon themes in his ground-breaking film, God's Army, a host of new production companies have jumped into the so-called "Mormon Market." At least six different Mormon-themed films are scheduled to come out in the next year from as many different companies.
Dutcher, who has close personal ties with the principal partners of Pacific Island Films and has served as an Executive Consultant to the new company, has proved that with careful budgeting and marketing, and by producing high-quality product, a viable business can be achieved in what might otherwise be considered a narrow, unprofitable market. With so many quality scripts now available to Pacific Island, and with so much interest being generated by consumers in this growing niche, Stubbs and Enos say they are eager to bring stories of faith to the screen via their new Sweetwater Films Division. "The time is right," Enos said.
This past Spring, PIF first announced its intent to produce its moving historical epic, The Long Walk Of Patience Loader, a pioneer story following the heroine and her family across the plains. "The pioneer period of Mormon and American history, is one of the richest in our heritage," said Enos. "There are thousands of amazing stories during that period, and filmmakers will certainly be mining those rich narrative veins for years to come . . . at least I hope so!"
Enos went on to say: "I know of several pioneer-themed movies announced by other companies concurrently with ours, and it is all pretty exciting. I hope audiences are as excited as we filmmakers are! And I think they are. I mean, so far, we've received tons of response from actual decedents of the Loader family, e-mails and letters. It's amazing to read these people's stories. In fact, we hope to assemble a family portrait of sorts from all of the descendants that we can get together, maybe bring them all out to the premiere of the film. That's the plan anyway. We're trying to earmark a portion of the budget to get as many Loader descendants as we can to be a part of this."
Stubbs hastened to add, "While we are still in very active development, aggressively raising funds for the multi-million dollar project which Patience Loader is, the project is so big, and getting ready for it is taking so long, that the company decided that it would be a good idea to go ahead and put out one of our smaller budget films while everyone was waiting for Patience. . . No pun intended!" Stubbs joked.
Stubbs explained that while SWF was producing The Long Walk Of Patience Loader for release in late 2002 or in 2003, it would go ahead and "greenlight" a movie called Hazel & Rose. Stubbs said, "Hazel & Rose is an intimate, contemporary film, with a small cast, easy to produce, so we can get it into the market right away and start the ball rolling. I mean, we're so committed to making the Patience Loader project the highest quality movie that it can be -- its such an amazing script and story -- so we won't rush it into production until everything is ready. But while we're doing that, we'd like to do a great little feel-good film first."...
"With films like Hazel & Rose, Patience Loader, Adam Alone, Little Man, Sweetwater Ford, The Ben Thompson Story, Glenna's Graduation, The Downey's Under, The Sugar Beets, and many others currently in development, we hope to see Sweetwater Films become a major force in the faith-related markets and a recognized brand name for quality, humanity-affirming entertainment which is so lacking in today's Hollywood," affirmed Stubbs. "As a spiritually sensitive Catholic and a father of young children, I'm proud to be associated with the films we have in development under Sweetwater Films. It's a real family affair."...
Sweetwater Films has set up limited partnerships in order to offer qualified investors the opportunity to join with the company in producing its first two films and share in the profits therefrom. The Patience Loader Production Partnership, Ltd. is offering up to 35 shares of $100,000 each. Interested parties should contact the company directly: