Manna From Heaven
Updated 2/3/05
Gabrielle Burton will be screening Manna at the Fredonia Opera House in New York City on Feb 5th at 8 PM and Feb 8th at 7:30 PM, for those of you in the area. She will also be conducting a question-and-answer session, which will be taped and included on the DVD release of Manna when it's released this spring. The Fredonia Opera House is located at 11 Church Street in Fredonia, NY. See the Opera House's site for more info!
Updated 12/16/04!
Manna is at last coming to video and DVD!
The big news from the company is that MGM and Porchlight Entertainment will be releasing the film to DVD and video this spring! You can reserve your copy at the Sisters' website and also give them as gifts this holiday season, via printed postcards that they're also making available. Click the link to get yours now!
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This independent film was written, directed, and produced by the Five Sisters Production Company, made up of the real-life Burton sisters. The film features the tale of what happens after a suburban street is mysteriously showered by thousands of dollars. The residents of the street each use the money to their own advantage, and some years in the future, we see how they have made out. At this point in time it also becomes clear that they have to give the money back-- a tall order, since none of them have the money anymore. Harry plays the owner of a defunct dance studio which he owns with his wife (played by Faye Grant).
The Sisters' collaborative effort is a heartwarming family comedy, compared to the likes of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and work by Woody Allen and Frank Capra. Being an independent, of course, the Sisters have had to struggle to get screen time for their film in New York, California, and other venues throughout the country. They've had to pay out of pocket for stuff that bigger studios spend petty cash to get done. The more people who come out to see Manna, the more seats that are filled, the better chance the film has of getting to more and more theatres. So if it's playing near you, try to get out there and see it!
The official movie site has a trailer and more info!
Visit the official Five Sisters Production website
MANNA has been chosen as a premiere American film for the Canadian Circuit, run by Cam Haynes of the Toronto International Film Festival Group. This is a great honor, it means that MANNA will be opening in theaters across Canada beginning this fall.
Here are the cities and dates for MANNA's upcoming openings!
(because of fluctuating studio film releases, dates are subject to change...)
November 9 - Reno, Nevada
MANNA is playing at 2 pm exclusively at the CinéArts @ Riverside as part of the TFFG Circuit. What's more, there will be a special Q&A by director Gabrielle Burton and producer Charity Burton of FIVE SISTERS PRODUCTIONS after the screening about filmmaking, film distribution today, working with the film's stars, and more!
November 14 - Columbus, Ohio
Reopening exclusively at the Studio 35. The new owners are wonderful supporters of local
artists, so come out and support the theater and movie -- and have dinner
while you watch! Director Gabrielle Burton (also Columbus resident) will give Q&As at select screenings -- if you want to arrange your own group (school, club, church, synagogue, college class, friends, etc.) to come for a Q&A email
manna@fivesistersproductions.com
November 14 - New York City
Part of the Queens Film Festival; MANNA is playing in NYC on the weekend of November
14th with a retrospective of all the Five Sisters' films (MANNA, TEMPS, and JUST
FRIENDS). Director Maria Burton and Producer Ursula Burton will give Q&As at the screenings.
August 22 = Atlanta, GA (confirmed)
exclusively at the Marietta STAR Cinema
1355 Roswell Road (in the Town & Country Shopping Ctr, near Rocco's Pub and Big Lots)
Marietta, GA 30062 -- movies & showtimes (770) 971-3131
showtimes = Fri: 5:15, 7:30, 9:45; Sat, & Sun: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45; Mon - Thurs: 5:30, 7:45
September 7 -- we will screen MANNA during the Toronto FF for Canadian buyers (confirmed)
September 18 = Sudbury, Canada MANNA Premiere Gala (confirmed)
September 19 = Pittsburgh, PA (confirmed)
The Oaks Theater
310 Allegheny River Blvd , Oakmont, PA 15139 -- movies & showtimes (412) 828 - 6311
September 26 = Vail, CO Fayetteville, AR (confirmed)
exclusively at the Regal Fiesta Square 16
3033 N College, Fayetteville, AR 72703 -- 479-575-0393
http://www.fandango.com/theater.asp?distance=30&chain_id=REGL&theater_id=AAEHD_LIVE
Palm Springs, CA (confirmed)
Resort Theaters Rancho 16
72-777 Dinah Shore Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, 760-322-3456
October 10 = Salt Lake City, UT (confirmed)
exclusively at the Madstone Theater
Trolley Square, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102 -- 801-322-3200 or 801-322-3206
http://www.madstonetheaters.com/contact.jsp?cityid=9&theaterid=11
The Canadian release starts and continues through the fall and new year to cities across Canada and the US on "The Circuit"
October 24 = Chicago
Minneapolis
Dallas (confirmed)
AMC Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, TX
(2601 Preston Road, Ste. 300, Frisco, TX 75034 -- 972-724-8000)
AMC Mesquite in Mesquite, TX
(19919 Interstate 635, Mesquite, TX 75149 -- 972-724-8000)
October 31 = Nashville
November 6 = Detroit
Ann Arbor
Reno, NV
November 14 = Boston
San Francisco
Mill Valley, CA
Greenville, IL
Shawnee, KS
Overland Park, KS
November 19 = speak at Yale Club in NYC
November 20 = Yale University
November 21 = New Haven, CT
Bethesda, MD
January 16 = Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL
Sarasota/Ft. Myers/Naples, FL
February 1 = Beaumont, TX
March 25 = Batesville, AR
MANNA FROM HEAVEN =
"Capra-esque -- charming, charming, charming!" - NPR
"Refreshingly sincere, gentle and good-natured." - Dave Kehr, NY Times
"Two feel-good hours of old-timey family entertainment." - Natalie Hopkinson, WASHINGTON POST
"A great little movie." - Liz Smith, NY POST
"An unexpected treat!" - LA Daily News
If you didn't catch them, Manna had a great review on KPBS/NPR and an enthusiastic reception on WS Radio's Movie Mavens --click on alphabetical listing of movie reviews, and choose MANNA.
WORKING MOTHER has an article this month on Five Sisters & MANNA by Ellen Neuborne! Check it out at http://www.workingmother.com/June03smart_co.shtml
For more information, see http://www.fivesistersproductions.com or http://www.mannathemovie.com
Family fueled
Mother and five sisters make 'Manna' and its message a grass-roots phenomenon
By Nina Garin
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 12, 2003
She doesn't exactly know why, but people like to send Jennifer Burton money.
She'll be sorting through bills and magazines, and suddenly she'll find a check for a couple hundred dollars buried in the stack. Pay to the order of Five Sisters Productions.
Since Burton's independent film company released "Manna From Heaven," there's been a lot of generosity shown to the Burton family, whether it's checks, free food or even just a hug.
Audiences can relate to this modern-day fairy tale with a wholesome story and a moral message about goodness, honesty and friendship – something that's not easy to find in movie-plexes these days.
"It's a touching thing as a filmmaker to know that people are so moved by the movie that they want to help us out," says Burton, who was raised in Buffalo, N.Y., and now lives in La Jolla.
"Manna From Heaven," which opens tomorrow, follows an extended family from Burton's hometown. When they find money in the streets, a saintly girl, Theresa, convinces everyone that the money is a gift from God and they should keep it.
Years later, Theresa, then a nun, decides that the money was simply a loan and must be repaid. The group, which hasn't achieved any of the grand plans it first envisioned, reunites to raise the funds they owe and reacquaint themselves with their dreams. The movie leaves you feeling selfless, as if it were a cold day and you'd taken off your jacket and lent it to someone.
The film features a veteran ensemble cast that includes Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman, Louise Fletcher, Seymour Cassel, Harry Groener, Shelley Duvall and Wendy Malick. Burton's sister, Ursula Burton, portrays the nun.
For a woman who made a movie about cash that literally falls from the sky, Burton shouldn't be surprised by the money arriving in her mailbox.
She hoped audiences would find a connection, but she's astounded by the overwhelming response from teens, grandparents, book clubs and church groups. The movie was even screened for Congress at the request of Missouri Congresswoman Karen McCarthy.
Strangers have offered to volunteer time, donate meals to the cast, hand out fliers. Someone even signed a car's pink slip over to Five Sisters Productions.
All this over a movie with no car chases, no gunfights, no sex and no Matrix-esque special effects. Just good, old-fashioned nice.
"As artists, we have to think about what we're putting out there in the world," Burton says. "There are some visions out there that are so bleak and so misanthropic that it's a poison."
Burton, a soft-spoken writer who thrives in behind-the-scenes environments, sits taller when she speaks about ethical images in the media.
She got her doctorate in English literature from Harvard and wrote a dissertation that explored how hope can be encouraged or discouraged through the arts. She moved to San Diego six years ago with her husband, Aniruddh Patel, who works at the Neurosciences Institute (and has a bit part in the film).
So when her mother, Gabrielle B. Burton, showed Five Sisters Productions a script she had written as part of an American Film Institute class, Burton knew it was the kind of message she'd feel good about putting out in the world.
"When you make a film, you're going to be with it for many years," explains Burton, who has taught literature classes at UCSD and USD. "So you have to choose a vision that you're going to be proud of."
A family affair Burton wasn't the only one who had to approve the script. There's the rest of her 30 something-year-old sisters – Gabrielle C. and Maria co-directed "Manna From Heaven." Then there's Charity who produced. Ursula, who stars as the charitable nun, also produced.
Even Gabrielle B. Burton and her husband, Roger Burton, co-produced, sometimes staying up until dawn for the editing process.
"I'm drawn to things that present hope," says Gabrielle B., who is staying with her daughter while in town to promote the movie. "I didn't really think about the religious aspect of it. It's about Irish Catholics because that's my culture. I just wanted to write something very light and fun."
The five sisters, who are now scattered throughout the country, may have different titles, but they all help with the production, fund-raising, publicity and unforeseen emergencies such as dealing with weather and ordering new prints for theaters.
This is their third film. They've also produced the independent comedies "Just Friends," and "Temps," which is how they were able to raise the $4 million dollars to make "Manna From Heaven."
Their no-nonsense, family reputation is also how they attracted such a large collection of stars.
"The actors told us that they noticed we, as a family, being very atune to each other," says Burton. "They contributed ideas, but they knew we had a clear vision of what we wanted to do."
Penny-pinching
Because of their limited budget, the family made the movie over three months in Buffalo where the community donated office space, meals and even acted as extras.
But the penny-pinching doesn't stop there. Rather than spend money on a huge marketing campaign and open the movie nationwide per the Hollywood norm, the sisters are taking the film from city to city, like a concert tour.
The film premiered in Buffalo. It went on to screen in Branson, Mo.; Washington, D.C.; throughout Ohio; even Juneau, Alaska.
"Oh yeah," laughs Burton. "And New York and L.A. That tells you how removed I am from those places!"
They get the word out by doing a fund-raiser for Habitat for Humanity at each stop. They also rely heavily on word-of-mouth and volunteers to put posters around town.
Burton's already made a head start by taping fliers at Cafe Mojoe and Vons down the street from her place. The more people see the film, the longer it stays in local theaters.
"This is such a grass-roots campaign that it's propelled by the community," says Burton.
That's why those checks that surprise her in the mail make a huge difference.
It's also why those hugs and warm responses from audiences push the family to work late hours, promoting their vision of goodness.
"You really have to believe that what you've done matters," says Gabrielle B. "It's why you keep doing it. We've seen the movie 300 times, and we're still proud of it."
ENTERTAINMENT TODAY - Feature Story
Wholesome indie film is Manna From Heaven for filmgoers
by Sean Halloran
In an era of the ever slicker motion picture, [Maria and] Gabrielle Burton’s Manna From Heaven is a throwback to Hollywood’s simpler days — wholesome and mannered, it’s a noteworthy change from most of the sexually charged, psychopathically violent and technology-driven films of today.
Manna From Heaven tells the comic story of a struggling family in Buffalo, New York that receives money from God and, decades later, must pay it back. After they received the loan all of the family members’ lives traveled in different directions, ranging from nun to conman, and the heart of this film rests on how these very different people become a family again.
Honestly though, who really needs to go out and pay to see a low-budget, heart-warming film at the theater when you can watch the Family Channel or a PBS special at home for free? The answer is plenty of people.
“So many people complain that there aren’t movies for them to go and see, and there is an entire untapped audience simply waiting to be served by a movie like this,” said Maria Burton. “The whole model for most films now center on having a young hip cast that will bring in the teenagers and people who aren’t seeing themselves represented in these movies are staying home.”
After 10 weeks in theaters throughout the Los Angeles area Manna From Heaven is still playing, an almost unprecedented feat for an independent film with only grassroots distribution and publicity. In the vein of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Manna From Heaven is trying to make it at the box office solely on its own laurels and by word-of-mouth support.
The great strengths of this film are its believable characters, age diverse cast and simple goodness. Oscar winner Cloris Leachman delivers a hilarious performance as Grandma Helen and Wendie Malick, who played Nina Van Horn on the just-wrapped television show Just Shoot Me, also has a very funny role as a no-nonsense poker player and croupier... All in all the film works at reaching its target audience and many people applauded at the film’s end.
“It was a terrific movie. I loved the actors, the suspense and that it really made you think,” said Frank Schaffer, a 67-year-old retiree from Glendale. “I haven’t been to the movies in years, but I heard about the film from a friend of mine and now I hope other people come and see it.”
Manna From Heaven is still playing at the Pasadena Academy 6 Theater. For more information, visit www.mannathemovie.com and www.fivesistersproductons.com.
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