A romantic comedy filmed in Scottsdale with roughly 100 local actors is about to get its big-screen moment. Underneath the Glittery Moon premieres Thursday at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m.
The film follows a 60-something Scottsdale woman who runs a community theater, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The screenplay was co-written by director Mark Bork and Jessica Spring Brown, and the film's own production site describes a story about characters seeking love. Bork, a longtime Scottsdale resident, wrote, directed, and stars in the project, which wove in a multi-generational romance storyline following three couples ranging in age from 30 to 70, according to the station's report.
Real Scottsdale Backdrops, From Coffee Shops to a Historic Mission
The film was shot in Scottsdale and features local landmarks, streets, and businesses, giving it a distinctly local flavor.
Lead actress Julie Van Lith, who plays Meredith, told FOX 10 Phoenix the film is “uplifting, sweet, goofy, and fun for the whole family.” She added that she hopes the locally made movie and its local cast will make people take pride in Scottsdale. Van Lith is a British-born performer with more than 30 years of professional experience across the UK and the U.S., and she also works as a Phoenix-area dialect coach and is part of the Theatre Artists Studio family in Scottsdale.
A Feature Debut With a Message
A cast member, Mariah, who has Down syndrome, plays Katie, a barista. Bork told FOX 10 Phoenix that one scene shows her character recognizing that coffee shop customers are falling in love, and he said the film overall conveys hope that someone special can enter a person's life at any age.
That storyline ties directly into the premiere's charitable component. A painting used in the film will be auctioned off at the premiere, with proceeds benefiting GiGi's Playhouse, an area nonprofit supporting individuals with Down syndrome, per FOX 10 Phoenix. GiGi's Playhouse Phoenix was founded in 2013 by local parent Jennifer Gage and reported serving about 156 families in 2016, according to GiGi's Playhouse Phoenix.
Premiere Night at a Landmark Venue
Tickets are on sale for the 7 p.m. screening at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. The evening includes a post-screening atrium reception with cast photo opportunities, curated film memorabilia vignettes, and a no-host bar, according to venue operator Scottsdale Arts.
Bork previously worked as an adjunct documentary film instructor at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, after starting his media career as a radio disc jockey and high school educator, per the Heritage Broadcasting Service.
