DVD Release Party!

We're just a week away from the Sept. 7th release of Ghosts Don't Exist on DVD —and to celebrate, we're inviting fans, cast, and crew to a special DVD Release Party!

Join us on Saturday, September 11th at the Shadow Room (2131 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20037) starting at 8PM. The fun will go until the wee hours, but take advantage of Shadow Room's $5 beer + wine from 8–10 PM!

Thanks to one of our great sponsors, Jason Cole, the Shadow Room will be opening up two hours early just for GDE friends and fans to party. Let's reunite, spread the word, and toast to a movie that everyone put their blood, sweat, and tears into!

Hope to see you there! Please RSVP to Nancy Yee (Nancy@19w.com) to get on the list for an early Shadow Room entry.

Smoking = Rated R?

Ghosts Don't Exist Writer and Director Eric Espejo was interviewed this morning on Washington DC's FOX 5 News about a controversial new proposal by the Centers for Disease Control—a policy that could force the MPAA to assign an "R" rating to any films that include scenes with cigarettes.

What do you think? Is an "R" rating too harsh? What if a scene depicts the negative aspects of smoking, rather than the cool factor—would it still warrant the stricter rating that can have such a profound effect on box office revenue?

Redskins TV at the GDE premiere!

Were you at the world premiere of Ghosts Don't Exist at the DC Independent Film Festival? Chris Cooley was, and because of that, Redskins TV was there covering the big event! Here's an exclusive peek at their segment, even before it airs on Redskins.com!

Check it out—you might even see yourself in the crowd!



And as you've heard by now, you can pre-order the DVD at Amazon.com—the release is September 7th!

Ghosts Don't Exist on DVD Sep. 7th!

The week of kicking off the NFL season, on September 7th, watch GDE’s Executive Producer, Washington Redskins Pro Bowl Tight End, Chris Cooley in his acting debut!

It’s been a long process and finally 19th & Wilson is excited to announce Echo Bridge Entertainment’s DVD and digital release of Ghosts Don’t Exist! The street date is September 7th, but you can order NOW online at Amazon.com. We’ll keep everyone updated on other places where the movie will be available as Echo Bridge also has plans for GDE on PPV, TV and online media.

Ghosts Don't Exist - At Amazon

Please click here for more information about GDE and become a fan on Facebook

Thank you for your continued support and look forward to hearing your reviews on IMDB

We Have a Winner!

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries and voted in the Ghost Capture Scariest Photo Contest! Congratulations to Christopher in the U.K., who provided the creepiest family portrait we've seen so far!

Winning handily with 39% of the vote, Christopher's photo has also won him a $20 iTunes gift card, courtesy of Ghost Capture!

Thanks again, and look for the next contest to be announced soon!

The PREMIERE!

Writer/Director Eric Espejo welcomes the sellout DCIFF crowd

This was it. After all the anticipation, the hype—and most importantly, the hard work—Ghosts Don't Exist enjoyed a successful, sold-out premiere Sunday at the 2010 DC Independent Film Festival! A HUGE thanks again to everyone who made it happen!

It's hard to believe that it was just last February when Chris Cooley announced the greenlight of the film. And believe it or not, it was a year ago to the day—March 14th, 2009—when the producers saw over 220 casting auditions! The 19th + Wilson team had no way of knowing that exactly one year later, they'd be premiering the film.

Last March and April were spent selecting the cast, securing locations, and assembling crew. Then, in May, began the intense 15-day filming schedule, which is well-documented here on the blog. And from there, it was all about post-production.

The consensus you'll hear from just about everyone involved with this project is that it really feels like everyone has known each other for much longer than a year—in a very good way. Because from the very beginning, this team of cast, crew, and investors has felt like family. And that's why this past weekend felt as much like a family reunion for the team as it did a movie premiere.

The festivities kicked off Saturday night, as the Midtown Loft hosted an exclusive Ghosts Don't Exist party to get everyone ready for the big premiere. The turnout was great, and the crowd had a blast in anticipation of closing out the DCIFF in less than 24 hours. Great atmosphere, great drinks, great friends, and great fun!

GDE stars Chris Kennedy and Frederick Cowie enjoy a drink at the Loft

Joe Hansard, along with cinematographer Kuni Ohi and producer Richard Friend

Sunday's premiere was a memorable one. Fans filed into the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center, and DCIFF volunteers regretfully informed some that the event was sold out. Those who had tickets descended to the elegant reception area, where a line soon began forming to the Burke Theatre. Within minutes, the line had extended the entire span of the beautiful facility.



Executive Producer Chris Cooley was on hand, of course, and both he and brother Tanner gave interviews to Redskins.com TV before the movie. Legendary Washington, DC film critic Arch Campbell also attended the screening, and enjoyed the film! Fans in line were thrilled to meet Arch and Chris in person, and plenty of photo ops and autographs ensued.




Once inside the theater, writer/director Eric Espejo was invited to say a few words to welcome the crowd. Two excellent short films then opened the event: Mike Salva's hilarious animated short, Back to Life, and Dan Sachar's unnerving When It Will Be Silent. Both set the tone well for the eager GDE audience, most of whom were seeing the film for the very first time—some crew members included.

Several scenes produced audible shocks amongst the crowd, adding to the fun. And as the final credits rolled, the raucous applause was a wonderful crowning moment for everyone who had a hand in making the film.

After the film, Espejo and fellow producers Aaron Goodmiller and Richard Friend took a few questions from the audience—most eager to know how this film came to be, and when the next 19W project can be expected. "It's already in the works," the team assured them.



Fans exiting the theater were greeted with one final surprise... official Ghosts Don't Exist keychain flashlights—a relevant (and handy!) little reminder of the indie premiere.

But the night wasn't over yet. There were awards to be announced, and GDE WON! The 2010 DC Filmmaker Award went to Eric Espejo, for Ghosts Don't Exist!




The entire 19th + Wilson/GDE team enjoyed a tremendous outpouring of support from friends, family, and fans alike last weekend, and were genuinely touched by the turnout. Many thanks again to everyone who made the trip into the city on a busy Sunday (in the wake of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade, no less!) to share in this very special event!

The premiere has passed, but the GDE journey is really only just getting warmed up! Lots of big news remains on the horizon... stay tuned!

DCIFF: Everything You Need to Know!

We're just a few short days away from the premiere of Ghosts Don't Exist! The sold-out event at the DC Independent Film Festival promises to be a bit chaotic, so we wanted to make sure guests know exactly where they're going—and get there on time.

Here are a few things you'll need to know (and remember!):

DATE + TIME:
Sunday, March 14, 2010, 4:30 PM

LOCATION:
U.S. Navy Memorial Museum | Heritage Center, Burke Theatre

701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004

(Entrance: between D Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, at 8th Street)

Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter metro stop on the Green/Yellow line
Parking: Public parking lots surround the block, and average $7 per hour.

Coming from Pennsylvania Aveune, you'll see the entrances to the Naval Heritage Center just across the courtyard in the building to your right. There should be some DCIFF signage near the doors, as well.



The will call desk is located directly inside the entrance, and is staffed by DCIFF volunteers. It's very likely that there will be a line extending into the courtyard, as the lobby is quite small. If you have to pick up your tickets (guests who purchased a 10-pack or more) you'll need to pick them up at will call. Remember to bring your receipt—this will help expedite the line tremendously!



If your tickets were emailed to you, remember to print them out and bring them! You should be able to bypass the will call line completely if you have your ticket with you. There will be a DCIFF volunteer stationed at the stairs, leading down to the main reception area. They will check your tickets and allow you inside.

However, if you still wish to purchase tickets to the Closing Ceremony/Reception (see below) you will have to do so at the will call desk. At the time of this post, $20 tickets are still available for the closing reception online. So if you can, just buy them in advance online and skip will call entirely. Reception tickets (if still available at the door) will be $25.



The theater is located just beyond the reception area, and seats 242. Again, the event is already sold out, so you'll definitely want to get there early—especially if you're planning to sit together with a group. And if you didn't get tickets already, we're afraid you may have missed the boat (naval pun unintended). There are no tickets being sold at the door, unfortunately.

Several people have also asked about the other films being screened that evening, and when Ghosts Don't Exist will actually be shown. The other two films are animated shorts—2 and 7-minute films, respectively. GDE will start soon after—another reason to definitely get there on time! ;)




The Ceremony/Reception/After-party
We're still a bit in the dark about what the DCIFF has planned for after the show. There apparently will be a brief awards ceremony, and a screening of highlights from this year's Best of the Fest films. There will be food and drink at the actual Closing Reception, however, which is why DCIFF has to sell tickets. This will all take place right there on the premises, in the main reception area.

Closing Reception tickets are still available online for the advance price of $20 (they'll be $25 at the door, if they haven't sold out.)

The 19th + Wilson team will be hanging out for the entire event, and mingling with other DC filmmakers and fans, so we hope you will do the same! If you're unable to stick around for the after party, there should be ample opportunity to mingle nonetheless. Please make sure you stop by and say hello!

Lastly, 19W is hosting a little celebration the night before at the Midtown Loft—open to all fans of Ghosts Don't Exist, whether you're able to make it to the premiere Sunday or not!

Join us Saturday night, March 13th from 7–9PM. Check out the Facebook event page to RSVP, and we hope to see you there as well!