''Burning Annie'' is an American independent comedy film starring Gary Lundy,

Sara Downing Sara Nicole Downing (born April 26, 1979) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Jane Cahill in the 2001 television series '' Dead Last''.Barchas, Elizabeth (2001) "TALES FROM THE FLIP SIDE", ''Boston Globe'', August 12, 200 ...

, Kim Murphy,

Brian Klugman Brian Klugman (born September 15, 1975) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. In 2012 he debuted as a co-director with Lee Sternthal on the film '' The Words'', which they both co-wrote as well. Early life Klugman was born in the s ...

Jay Paulson Joseph Andrew "Jay" Hughes Paulson is an American actor. Personal life Paulson was born in New York City, where he lived until 1984, when his father moved the family to Los Angeles. Paulson graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in History and is a li ...

, Rini Bell, Todd Duffey, and

Kathleen Rose Perkins Kathleen Rose Perkins (born November 15, 1974) is an American actress. Life and career Perkins was born in New Baltimore, Michigan, the daughter of Leonard and Donna Perkins. She graduated from Anchor Bay High School (1992) and enrolled in We ...

. It is the directorial debut of Van Flesher. The film was produced by Randy Mack of Armak Productions and in 2007 was distributed by Lightyear Entertainment via

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

. In 2017 it was re-distributed by the filmmakers through

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...

's Creative Distribution Initiative.

Plot

A dysfunctional romantic comedy about Max, a college student in 1998 who's obsessed with

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's film ''

Annie Hall ''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American Satire (film and television), satirical Romance film, romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by him and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joff ...

''. He believes the film holds all the answers to life, including the futility of romance. Just as he begins to suspect the film might actually be ruining his life, he meets Julie, a young woman who might be the modern day equivalent of Annie Hall herself, and goes into a romantic tailspin.

Cast

* Gary Lundy as Max *

as Julie * Kim Murphy as Beth (as Kim Murphy Zandell) *

as Charles *

as Sam * Rini Bell as Amanda * Todd Duffey as Tommy *

as Jen * David Hall as Andy * Jason Risner as Scott * Carrie Freedle as Sara

Release

After premiering at the

Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October ...

in 2003, the film spent three years on the film festival circuit, playing as a work-in-progress. It was eventually released by Lightyear Entertainment. Its theatrical run began February 7, 2007 at the Two Boots/Pioneer Theater in

East Village, Manhattan The East Village is a neighborhood on the East Side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is roughly defined as the area east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street on the north and Houston Street on the south. The East Village ...

, New York City, and it was released on DVD was on March 20, 2007. In 2017 the filmmakers re-acquired the rights to the film and re-released it on HD ( high-definition) streaming platforms in dozens of countries, via the

's Creative Distribution Initiative.

Awards and honors

2004 MassBay Film Festival (Worcester, MA.) * Won: Best Feature 2004 West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival * Won: Best Feature 2004 Strictly Midwestern Movies and Short Hits (SMMASH) * Won: Best Director * Won: Best Screenplay * Won: Best Actor * Nominated: Best Supporting Actor * Nominated: Best Actress * Nominated: Best Feature * Nominated: Audience Award 2005

Seattle's True Independent Film Festival Seattle True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) was started in 2005 by a group of filmmakers whose feature film Swamper was rejected by the Seattle International Film Festival. STIFF was modeled after the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City UT as ...

(STIFF) * Won: Best Debut Feature * Won: Best Use of a Donnie Darko Cast Member

Citations

General sources

* * * * http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/movies/07burn.html * https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117922407.html * https://nymag.com/movies/listings/rv_46896.htm * http://movies.tvguide.com/burning-annie/review/286227 * http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-01-30/film/burning-annie/ * https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/series/how_they_did_it/burning-annie-found-self-distribution-after-a-decade-of-catastrophes * http://seligfilmnews.com/burning-annie-interviews-with-randy-mack-van-flesher-and-gary-lundy/ 2004 films 2003 comedy films 2003 films Films shot in West Virginia American comedy films Films set in the 1990s 2004 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-US-film-stub