Frightening film to screen at The Neon for one week only

The film has been featured in more than 40 film festivals around the world.

True Nature, a chilling feature film from two Wright State motion pictures graduates, is coming home for a one-week engagement at The Neon cinema in downtown Dayton Nov. 9–15. True Nature was filmed entirely in the Miami Valley by director Patrick Steele (’97) and producer/editor Ann Rotolante (’09).

“This is just the beginning for True Nature,” said Steele. “More screenings for select cities across the U.S. are in the works. We’re also planning to make a special announcement soon, so stay tuned to the film’s website.”

For more information on the screening, visit www.neonmovies.com. For more information on the film or to watch the trailer, read our Wright State University Magazine story or visit http://www.truenaturethefilm.com.

About the film:

Wright State grads Ann Rotolante and Patrick Steele will screen their award-winning feature film at The Neon.

True Nature tells the story of Marianne, the daughter of a prominent businessman, who mysteriously disappears for more than a year. When she returns with no memory of where she’s been, she begins to reveal the dark truths behind her family’s privileged lives. Part family drama, part supernatural thriller, the film stars Carolyn McCormick of the Law and Order television franchise and Wright State acting graduate Marianne Porter.

Steele and Rotolante, both advocates of grassroots independent filmmaking in the Dayton area, made the film with the assistance of over 40 Wright State alumni, professors and current students.

This was truly a Miami Valley project. Most of the film’s supplies were bought locally and many of the actors are from the Midwest. The movie was shot at numerous Dayton locations including Kettering Tower, the Schuster Center parking lot and the former Pacchia restaurant in the Oregon District. Dayton businesswoman and local arts patron Beth Duke served as co-producer. Duke even lent her family home, Hook Estate, to the production as the film’s primary set.

To date, True Nature has been an official selection at 40 film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. It was screened twice at the highly selective, noncompetitive Norrköping Filmfestival Flimmer in Norrköping, Sweden, where it played alongside films like The Road, The Runaways and Thirst. The film also had a dual screening at the prestigious festival FanCine in Málaga, Spain, where it received a standing ovation.

The film has won a number of awards at these festivals, including:

Best Feature
Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival
Providence, R.I.

Best Feature
Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival
Grand Rapids, Mich.

Audience Award for Best Feature
Mile High Horror Film Festival
Denver, Colo.

Best Narrative Feature
Magnolia Independent Film Festival
Starkville, Miss.

Best Horror Feature
D.C. Independent Film Festival
Washington, D.C.

Best Horror Feature
Southern Appalachian International Film Festival
Erwin, Tenn.

Best Thriller Feature
Atlanta Horror Film Festival
Atlanta, Ga.

Best Thriller Feature
Fargo Fantastic Film Festival
Fargo, N.D.

Best Regional Feature
Cincinnati Film Festival
Cincinnati, Ohio

Best “On the Edge” Film
Louisville’s International Festival of Film
Louisville, Ky.

Best Director (Patrick Steele)
Southern Appalachian International Film Festival
Erwin, Tenn.

Best Screenplay (Patrick Steele)
South African Horrorfest
Cape Town, South Africa

Best Actress (Marianne Porter)
Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival
Buffalo, N.Y.

Best Actress (Marianne Porter)
Sexto Montevideo Fantastico
Montevideo, Uruguay

Best Actress (Marianne Porter)
South African Horrorfest
Cape Town, South Africa

Best Actress in a Feature (Marianne Porter)
Oklahoma Horror Film Festival
Tulsa, Okla.

Best Cinematography (Marco Fargnoli and Evan Nesbitt)
Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival
Buffalo, N.Y.

Best Cinematography (Marco Fargnoli & Evan Nesbitt)
Cincinnati Film Festival
Cincinnati, Ohio

Honorable Mention
Columbus International Film and Video Festival
Columbus, Ohio