The First Look
On Sunday June 9th, the Reels on the Bus team descended upon the auditorium of New York City’s Regis High School for a screening of our first feature length film Block Island. Earlier last year, in the midst of our successful IndieGoGo campaign, we had promised those who donated $500 an invitation to a private screening once our film was ready to see the light of day—and yesterday we delivered. Nearly 50 guests—including the entire principal cast, our generous donors, and a smattering of friends and family—gathered together to take in a full viewing of the psychological thrilling both written and directed by Reels’ very own Jeffrey Douglas. Addressing and thanking the audience before the screening, partner David Grunner—who also stars as the film’s lead, Paul—recounted how this all came to be: a bold musing over dinner in 2017 which in turn led to a fundraising campaign and an intense 15 days of shooting in the Arlington, Virginia area across two months in the spring of 2018. Jeffrey, who worked tirelessly with our film’s editor during post-production remotely from The Netherlands, thanked everyone present—especially the cast for their tireless dedication and spirit, their hard work and passion, without which none of this would have been possible. With candy and drinks in hand—concessions provided and elegantly laid out by producers extraordinaire Leila Borazjani and Maura Grunner—the audience took inBlock Island and, much to our relief, erupted into applause the moment the final credits began rolling. A champagne toast—complete with a gorgeous cake featuring the Block Island movie poster—in the courtyard rounded off what was a wonderful and rewarding evening.
