Film festival circuit favorite Superior will screen at SouthSide Works Cinema before nationwide release. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation video, Together We Can Save More Lives, will debut on the big screen.
PITTSBURGH, PA--Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania native Edd Benda is bringing his debut feature film Superior to SouthSide Works Cinema on Wednesday, August 31st as part of the “Superior Hometown Roadshow”. The movie from Beyond the Porch Productions premiered on June 5th, 2015 at the world famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California as part of the Dances With Films festival. Superior, written and directed by Edd Benda, will be released nationwide by Gravitas Ventures to over one hundred Video-on-Demand outlets on Friday, September 2nd.
The Hometown Roadshow will be making stops in Fort Collins, CO (8/21); Edina, MN (8/23); La Crosse, WI (8/24); Chicago, IL (8/25); Grand Rapids, MI (8/26); Battle Creek, MI (8/27); Salem, OR (8/28); Bloomfield Twp., MI (8/29); Seattle, WA (8/30); Pittsburgh, PA (8/31); and Los Angeles, CA (9/1).
The event at SouthSide Works will be a charity fundraiser for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Movie-goers are invited to attend a red carpet reception at 6:30 pm, to be followed by a presentation by sudden cardiac arrest survivors Bruce Benda and KDKA TV's Susan Koeppen (invited), and the big screen debut of the Foundation's new video, Together We Can Save More Lives. Superior will begin at 7:45 pm. Director Edd Benda will be in attendance and will host an open Q&A after the show.
Inspired by a true story, Superior takes place in the summer of 1969, where Derek Suntila is weeks away from enlisting in the Vietnam War and Charlie Eskola is weeks away from his first days at Michigan Tech University. Before the two best friends go their separate ways, they leave their small hometown in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on one final adventure: a two-week, 1,300 mile bike ride around the massive and unforgiving Lake Superior.
Superior has enjoyed lively and enthusiastic audiences on its nationwide film festival tour, including multiple “Best Picture” accolades. The Hometown Roadshow will be the last chance for audiences to see the film on the big screen. Danny Miller from Cinephiled says, "You should run, not walk, to see Edd Benda’s poignant film Superior. I’d put this film up against any independent film I’ve seen by much better-known filmmakers."
Film director Edd Benda describes the tour as, “a way for us to say thank you to the incredible team and communities of people that helped make Superior a reality. Before our film is made widely available in North America, we want to provide our Superior family an opportunity to bring the film to the big screen one last time in their respective hometowns all over the country.”
For ticketing and details regarding the Pittsburgh event, individuals are encouraged to follow Superior on social media.
- Facebook: facebook.com/superiorthemovie
- Twitter: @superiormovie
- Instagram: @superiorthemovie
- Website: www.superiorthemovie.com
- Film Trailer: vimeo.com/115999697
- Pittsburgh Ticket Link: Pittsburgh tickets
For information about parking, click here. Street parking is also available.
SEE LOCAL COVERAGE HERE.
About Superior
Superior was filmed on location in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the summer of 2014. The production team behind the film consists of eleven young filmmakers that drove more than 7,000 miles round-trip from Los Angeles to the most remote regions of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to tell a story true to its origins. Inspired by the real journey taken by Karl Benda and Dan “Dudza” Junttila over 40 years ago, Superior is a snapshot of America in 1969 when futures were uncertain, yet the most outlandish adventures remained possible.
About Edd Benda - Writer/Director/Producer
Edd Benda has spent time living in Germany, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, and most recently California. Edd attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts where he focused on directing under instruction from notable directors Barnet Kellman, Peter Sollett, and Jennifer Warren among many others before graduating in 2013. Edd comes from a massive midwestern family, and he found his calling as a filmmaker around the family dining room table where storytelling reigned supreme. Edd recently wrote, directed, and produced the acclaimed feature film Superior. When not writing or filming, Edd can most likely be found at the nearest ice rink fighting for space at the top of the crease while trying not to get any more teeth knocked out.
About Beyond the Porch Productions
Beyond the Porch Productions was founded in 2012 by Michigan-native Edd Benda and Washington-native Alex Bell while students at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Edd and Alex found incredible harmony as a Director & Director of Photography combo, and they have found success working in tandem on a wide-array of projects. Their films range from silly commercial promos all the way to their largest undertaking, their debut feature film Superior. The inseparable pair are in development on several new projects, and are incredibly excited to make their initial stamp on the feature world with Superior.