The film has earned praise at numerous film festivals since receiving its world premiere last spring as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Following the Feb. 21 premiere, "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me" will roll-out in theatres across the U.S.
"Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me" will play New York City's IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on Feb. 21; with an additional screening set for Feb. 28 at the Fine Arts Cinemas. On March 7 the film will arrive in Dallas, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Pasadena, CA; La Jolla, CA; Seattle, WA; Cambridge, MA; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Washington DC; New Haven, CT; and Philadelphia, PA; with additional cities including San Francisco, CA (March 14); Kansas City, MO (March 14); St. Louis, MO (March 14); Cleveland, OH (March 14); Salt Lake City, UT (March 21); Tacoma, WA (March 21); Tucson, AZ (March 14); Columbus, OH (March 28); Santa Fe, NM (March 28); and Anchorage, AK (April 14). For a complete list of dates and locations, visit elainestritchshootme.com.
Documentary filmmaker Chiemi Karasawa ("Love, Etc"; Emmy-winning "The Betrayal") of Isotope Films directed the film that began capturing Stritch's public and personal life in February 2011. Tony and Academy Award nominee Alec Baldwin is executive producer of the film with Cheryl Wiesenfeld. It is produced by Karasawa and Elizabeth Hemmerdinger.
The film includes interviews with a host of theatre vets who have worked with Stritch, including At Liberty collaborator George C. Wolfe, Company and Show Boat director Hal Prince and Tony-winning actors Cherry Jones and Nathan Lane. Also featured are "30 Rock" creator Tina Fey, late actor James Gandolfini and John Turturro, among others.
Here's how the film is billed: "What does it mean to be a performing artist – first, last and always? Broadway legend Elaine Stritch can answer that. At 87, Stritch is still here, dominating the stage in her one woman cabaret act, torturing Alec Baldwin on "30 Rock," giving us her take on aging, her struggle with alcohol and diabetes, and the fear of leaving the follow spot behind. In stolen moments from her corner room at the Carlyle, and on breaks from her tour and work, candid reflections about her life are punctuated with rare archival footage, words from friends and photographs from her personal collection. By turns bold, hilarious and achingly poignant, the journey connects Stritch's present to her past, and an inspiring portrait of a one-of-a-kind survivor emerges." View the trailer for "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me" below:
