Sugar Bowl to screen ‘The Donner Party’ with special appearance from film’s director and cast members
DONNER SUMMIT – Sugar Bowl’s Judah Lodge will host a special screening of the film “The Donner Party” on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. The screening will include a special introduction by the film’s director T.J. Martin, as well as a post-movie question and answer session with several of the film’s cast members. Tickets are $10 at the door, with a full bar and concessions open for the evening event.
Filmed in part on Donner Summit in 2007, the movie depicts the tragic tale of the infamous group of Sierra travelers, with critically acclaimed performances by Mark Boone, Christian Kane, Crispin Glover and Michele Santopietro.
Originally titled “The Forlorn,” the movie applies stunning cinematography to rather dark subject matter, which earned the film an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.
“During the westward expansion of the 1840s,” Director T.J. Martin writes, “a group of California-bound emigrants, known today as the Donner Party, were trapped in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains by the heavy snowfall of an early winter. When food supplies run low, tempers flare between William Eddy (Clayne Crawford) and his employer William Foster (Crispin Glover) over how the remaining meat should be divided. When Charles Stanton (Christian Kane) returns with news of food supplies stockpiled along the trail leading to Sutter Fort, the decision is made to form a small group to reach California on snowshoes. After becoming lost in the mountains and out of food, they must resort to doing the unthinkable to survive.”
Focusing on this survival in the face of relentless nature and subsequent moral dilemmas, the film has earned high marks for engaging performances and a captivating story. More psychological thriller than horror, “The Donner Party” proved to be a fan favorite last year at the Austin Film Festival.
For more information about the movie night at Sugar Bowl visit http://www.sugarbowl.com or call (530) 426-9000.
