Long-Awaited Movie of Hope, 'Delivering Milo' Comes Home on Video

Long-Awaited Movie of Hope, 'Delivering Milo' Comes Home on Video

Award winning family movie struggled through 9/11, financial troubles and distribution obstacles before being delivered to the U.S. market by Hannover House

NEW YORK, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Producers Heide Levitt and Heriberto Schoeffer knew that they had a special movie on their hands from the first time they read the script for "Delivering Milo." What they didn't know is that they were about to embark on a long and troubled journey that is the stuff of Hollywood dreams and business nightmares.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050707/NYTH070 )

In 1999, Levitt and Schoeffer began their producer's duties of assembling financing, stars and crew for what was planned as a modest, $5-million dollar production. The cast they assembled was top notch, including Albert Finney, hot off an Oscar nomination for "Erin Brockovich" as well as Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Lesley Ann Warren, and two up-and-coming young stars Alison Lohman ("Matchstick Men") and Anton Yelchin as "Milo." It was a movie made in heaven, where much of the film's spiritual action takes place. But the journey in store for the producers was about to take them quite far from heaven before their "movie of hope" would see life in the U.S. market.

"Fate played a hand in this film, in many ways," said Levitt, a respected producer and well-established casting director. "As easily as the financing and creative elements came together in pre-production, they just as easily unraveled after we were well into production," she continued.

Production obstacles in Manhattan and Atlantic City brought a spate of financial demands, and the film went several million dollars over its original budget. Post-production editing and sound work stretched months past schedule, and the film seemed to be going nowhere fast. But the worst was yet to come.

"For a movie about heaven and the beauty of life, we were certainly facing our share of adversity," said Levitt. "We were honored to have the film licensed by United Airlines, but distressed to learn that it was one of the in-flight movies on September 11, 2001. The film is about hope and the precious gift of life, so the timing of a release following the terrorist attacks turned into our biggest challenge."

"Over half of 'Delivering Milo' takes place in Manhattan, and the World Trade Center Towers are seen prominently in several scenes," said Levitt. "This sparked a debate between some of the financing parties and our creative team as to whether or not the shots with the World Trade Center should be edited out of the film. The terrorist attacks triggered such a powerful emotional response that there was concern that this visual might set the wrong mood for an otherwise light-hearted comedy. It got to the point that the Major U.S. Studios were afraid to release a film about 'hope' that also showed images of the World Trade Center," Levitt concluded.

But Schoeffer and Levitt were not about to let their film sit on the shelf. In '2002, they entered "Delivering Milo" into the prestigious Heartland Film Festival, and won the award as Best Family Film of the year. European and international distribution through Lakeshore Entertainment ("Million Dollar Baby") also garnered audience and critical praise. Finally, in late '2004, "Delivering Milo" found a home with U.S. DVD distributor Hannover House through the assistance of Foundry Film Partners and American Entertainment Investors. The film was released on video in the United States last month, on June 7, 2005.

"We are so impressed with this film," said Hannover House President, Eric Parkinson. "It's one of the best independent features in the past decade. It could have easily opened up on over 1,000 theaters if it had been given the chance and the proper timing. Video consumers are going to be extremely pleased with this gem," he concluded.

"Delivering Milo" is a family-appeal, comedy adventure that has been compared to the classic film, "It's A Wonderful Life." It tells the story of a young boy in Heaven, who refuses to go to Earth when his time to be born arrives. Milo's choice sets in motion a variety of comic events which must be corrected before the spiritual balance of the universe is destroyed. Albert Finney portrays a wayward angel-in-training who is assigned to persuade young Milo that life on Earth is a beautiful gift, well worth receiving. Bridget Fonda and Campbell Scott portray Milo's parents-to-be, and Lesley Ann Warren plays a vivacious, former flame of Finney's.

"Delivering Milo" is 94 minutes long, and is rated PG. DVD's are priced at $19.95 suggested retail, and VHS units are priced at $14.95 suggested retail. Key retailers carrying the videos include Wal-Mart, Albertson's, Sam's Club and Amazon.com. Information on the film is also available at http://www.hannoverhouse.com/.

"We think Americans are finally ready to see a movie about hope, joy and the precious gift of life," said Levitt. "We think 'Delivering Milo' exemplifies the values of most Americans and will inspire audiences for many years to come. We hope that millions of people will take the time to rent or purchase the videos, as the message is important, timeless, and truly an enjoyable film," she concluded.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050707/NYTH070 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN2 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Hannover House

CONTACT: Eric Parkinson of Hannover House, +1-818-481-5277, HannoverHouse@aol.com

Web site: http://www.hannoverhouse.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, artwork or review copies, contact Greg Leding, Hannover House at 479-521-4999, or email to: GLeding@hannoverhouse.com

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