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Published by: PR Urgent
April 23, 2015

“Last Pyramid,” a documentary produced by local filmmaker Samantha Macher won Film of the Year at the inaugural Northern Virginia International Film Festival (NOVA) on Saturday, April 18, 2015. The film was made with the Epilepsy Foundation and Greg Grunberg (the film’s executive producer and actor in projects including “Heroes” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”).

ALEXANDRIA, VA – April 23, 2015 – “Last Pyramid,” a documentary produced by local filmmaker Samantha Macher won Film of the Year at the inaugural Northern Virginia International Film Festival (NOVA) on Saturday, April 18, 2015. The film was made with the Epilepsy Foundation and Greg Grunberg (the film’s executive producer and actor in projects including “Heroes” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”).

“The gravity in choosing NOVA’s first Film of the Year weighed heavily upon us,” said Fernando A. Mico, executive director of the Northern Virginia Film Festival. “This grand champion of the festival would set the precedent and the standard for all films we accept for the life of our event. In a very crowded field of exemplary films, ‘Last Pyramid’ made an incredibly difficult decision feel like a calming wind. After experiencing this film, we knew we had found our ambassador. ‘Last Pyramid’ ascends beyond fantastic film and humbly crosses the threshold of pure art.”

“Last Pyramid” tells the story of Patricia Barnes, who, following her son Kevin’s epilepsy-related death in 2001, thought her life was over. Then one day, she awoke with the urge to create a series of stained glass pyramids never having made one before. Thirteen years and 20 pyramids later, Trish decided to complete the final piece and move forward from her loss. A story of healing through creation, “Last Pyramid” chronicles Trish’s journey from tragedy to triumph as she finishes her final tribute to the life of her child. The film’s creative team includes director Dave Schachter, director of photography, Ben Powell and composer Jonathan Price.

“It’s a joy to share your work with your hometown audience, but if you can do that and raise awareness for a great cause, all the better.” Macher says, “I’m so inspired by Trish and Kevin’s story, and by the incredible team that made it possible to tell it, so it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by Fernando Mico and the Northern Virginia Film Festival. I look forward to the opportunity to travel with this film, and continue to share this incredible story with audiences over the coming months.”

The Northern Virginia Film Festival’s mission is to bring a slice of Hollywood to the Northern Virginia and Greater Washington, D.C., metro area by promoting the artistically and culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition. This was the first year of the event, which was held April 13 to 18 at the Angelika Film Center at Mosaic in Fairfax, Va.

The film will be screened this weekend (April 27th-28th) at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Additional screenings include the Epilepsy Foundation’s Pipeline Conference in Aventura FL, the Florida Movie Festival in Casselbury, FL, Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, and the New Haven Film Festival in New Haven, CT.

“Last Pyramid” was made possible with a grant provided by UCB.

Media Contact
Nola Gruneisen
nola.gruneisengmail.com

About Epilepsy
When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million people in the U.S. and 65 million worldwide. This year, another 150,000 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

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