WRAP SESSION
WFF and Images to present U.S. Premiere of The Last Kiss,
Tony Goldwyn to Attend

On Monday, September 11th, WFF and Images Cinema in Williamstown will jointly present a one-night-only screening of Tony Goldwyn’s new feature film The Last Kiss. With a screenplay by Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) and a remarkable cast including Zach Braff (Garden State, "Scrubs"), Jacinda Barrett (The Human Stain), Casey Affleck (Lonesome Jim), Rachel Bilson ("The O.C."), Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty), and Williamstown’s own Blythe Danner, The Last Kiss is an offbeat modern comedy-drama about romance, fidelity, and the joys and sorrows of true commitment.

It's based on an award-winning Italian film, L'Ultimo Bacio. Unlike many foreign titles, this was viewed by the producers of the new version as a fine candidate for an American remake. It revolves around Michael (the Zach Braff character), a guy on the cusp of turning 30. He loves his girlfriend Jenna, but worries about getting pinned down by social conventions and is still eager to play the field. Paul Haggis' script - a startling change of pace from Crash and Million Dollar Baby, for which he won two consecutive writing Oscars - cleverly interweaves the comic and dramatic, angry and romantic in the relationships between Michael and Jenna, Michael and his equally confused buddies, and Michael and his feuding in-laws played by Danner and Wilkinson.

Blyth Danner in The Last Kiss

The only opportunity for WFF to land the film was the tiny window between its screening at the Toronto Film Festival on September 10th and the national release on the 15th. Tony Goldwyn and WFF director Steve Lawson became friends years ago at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and after Lawson read the screenplay last winter he lobbied to bring the film here. Goldwyn's eagerness to return to the town where his career was launched persuaded Paramount to okay this special screening of The Last Kiss. He will fly in from Canada and do a Q-&-A following the screening at Images, which will be the film’s American premiere the day after its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Goldwyn acted for several seasons at WTF in such productions as Tennessee Williams: A Celebration, Tom Jones and Picnic and went to give an Obie-winning performance in The Sum of Us off-Broadway. His breakthrough film role was the villain in Ghost, following that with Kiss the Girls, Nixon, and The Last Samurai. He made his screen directorial debut with the acclaimed A Walk on the Moon starring Diane Lane, Liev Schreiber, and Viggo Mortensen.

Jacinda Barret and Zach Braff in The Last Kiss

“I’m delighted this has worked out,” says Lawson. “It's an enormous pleasure to welcome Tony back, and The Last Kiss promises to be a memorable off-season event for the Festival in the vein of The Quiet American, For Love or Country, Shadow of the Vampire, and The Illusionist.”

The Last Kiss will screen at Images Cinema on Spring Street in Williams-town on Monday, September 11th at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $10, with Images members and students $5. To reserve, call Images at (413) 458-5612 or WFF at (413) 458-9700, or buy tickets at the door on the night - first come, first served.

Photos © 2006 DreamWorks LLC and Lakeshore Entertainment Group LLC