DOVE “FAMILY APPROVED” SEAL OF APPROVAL AWARDED TO AWARD WINNING FILM “FINDING HARMONY”

Once Upon A Dream Productions is proud to announce that they have been awarded the Dove “Family Approved” Seal of Approval for their debut feature film, Finding Harmony.  The film, which just captured The Pearl Award (for the film that best exemplifies the purity and enduring strength of the family bond) at the 19th Annual International Family Film Festival (IFFF) and was in the Heartland Film Festival’s Official Selection, was the first feature from the family run entertainment company.

“Finding Harmony has won approval by The Dove Foundation Review Board. This means the Foundation believes that the content expressed makes for the kind of entertainment family members can enjoy together with confidence.  The Dove Family Approved Seal is awarded to movies, DVDs, made for TV movies and specials, books and other entertainment products that portray and encourage positive values.”

Finding Harmony is the story of Sam (Alison Eastwood) who returns home after the passing of her estranged father and legendary music producer JT Grayson (Ed Bruce). As if dealing with her rebellious teenage daughter, Harmony (Anna Margaret), wasn't enough, upon arrival she discovers that her ex-husband, country rock star Casey Colter (Billy Zane), is already there and stirring things up. With the fate of JT's legacy hanging in the balance this broken family must decide whether they will continue to live in the past or let the music and the beauty of the Alabama summer heal them.

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FAMILY FILM FEST: ZANE AND EASTWOOD HELP PRODUCER PULL-OFF HAT TRICK

Two famous Hollywood names, Zane and Eastwood, helped producer Jeffery Patterson score a hat trick (the hockey kind, not the cowboy kind), winning two awards at the International Family Film Festival this month in Hollywood, California. Patterson won the Best Feature Drama award for Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink, and the Pearl Award, given to the film that “best exemplifies the purity and enduring strength of the family bond” for Finding Harmony.

Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink is a western in the classic Hollywood tradition, pre-Wild Bunch and Unforgiven, which tells a tale of twins torn apart at an early age and reunited 30 years later. That reunion reveals that one is a marshal and the other an outlaw, but they both have something they have to take care of as a family. The marshal, played by Jeffery Patterson, finds himself torn between loyalty to the law and loyalty to family.

The film has all the classic elements of old-time westerns – train and stagecoach robberies, a rowdy bar, shootouts in the street, a colorful band of outlaws, and a heartless villain. It also included a bit of a libertarian streak, with a corrupt governor and a secret service agent, played by CSI: Miami’s Rex Linn, more interested in getting an arrest than seeing justice done.

Bottom line, if you miss John Wayne, you’ll want to see this film.

Patterson’s second award winner, Finding Harmony, succeeds on several levels. Story, acting, music, and cinematography all combine to create a compelling and entertaining experience.

The story’s protagonist, Samantha Colter, is played by Alison Eastwood, (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Tightrope, Absolute Power) daughter of cinema legend Clint Eastwood. Samantha is a harried, middle-class Mom with a rebellious, if extremely talented daughter named Harmony, played by model-singer-actress Anna Margaret.  Samantha is divorced from Harmony’s father, country music superstar Casey Colter, played by Billy Zane (Twin Peaks, The Phantom, Titanic). She is also estranged from her own father, a country music mogul, played by Ed Bruce. And, she has a boyfriend that Harmony doesn’t like.

Samantha’s family is a mess.

If this is beginning to sound like a soap-opera, the excellent writing and acting keeps it from going that way.

The cinematography adds to the story, using angles and objects in the background, to suggest the presence of a character not in the scene.

Even if you are not a country music fan, Finding Harmony has enough warmth and heartbreak to pull almost anyone in to this charming story.

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JEFFERY PATTERSON TAKES BEST FEATURE DRAMA AT INTERNATIONAL FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL

Filmmaker Jeffery Patterson, who we featured earlier this year, won best feature drama at the International Family Film Festival for his film Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink. Patterson’s other film, Finding Harmony, was the winner of the Pearl Award.

In Hot Bath he plays rival twin brothers who come face to face as enemies set in the American West. In Finding Harmony he also plays a lead role in a story about a troubled young woman in a country music family set in Alabama.

During our interview in January said he really had a passion for making movies that families can enjoy together.

“The primary motivation for me in all of this is to produce quality, family-friendly content,” he said. “First and foremost my most important job and title is Dad. Being inspired by my daughters and being able to do what I love and include my family is truly a dream come true.”

The IFFF took place Nov 6-8 at Raleigh Studios.

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ONCE UPON A DREAM PRODUCTIONS ROUNDS UP TWO AWARDS AT IFFF 2014

We are excited to announce that Once Upon A Dream Productions, Jeffery Patterson, received two awards last night at the International Family Film Festival. Finding Harmony received the festivals most prestigious, PEARL AWARD, for the film that best exemplifies the purity and enduring strength of the family bond while Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink rounded up the BEST FEATURE DRAMA.

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DREAM START FOR FAMILY FEATURES

What is driving the return to family films? Ask Once Upon A Dream Productions founder and actor Jeffery Patterson, who is leading the charge.

Los Angeles based Once Upon A Dream Productions is moving into family features and has two films screening at the International Family Film Festival (November 7-9). Finding Harmony stars Billy Zane and Alison Eastwood while Western Hot Bath An' A Stiff Drink stars Once Upon A Dream Productions founder Jeffery Patterson, Timothy V. Murphy, Ronnie Gene Blevins, and Mirelly Taylor. 

"There are a limited number of films that reaffirm family values while still being quality, fun movies," said Patterson, "I recognized the opportunity to fill a void in the marketplace."

- Screen International

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FINDING HARMONY TO OPEN HOLLYWOOD’S INTERNATIONAL FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL

Once Upon A Dream Productions is proud to announce the feature film Finding Harmony is to open the 2014 International Family Film Festival in Hollywood on Friday, November 7th, 2014 at 6 p.m.

In the swell of outstanding reviews, Finding Harmony was in Official Selection at Indianapolis’ Heartland Film Festival.

“Finding Harmony is a true home comfort…. a charming film of family and returning home. It treats you as part of the family and makes you feel welcomed and comfortable as possible." ~ MovieCritical.net (Nicole Newton-Plater)

- PR.com

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IS JEFFERY PATTERSON AMERICA'S NEXT GREAT FILMMAKER?

We were buzzed up by his assistant to a penthouse apartment in Marina Del Rey. It’s a temporary dwelling until he and his twin 14-year-old daughters move into an 88-foot yacht he just purchased. At the apartment, the conference table is covered in papers and his phone rings off the hook. Patterson just returned from Tucson shooting the third movie in the past two years that he’s produced and starred in. The latest – shot in December – is the sequel to Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink, a family western where Patterson plays two roles – twin brothers with a sibling rivalry that drives most of the drama.

He said the first was so well received in test screenings they went ahead with the sequel. The two period Westerns come on the heels of a touching family drama set in Alabama called Finding Harmony. All three are currently working on distribution.

“There comes a time when you just have to do it,” Patterson said. “So I decided to produce my own films no differently than Sylvester Stallone, Matt Damon or Billy Bob Thornton.”

- Westside People

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FRANKIE MUNIZ, ALISON EASTWOOD, ROBERT PATRICK JOIN WESTERN IN ARIZONA (EXCLUSIVE)

Frankie Muniz, Alison Eastwood and Robert Patrick have come on board the sequel to the indie Western “Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink.”

Muniz is portraying a deputy on the project, which is currently shooting in Tucson, Az. Earlier this week, the former “Malcolm in the Middle” star disclosed he had recently suffered his second mini-stroke.

“Almost a year to the day, I experienced another mini stroke,” he tweeted. “Hopefully that will be the last. Miserable.”

Jeffery Patterson is producing the Western through his Once Upon a Dream Productions and Matthew Gratzner is directing. He made his feature debut with the first “Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink” earlier this year after working on the visual effect on “Hugo” and “Iron Man.”

Eastwood, the daughter of Clint Eastwood, is portraying a doctor. Her part was written specifically for her after she appeared in producer Patterson’s “Finding Harmony” with Billy Zane.

The story is set in the 1890s and filming at Old Tucson Studios and surrounding areas through mid-December.

- Variety.com

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OLD TUCSON WELCOMES BACK WESTERN FRANCHISE

Once Upon a Dream Productions along with New Deal Studios and Old Tucson are pleased to announce that principal photography for the sequel to “Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink” (shot earlier this year in Tucson) began on November 7, 2013 at Old Tucson, Mescal, and surrounding areas.

The feature-length Western is being produced and stars Jeffery Patterson by his production company Once Upon A Dream Productions. Mr. Patterson is quickly establishing himself as a producer of classic family films. Before the "Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink" franchise, he produced "Finding Harmony" starring Billy Zane and Alison Eastwood.

Matthew Gratzner is back to Direct the film. He also servers as a writer and producer along with Producer Shannon Blake Gans. Gratzner is co-founder and creative supervisor of New Deal Studios and has worked on such films as THE DARK KNIGHT, IRON MAN, THE DEPARTED, HUGO, COWBOYS AND ALIENS, SHUTTER ISLAND AND THE AVIATOR, to name a few.

- PRweb.com

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