"Short Pay! All Out!" The Bread & Roses Strike began 100 years ago today!

Hard to believe this day is here, but today kicks off a yearlong celebration marking the centennial of the Strike that inspired MILLIES.

If you're not following us on Facebook or Twitter by now, here's your chance.

MILLIES has a fab display at the impressive exhibit housed in the Everett Mill in Lawrence, MA, where it all started. The Lawrence History Center was generous enough to invite MILLIES to participate in this 2012 celebration, which we hope will result in many more people knowing about this film project and eventually helping us in our dogged pursuit of major funding.

If we learned anything from those women who shut their machines and walked out for two months to fight for equality, it's that old cliche that good things are worth the wait and the fight. And so we persist...

"Short Pay! All out!" - The Bread & Roses Centennial begins...

Another Lawrence mill reduced to rubble

Deja view: another mill in Lawrence gets demolished. It was a great building but had been badly abused, neglected and controversied. But as we know, that hardly ever means it cannot be saved with the right vision and backing. Alas, the Merrimac Paper Mill, 1895-2011, joins the ranks of Lost Lawrence:

http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x1281101732/Demolition-under-way-at-Merrimac-Paper-building

A great quote by Nature Conservancy President John Sawhill: "In the end, our society will be defined not by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy."

Fires kill more mills (and more fantastic locations)

This awesome little mill with its own cool smokestack and unique buildings on the Merrimack River, has gone up in flames so many times, it's a wonder it's still standing. But someone keeps plaguing these mills with their gasoline and matchbooks, and the Merrimack Paper Company is not long for this world. It is sure to be razed soon, and it would be yet another skyline-affecting loss along the river. A hit to the city, and a hit to our film. It helps to storyboard shots in easily-erasable pencil, because more mill buildings have disappeared in the past few years than I can bear. What better way to get rid of an abandoned mill building than to light it up, blame the homeless, and make way for more generic stucco office space? Or more likely another fast food, pharmacy, or gasoline chain. It's unbelievable to watch, and all this amidst serious controversy over the lack of proper fire protection in town. If the people aren't safe because there aren't enough firefighters, you can bet the mills must be shaking in their bricks.

Hopefully there will still be a mill in Lawrence by the time we're ready to roll cameras. Capturing a former industrial city powerhouse is a bit hard to do when no stack is left standing. People do not realize the treasures we are losing, and more often than not it's due to shortsighted human intention and not an act of nature. We are our own worst enemy.

City Says Merrimack Paper Co Buildings Need to be Torn Down

Lawrence pushing for quick demo of fire-ravaged mill

It's the same old trick: Let the mill rot, act surprised when it catches fire, proclaim the only way to move forward is to demolish it entirely, secretly rejoice, Repeat.

Where's Lorre? e-news update

The latest e-news bulletin is posted now at:
http://www.milliesmovie.com/2010_0729_millies_news.pdf

Happy reading!

Imploding History

As you may know, we were not the only ones filming the implosion of the two historic smokestacks back in October of 2009 for our MILLIES promotional video. Though we were about the only ones who didn't think of it as such a fun and fantastic event.

If you haven't seen our version of the video, you can check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmhjIBd2Sh8

The Learning Channel's tv reality show "The Imploders" was also filming, with a nice fat budget, helicopter shots, multi-camera set ups, etc. The result of that shoot aired on TLC last night, and I found it utterly painful to watch. It is not that buildings never have to come down, it's just the way there is such a casual celebration of the BOOM, especially regarding historic places, that rubs me wrong. It was like watching little boys kill a wounded animal after kicking it around a bit and letting it suffer. Putting it out of its misery is one thing, but taking such joy in the whole process is disconcerting to me. Can't help it, just the way I see things. It may be the Learning Channel, but it seems to me we are not at all learning the lessons we really need to learn.

Mo' Money - from Cultural Council

Believe me, it's a good thing when an indie filmmaker gets a call that says, "Yes, We Believe in Your Project. Here's More Money." Those calls are not just rare, they're pretty much nonexistent. So it was a happy day to get news from the Lawrence Cultural Council, a branch of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, that MILLIES was selected to receive additional funding on top of its original grant award from a couple months ago!

Every bit helps. Buy a t-shirt, buy a photo print, or just make a donation at http://www.milliesmovie.com/millie.html.

A big thanks to the Cultural Council for putting their money where their Millies are.

MILLIES booth at Fiber Arts Celebration

Textiles and fabrics and laces oh my...

MILLIES has been invited to the innovative Fiber Arts Celebration on Sunday, June 14, 11-4pm at the Wyndham Boston Andover Hotel. A full day on fiber arts and crafts in one of the heart of the storied Merrimack Valley textile region. A unique event and a fantastic connection between the regional textile history and MILLIES' storyline with textile mill workers visiting the present day when their historic strike is threatened.

If you spin, knit, felt, quilt, piece, hook, sew, stitch, crochet, stamp, or embellish … If you work with needles or hooks, fabric or yarn … If you’re a beginner, expert, or anywhere in between … this is your chance to hook up with others who share your passion for the fiber arts.

Featured speaker, BRUNONIA BARRY, author of the NY Times best-seller, The Lace Reader.

Bring your needles, shuttles, yarn, yoyos, hoops, hanks, and handwork, and share the day with old friends and new acquaintances.

Gourmet box lunch
Vendors’ booths
Fiber arts demonstrations
Door prizes
Vendor demonstrations
Hands-on activities
Special table for teens and beginning fiber artists of all ages

Tickets: $35 per adult ($20 per student under 18 accompanied by adult) includes admission, lunch, free raffle ticket, author presentation and book signing.

For full details, visit:
http://www.fiberartscelebration.com/?p=32

I "sew" hope you can join us!

Lorre on "Lunch To Go" radio 4/2/09

Tune in to the sure-to-be-amusing antics of the Lunch To Go radio show, broadcasting live from Salvatore's in Lawrence, MA on 980AM if you're local, or http://www.980wcap.com if you're virtual. The show broadcasts from 12-1pm EST on Thursday, April 2, 2009.

The host, "Wireless" Mike Flynn jokingly calls the show "Shackett's Hideaway" for co-host Ray Shackett and because the setup is reminiscent of Fernando's Hideaway from the Saturday Night Live skit. Should be great fun talking about MILLIES, the Lowell Film Festival, upcoming events and stuff that makes us look Mahvelous.
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MILLIES team hosts doc screening April 15, 2009

MILLIES Director Lorre Fritchy and Executive Producer Stephanie Higgins will swap roles on April 15 when they co-host a screening of their previous film project, THE GAY MARRIAGE THING. Directed by Higgins and Produced by Fritchy, this film highlights the politics, the piety and the people embroiled in the same-sex marriage debate in history-making Massachusetts in 2004.

The Lowell Film Collaborative and Christ Church United of Lowell, MA are presenting the screening at Christ Church United. The church actively pursued hosting the film because they wish to foster discussion on this topic. So don't be afraid to come to church -- it's not afraid of you. ;-)

Wednesday, April 15 @ 7:00 PM
47-minute Film Screening followed by Filmmaker Q&A
Christ Church United
180 E. Merrimack Street
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: 978-459-9631

* RSVP appreciated by April 14th to Suzzanne Cromwell
* Daycare will be provided during the film
* $5 Suggested donation

Join the MILLIES filmmakers for this blast from their production past to see just how committed they are to making a positive difference in the world through their art.
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Behind The Scenes Pics

Added some pictures to the Millies page on Facebook, sometimes those pics are different than pictures on the official Millies web site so do check in on Facebook if you want to see some new shots.

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Companies contributing to MILLIES

Our links page has been updated with the many companies who've given goods and services to MILLIES. Please drop them a line thanking them for their support of this film. It matters!

http://www.milliesmovie.com/links.html

Lorre @ Hillview Montessori School

The exceptional students at Hillview Montessori in Haverhill MA provided a terrific reception to Lorre's speaking engagement there on Jan. 13, 2009. The student reviewers summed it up like this:

Lights, Camera, Action!

Independent filmmaker Lorre Fritchy recently visited Hillview Montessori Charter Public School in Haverhill. The students there recently performed a play based on the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912. She talked about a movie that is in production called “Millies” which is about a group of mill worker ghosts that come back from the Bread and Roses Strike to help a bankrupt mill owner in modern times when her future threatens their past.

“I thought that the plotline was cool because it has ghosts in it,” said Grady Maguire. Lorre also talked about the importance of preserving history and how she didn’t like how people demolished mill buildings.

“She was a very good role model,” said Abby K. To show us some of her other work she showed us a clip from the first movie she completed called “Sandy ‘Spin’ Slade Beyond Basketball”. ”Millies” is her third movie. We can’t wait to see it!

By:
CJ Axford and Kevin Greene
HVM Upper Elementary Students


To have Lorre speak at your school, company, or organization, visit the Filmmaker Speaking Series page at MasterPeace Productions.

Millies exhibit comments

Thanks so much for your wonderful comments in the Comment Book from the Assassination of Lincoln exhibit. It was a grueling effort to get that exhibit up and running, as is the process of taking it all apart. So your positive support means a great deal, on both the exhibit and the film.

A common theme in your comments was how important it was to document this process and capture the past. I appreciate you other Millies out there, believe me. You keep me going during the times when the tasks to be done are mountainous.

Eventually, I will have the majority of prints from the exhibit up on the web site for purchase, but for now we've got highlights to tide you over ;-)

http://www.milliesmovie.com/lincoln_photos.html

Video From The Set of MILLIES The Movie

From the mill rooftops of Lawrence, Massachusetts on our first day filming exteriors for MILLIES:

Lincoln Foods prints for sale on MILLIES web site

A newsletter will be coming soon, but I wanted to let you know that a selection of prints from our successful "Assassination of Lincoln" photo exhibit are now on sale in our Mill Store:

http://www.milliesmovie.com/lincoln_photos.html

Thanks to those of you who came out to join us in the raw and nasty ice storm for our fantastic reception. And to those of you who visited the exhibit on your own. It was our last big and creative event of 2008, giving us renewed energy for MILLIES as 2009 begins.

New Video on YouTube

Didn't think we'd do an event without a video to accompany it,did you? "The Assassination of Lincoln: Teardown of a Century-Old Mill" is now available for viewing on YouTube. Most of the images captured are of a place that no longer exists except on film. Very interested to hear your comments on that one.

Photo Exhibit - prints coming soon

Thanks to all of you who attended our opening reception for the Lincoln Foods photo exhibit last week. People were unbelievably generous with their comments, time, and participation. We raffled off some 5x7 and 8x10 copies of the more than 50 prints that appear in the exhibit. "The Assassination of Lincoln: Teardown of a Century-Old Mill" show runs through Dec. 19 at essex art center, 56 island street, lawrence ma from M-F 10-6. Sign the guest book if you get to check it out! For more info., visit our Events page.

Many people have expressed interest in ordering prints, and I am working on getting that available to you online in our Mill Store. One ginormous thing at a time ;-)

Happy Holidays!
~Lorre

Millies in Merrimack Valley Magazine

The Nov/Dec 2008 issue of the glossy pub Merrimack Valley Magazine has an excellent summary of the Millies: Playing With A Movie stage adaptation performed in September. Page 12 has the scoop, plus some great pics by enthused audience member and colleague Logan Seale.

Lorre Guest Speaking at College

Excited to be doing a presentation for the Contemporary Affairs Club at Northern Essex Community College Nov. 12th. The topic will be Millies but also the labor issues and historic research surrounding the textile strike of 1912, the Bread & Roses Strike. And discussing the similarities and parallels between then and now. Can I just tell you, I love talking about the history and research aspects of the project and how I use them in a modern-day story because the lessons, for better or for worse, still apply.

MILLIES T-shirts are here!

At long last, you can be a MILLIE, too! Our hip and comfy tees are just waiting to vogue on your body. We have three colors to choose from: white, sandstone, and dijon - all with the same front and back design. The back features the MILLIES logo and web site while the front proudly affirms, "Yes, I'm A Millie" ;-)

This shirt will actually factor into the film, so you will have the same tee as some characters in the movie! It's definitely a conversation-starter, and at $20 it's a very economical way to contribute to the financing of this film.

Visit our mill store at http://www.milliesmovie.com/movie_tee.html to have a look before buying.

PS - A special something if your name is actually "Millie"! Email us before ordering.