Olympia Dukakis is a MILLIE!!!!!

Yes, kids, you read that right. Olympia Dukakis has submitted a Letter of Interest to play a MILLIE in the film! It is a huge moment for MILLIES to get this generous gesture from a phenomenal talent like Olympia Dukakis. We are excited, we are inspired, we are motivated more than ever to get this film funded.

We Need Your Help!

Read the full Olympia story on our Headlines page.

Meanwhile, put on your Millies t-shirts: Yes, I'm A Millie. And so is Olympia!!!

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.

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 photo exhibit @ Wichit - EXTENDED

It's the return of "Lincoln" ;-)

"The Assassination of Lincoln: Teardown of a Century-Old Mill" - a photographic exhibit in support of MILLIES - is back on the brick. This photographic exhibit by filmmaker Lorre Fritchy depicts the dismantling of the 108-year-old Lincoln Foods mill building in Lawrence, Mass. throughout its 2008 demise. A portion of the takedown was also filmed for Fritchy's movie MILLIES (http://www.MilliesMovie.com). Witness the haunting beauty and rubbled remains of history as Lincoln falls, brick by brick.

A selection of photos from this exhibit are now on EXTENDED display indefinitely on the fantastic mill walls at Wichit - http://www.wichitsandwich.com.

Just hung the pieces this morning, and then continued working on MILLIES script rewrites at this wonderful WiFi spot. It has been a lovely day of watching people visit the cafe and admire the pics at a steady pace. Not just a polite walk-past, either, but a close-up analysis of each piece, even before getting their coffee! The best response was one woman who walked through the door, stopped in her tracks and just gasped at the pictures. She was blown away by them. Now THAT kind of immediate, gut reaction gives me the warm fuzzies.

Thanks to Rose and Chris at Wichit for hanging me in "the brick gallery." Great sandwiches and a funky ambiance, can't ask for more.

To view a selection of prints from the exhibit, visit: http://www.milliesmovie.com/lincoln_photos.html.

Fade In to Fade Out

Serious heavy lifting on MILLIES script rewrites. Flying above the story to see the holes, areas that work or don't work, and how this whole surreal story is coming together. I do not fear the red pen, I embrace it! :-)

$10 Tees holiday sale

50% off official MILLIES t-shirts for online orders only, through December 17th! http://www.milliesmovie.com/movie_tee.html

Radio interview Fri. Oct. 30 at 9am

With women being an integral part in the success of the historic Bread & Roses Strike that inspired MILLIES, it is appropriate on many levels for Writer/Director Lorre Fritchy to appear on WUML radio's Thinking Out Loud program "Feminist Edition" with host Charlotte Crockford.

Lorre will be interviewed Friday, October 30th in the 9 o'clock hour on 91.5FM in the Boston/Lowell area or you may listen live at:

http://www.wuml.org/webcast.php

Come on, tune us in. You know Lorre's fun on the radio.

Film Snobs catch Lorre

A great Millies interview with Lorre by Nic Baisely from the fun new film site, Film Snobbery - http://filmsnobbery.com/2009/10/18/lorre-fritchy-interview/

They're not snobs at all, they just love film and they're not afraid to show it.


http://www.MilliesMovie.com

Lorre on WUML radio March 26, 2009

Tune in on the radio or online for Lorre's appearance on "The Long View" broadcasting live at 10:10am on WUML radio 91.5FM in Lowell, Massachusetts or online at http://www.thelongview.net.
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Lorre opening Lowell Film Festival April 3, 2009!

Lorre will be the Guest Speaker for the kickoff reception of the Lowell Film Festival, April 3, 2009 at the Revolving Museum, 22 Shattuck Street in Lowell MA from 6-7:30pm. She will talk about her theory that as soon as grass is visible in the yard, it means it's going to snow again. Okay, really she'll be talking about MILLIES, of course, the process and the patience in this pursuit. She will also show the existing MILLIES videos to an enthusiastic, film-loving crowd. Should be a fantastic and intimate evening in a gorgeous mill city.

For more information on the film festival itself, visit:
http://www.lowellfilms.org

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Millies group now on Facebook

The title of this post is pretty cut and dried: we now have a MILLIES group on Facebook. Please join the group and invite your friends to Be A Millie!

Join the MILLIES page on Facebook!