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a NO COAST ENTERTAINMENT film in association with Gerson Productions and KP’s Remain Based on a New York Times best-selling novel OF RAIN Directed by BLAKE ROBBINS Written by CASEY TWENTER & JEFF ROBISON Starring MAIKA MONROE, MARK WEBBER, WILL PATTON, BONNIE BEDELIA, JUSTIN CHATWIN, AARON POOLE with LOGAN MILLER, with BRAD CARTER & MAGGIE GRACE Produced by CASEY TWENTER, JEFF ROBISON, JEFF JOHNSON, MAGGIE GRACE, KEVIN WALLER & DAN KOETTING CANADIAN Distributor Avi Federgreen Indiecan Entertainment Inc. [email protected] 416 898 3456 www.indiecanent.com LOGLINE After learning her parents' killer has been released from prison, a young woman in the Midwest begins questioning the police investigation and uncovers her own family secrets to piece together the shocking truth. SHORT SYNOPSIS When a young woman in the Midwest learns her parents' killer has been released from jail, rumblings in her small town suggest he may be innocent. She begins questioning the police investigation and witnesses, and uncovers her own family secrets to piece together the shocking truth. Based on the bestselling novel The Scent Of Rain & Lightning by Nancy Pickard. LONG SYNOPSIS When Jody hears the devastating news that her parents’ convicted killer was just released from jail, Jody’s stubbornness overcomes her overwhelming grief, and she'll stop at nothing to find out why her parents' killer is now a free man. At the warning of her grandfather Senior, Jody moves out of her childhood home to the family ranch for safety. Although she has spent every day since her parents’ deaths hating the man who destroyed her family, rumblings in their small town suggest he may be innocent. With the unexpected help from the killer’s son Collin, Jody revisits the case files and begins questioning the police investigation and witnesses, uncovering her own family secrets to piece together the shocking truth. Based on the bestselling novel by Nancy Pickard, THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING flashes back to the events leading up to the brutal murder and the dramatic, present-day aftermath that unfolds as Jody pieces together an unexpected personal twist. This suspenseful drama set in the American Mid-West unveils a powerful family’s secrets brought to light by twists of bitter revenge. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT How did writer/producers Casey Twenter and Jeff Jeff and Casey we were working with a polished screen- Robison (Rudderless) come to share their script for THE play, but our actors were given permission to never have SCENT OF RAIN & LIGHTNING [adapted from a NY to say a line simply because it was written. Working like Times best-selling novel authored by the sublimely this, we had the best that both improvisation and a finely talented, Nancy Pickard] with me? Here’s my version: tuned script has to offer. I prefer to start our work togeth- my first film, THE SUBLIME AND BEAUTIFUL, caught er believing that by the time an actor arrives to shoot a their attention when Casey was a Grand Jury member for scene they know more about the person they’re portray- the 2014 Kansas City FilmFest. Anyone who likes my ing than I do, their thoughts about how to approach a movie is a friend of mine and giving it a Grand Jury scene are as important as my own. For me it’s a sacred Award for Best Film was a great conversation starter. relationship I have with them. Turns out we not only got along, but we were like-mind- ed creatively on things like why and how to make films One more thing that must be said, this movie wouldn't outside of the studio system. exist had we not added Maggie Grace to our cast and producing team. She was a fan of my work on "The So they shared with me their screenplay for THE SCENT Sublime and Beautiful" and as our friendship grew so did OF RAIN & LIGHTNING, a "Mid-Western, American a mutual interest to work together. When Casey and Jeff Gothic Noir" story. A script that George Stevens, Elia shared their script with me, I thought who better to play Kazan, John Ford and the studios of yesteryear would Laurie Linder? Maggie has her own Mid-Western roots in have been falling over themselves to get their hands on. Ohio, and with her growing desire to branch into the A film with great characters, profound circumstances, world of film producing, I could think of no better fit. She cinematic environments, and a wonderful role for a also played Madge in William Inge's Picnic on Broadway. powerful movie-star ingénue, in the vein of Natalie Wood Fortunately for us she agreed. Her authentic understand- in Splendor In The Grass or Elizabeth Taylor in A Place ing of the film’s world and its rhythms left an indelible In The Sun. We found our equivalent in Maika Monroe, impact on the movie on many levels, including the script and I'd say Maika's performance echoes those past and character development. screen legends. We were fortunate to surround her with a tremendous ensemble allowing for unique, and com- Let me finish this statement with one more thing - while pelling performances thanks to the brilliance of Maggie the story teller in me prefers that metaphor in film be Grace, Brad Carter, Will Patton, Mark Webber, Justin handled with subtlety, one of the things that initially drew Chatwin, Logan Miller, Bonnie Bedelia, Kassia Conway, me to get involved with THE SCENT OF RAIN AND Aaron Poole, Sarah Noble Peck, and Meg Crosbie. LIGHTNING was an opportunity to tell a story with all these characters that have blood on their hands that still My collaborators and I were struck by the idea of taking go to tremendous lengths to destroy one another. It one of these former studio films from the 50's and 60's seems to me this theme echoes throughout the history of and blending it, mashing it up, if you will, with the mankind, as prevalent today as ever. A man with power visceral independent films from today, such as Animal and a man with nothing to lose are inherently dangerous Kingdom, Frozen River, Winter's Bone and Ain't Them to one another. When I look at what’s happening all over Bodies Saints. The result could be a film that stands on our planet I see this pattern playing out. The artist in me, the shoulders of the classics, but still feels like it belongs perhaps the humanity in me, felt it wanted to address this in today’s lexicon of movies. We made the choice to strip recurring tragedy. What we as humans do to each other away technology wherever possible in hopes of creating with our pain? I am a filmmaker that deals with questions, a timelessness. big questions, I don’t pretend to have the answers, but I believe in the power of awareness. As an actor turned filmmaker, I have tremendous appre- ciation for actors. I feel a responsibility to provide them with the best work environment and to respect the unique needs of their individual processes. Working from this place of respect I will never settle for or let them settle for less than their best. This requires a mutual trust and understanding. I love surrounding them with a crew that values this approach as much as I do. Thanks to PRODUCTION NOTES FINDING THE SCENT FINDING BLAKE It was 2011 and Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison were In early 2015 Casey Twenter was tapped to judge a film honing their craft as writers. They had not yet penned festival in his hometown (Kansas City International Film RUDDERLESS and were looking for inspiration for their Festival). In the process of judging he became next script. That is when Cristi Twenter heard an NPR enamored with, not only, Blake’s first film, THE SUBLIME story about “The Best Overlooked Novels of the Year”. & THE BEAUTIFUL, but his vision in film making. The raw After reading novel, she passed it off to Casey and the power of the film led Twenter to award the film the rest, as they say, is history. festival’s top award. It also inspired him to reach out and begin conversations as creative about partnering on a project in the future. Neither filmmaker knew that the OPTIONING THE SCENT OF RAIN & LIGHTNING future would be so soon. After falling in love with the novel and the characters, Casey reached out the book’s publisher. He requested author Nancy Pickard’s contact information and in a true A SHARED VISION “it’s a small world” moment found out he and the author Blake and Director of Photography, Lyn Moncrief, honed hailed from the same town. A few weeks later Twenter a partnership and shared vision for film by working and Pickard had lunch and made a deal which allowed together on THE SUBLIME & THE BEAUTIFUL. From that Casey and Jeff to adapt the novel. Over the years to professional love story came a professional marriage that come, the two screenwriters shared drafts with Pickard blossomed on the set of THE SCENT OF RAIN & and continued to re-option the material with hopes of LIGHTNING. one day producing the film. CAST BIOGRAPHIES MAIKA MONROE Maika Monroe has clearly demonstrated her promise as a Grace Moretz and Liev Schreiber. This follows her leading young actress with the ability to easily cross between role in the horror film “It Follows,” which was recently genres and with rising international appeal. Her riveting nominated for a 2016 Critics Choice Award for Best performances this past year proved successful when she Sci-Fi/Horror Movie.

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