Three years ago I published a review of Anna Olswanger’s middle grade novel Greenhorn. I ‘met’ Anna because we were both involved in the Love MG Actually project launched and co-ordinated by Sally Harris, which in turn led to the BookElves project. Isn’t it fascinating how one thing leads into another?
I stayed in touch with Anna (as one does) and was pleased to see there had been some interest in Greenhorn within the Jewish community, and I got occasional newsletters on progress. Recently she sent another update:
In 2014 I co-produced a short indie film adaptation of the novel. The film premiered at the Landmark NuArt Theatre in L.A. and at The Museum of Tolerance in New York. It was named the 2015 Audience Award Winner for Best Short Film Drama at the Morris and Mollye Fogelman International Jewish Film Festival in Memphis, and subsequently aired on public television in Memphis and Kentucky. Last month it was part of the Festival Internacional De Cine Judio en Mexico and screened on March 27 at the International Children’s Film Festival at L.A.’s WonderCon.
It’s a close adaptation of my novel about a young Holocaust survivor who arrives at a Brooklyn yeshiva in the 1940s with only a small box that he won’t let out of his sight. Like the book, the film, which involves disabilities and bullying, is based on a true story.
TMW Media has just started distributing the film so that libraries and schools can purchase the DVD with public performance rights and show the film in classrooms. TMW is also distributing the film on Amazon to individual viewers.
Well, there’s not much I do that could help widen the audience for the book or film, but I thought you might be interested, especially those of you involved in education. If you’d like to access the film, the links to TMW Media and the Amazon link are here:
- http://www.tmwmedia.com/productlisting/details/greenhorna-story-of-friendship-in-the-aftermath-of-the-holocaust
- http://www.amazon.com/Greenhorn-Friendship-Journey-Aftermath-Holocaust/dp/B01C4UBB10/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457901089&sr=8-2&keywords=greenhorn+film
Anna suggests the film could be a tie-in to Holocaust Remembrance Day in May and International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January.
The film trailer is online at:
The discussion guide for the film is online at the distributor’s site:
I hope you will consider mentioning Greenhorn, or the film trailer. If you’d like to contact Anna, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with her.
Thank you for this. I’d never heard of the book or the movie, so your blog post has gathered at least one more fan for Anna. 🙂 Also, thanks for the links, they’ll save folk from forgetting to look everything up after they read their email. After all, it’s right in front of them. 😀
If all we do is let one more person know of a good book and a project the author pushed forward, then that’s enough, isn’t it!
Wow! Congratulations, Anna!
Sounds like a great book. I’ve added it to my TBR pile.
I too did not know about this book, but I just put it on my buy list for a Christmas present for a young girl I know!