BLAZE and Ben Dickey make for a hot opening night at 2nd JTIFF

The second annual Jim Thorpe Independent Film festival (JTIFF) kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, 40 West Broadway, in Jim Thorpe, PA, with a special red carpet Opening Night event that filmgoers and music fans won't want to miss!

The opening night feature film is BLAZE (2018), co-written and directed by Ethan Hawke, starring Ben Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Josh Hamilton, and Charlie Sexton. BLAZE is inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw music movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three different periods of time, braiding re-imagined versions of Blaze’s past, present and future. The different strands explore his love affair with Sybil Rosen; his last, dark night on earth; and the impact his songs and death had on his fans, friends, and foes. The braided storyline terminates in a bittersweet ending that acknowledges Blaze's profound highs and lows, as well as the impressions he made on the people who shared his journey. The film is based on the memoir, Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze, by Ms. Rosen, who also co-wrote the screenplay. BLAZE was filmed in Louisiana and had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and its second screening at SXSW in March.

BLAZE stars musician and first-time actor, Ben Dickey, in the title role, which won him the Sundance Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting. Dickey will present BLAZE in person on April 12th, then play a live music set with his band, the Beaver Bayou Boys at the Mauch Chunk Opera House after the BLAZE screening.

Dickey, who currently resides in Louisiana, has a Pennsylvania connection. Dickey lived and performed in Philadelphia in the 2000’s, where he met his wife, Beth Blofson. In Philadelphia Dickey also met Jim Thorpe bookseller and former Philly resident, Randall Sellers. Dickey and Blofson visited Sellers in the historic Pennsylvania town a decade ago. When BLAZE was released, Sellers reached out to his old friend and invited Dickey to bring the film and Foley’s music to Jim Thorpe. Dickey, who is “in love with” the Mauch Chunk Opera House, is looking forward to his Pennsylvania homecoming.

JTIFF directors Todd Morris and Jocelyn O’Neil are thrilled to have such a prestigious Sundance-winning production launch the four-day festival, now in its second year. Said Morris: "We are so excited and honored to have Ethan Hawke’s beautiful film, BLAZE, kick off the second year of JTIFF and to have the artist who actually plays Blaze Foley introduce the film and perform live music from the soundtrack immediately after the screening."

And that's just the beginning!

JTIFF will present 93 films from 17 countries, eight world premieres, 16 East Coast premieres, 30 Pennsylvania premieres, eight Lehigh Valley premieres on a 30-foot screen. The selections were culled from more than 750 submissions of every genre and subject - from gritty underground and experimental fare to bigger Hollywood level films.

Pennsylvania films include the feature AFTER HOURS TRADING, a dark comedy about human trafficking by Pittsburgh-based filmmaker Fredrick Johnson. Philadelphia entries include the off-beat comedy PACO from Catalina Jordan Alvarez with the brow-raising tagline - He wants you to bounce on his lap; And BETA PERSEI, Katherine Clark’s cerebral, genre-bending, contemporary Perseus and Medusa horror story.

Northeast Pennsylvania films include Samantha Kolesnik’s disturbing FRIENDSGIVING, a tale of a young woman invited to dine with refined cannibals. And, returning to the festival we have Jim Thorpe filmmaker Eric Szollosy's SNOW KING, a follow up to last year's popular experimental FOOLS CHAIR.

Tickets: Opening Night - $20; Individual Film Screening - $10; All-access Pass - $120. For tickets, trailers, schedule and more information, visit https://www.jimthorpeindiefilmfest.com