One Moment Cast to Reunite for First Time Since Film Completion, Missing the Late Danny Aiello
Sedona AZ (June 11, 2021) – The One Moment cast, writer/director/producers and editor will reunite in person at the Sedona International Film Festival for the first time since filming on Friday, June 18th. They will undoubtedly feel the absence of beloved lead Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing, Hudson Hawk, Moonstruck), who passed away soon after filming was completed. During the 4:00 pm screening, patrons will join the group in person to watch One Moment in the Sedona Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased by visiting sedonafilmfestival.com for $15.00/person.
Starring the late Danny Aiello in his final screen performance, Deirdre O’Connor (writer, director, producer) says, “It will be bittersweet to be together again since 2019 when filming wrapped, and there will be a gaping hole in our group since Danny is no longer with us. We continue to miss him every day.” Filmgoers will be able to see Danny’s final entry of a lifetime body of work as he delivers a poignant and powerful performance in this award winning independent film.
One Moment is a humorous, heart-warming story of middle-age siblings struggling to manage their lives, while also caring for their recently widowed, aging father. The storyline features legendary actor Danny Aiello, Academy Award nominee, as family patriarch Joe McGuinness. Other principals include Adria Tennor, Frankie Ingrassia, Sal Rendino, Natalie Seus and Sioux Madden who will all be present at Sedona International Film Festival.
This is the 27th Annual Sedona Film Fest, and supporters can screen independent films from around the world from June 12-20, 2021. From features to shorts, documentaries to animation and foreign films to student films, there will be more than 100 films delivered to audiences both in person and virtually over the nine day festival span.
Long Island based writer/producer/director Deirdre O’Connor makes her narrative feature directorial debut with One Moment, which received accolades at the Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, CA, as the Audience Award Winner for Comedy and a top trending film. O’Connor was awarded the Loïs Weber Spirit Award at the Barebones Film Fest in Muskogee, OK, along with One Moment being named Audience Favorite. During the Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF), Beaufort, SC, the film was awarded Best Comedy and Best Actor (Danny Aiello). Of more than 100 films at Cinequest, One Moment was highlighted in San Jose Mercury News as “1 of 12 films you should see.” IMDB’s founder and CEO Col Needham listed his favorite films of Cinequest 2021 – One Moment is one of them “featuring a great final performance from Danny Aiello.”
Rotten Tomatoes’ “Top Critic” Randy Myers from San Jose News wrote, “Writer/director Deirdre O’Connor’s heartfelt, sentimental and immensely relatable feature runs on just a little long, but fondly embraces dysfunctional families in all their pain and glory.”
This comedy resonates on so many levels. After his wife’s recent death from Alzheimer’s, Joe McGuinness moved in with his daughter Caroline and her teenage daughter. It is not an easy adjustment for anyone. Joe is demanding and difficult and stubbornly believes he is still capable of running his own life –despite evidence to the contrary. Caroline and her sister Fran put everything on hold, rearranging their daily schedules, careers, and personal lives in order to assist their aging father. Two out-of-town siblings do little to help but, when they do, offer impractical and uninformed solutions that only add to the upheaval and chaos. Although the family is at odds as to how best care for their father in his final years, they are united in wanting to ensure his well-being and help him find peace of mind–without them losing their own. Welcome to the “Sandwich Generation.”
The “Sandwich Generation” is a term that O’Connor hopes to put on the map with this film and make it an everyday recognized part of our cultural vernacular. The Sandwich Generation is those sandwiched between parenting their children and their parents, while also trying to manage jobs and personal lives. The film depicts how difficult it can be for everyone involved by infusing comedy and tender moments.
After writing screenplays for many years, Deirdre O’Connor decided it was her MOMENT to write, produce, and direct a feature film. Deirdre is an Associate Professor of Communications and Film at SUNY Nassau Community College in New York since 2004. Production was completed 10/31/20, with a Run-Time of 1:54. One Moment trailer may be found at https://littleredpurseproductions.com.
Audience interest: Comedy, Family, Generations (Teens, Gen X, Baby Boomers, Senior Adults), Alzheimer’s/Dementia families/caregivers/professionals, etc.