Guest Artist

Two of TCFF’s favorite storytellers, Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield, have come together to create this engaging and smart film about the beauty and peril of being an artist. Jaded Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Joseph Harris (Jeff Daniels) has a career that’s tanked so badly the only paying gig his agent can find is a new commissioned work for a small town theater in Michigan. It’s there that the alcoholic has-been meets his biggest fan—aspiring playwright Kenneth Waters (Thomas Macias) who still believes in the magic of the page and the stage—and the clash between bitter experience and idealistic dreaming ensues. Pairing Daniels' fiery screenplay (adapted from his own stage play) with Busfield’s dynamic directing, the film brilliantly weaves together humor and drama, darkness and light, wisdom and innocence. A true labor of love for family and home, the film is produced by Melissa Gilbert, another TCFF favorite, with stunning cinematography by Willy Busfield and music by Ben Daniels. Don’t miss this Michigan-made movie that will remind you why telling stories still matters. In Person: Actor Thomas Macias and Producer Melissa Gilbert.