News

Greetings Dear John Fans,

Sorry for the delay in updates it's been a hectic past couple of months as Mark and I work on several other film projects and continue to try and get Dear John to the public, and after months of waiting, Dear John is now going to be screened across North America in the Canadian Labour International Film Festival! We are very proud to announce that the premiere will take place this November 28th at 5:30pm at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto Ontario, along with the labour film festival awards ceremonies later that night. Admission is free at all locations across North America for all labour films, so please head on over to www.labourfilms.ca and check festival locations, for a location near you and its line up! You'll be supporting a fantastic cause and seeing some amazing films in the process!

In other news our trailers have reached altogether over 35,000 views on YouTube! Check out our YouTube page for further updates in the future!

We would also like to give our thanks to the Welland Tribune, the Ajax News Advertiser, and the Kitchener/Waterloo Record for their amazing news articles on the filmmakers and the film! Please click the links below and read them!

Welland Tribune: John Deere movie making film festival rounds
Ajax News Advertiser: Ajax resident's film career on a roll
The Record: Nothing runs (away) like a Deere

Thanks for all the support everyone, you've been wonderful and incredibly helpful.

Best Wishes,

Charles M. Smith

Dear John has gotten over 1,000 views with YouTube and Vimeo for their trailer!

May 30, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

We're excited to show off our new Trailer! Check it out and spread the word. Trailer features music by Ice Halo.

May 13, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

Sound mix for the film is scheduled for tomorrow.

April 22, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

Test screening coming up this week with the main characters of the film. We're getting close to lock on the half hour version of the documentary! We'll keep you updated.

April 21, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

Should have the sound completed in the coming weeks. We'll keep the Facebook community up to date on having a test screening!

April 17, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

Starting the sound edit in the coming days, will hopefully have a mix within the next two weeks. Keep your eyes peeled as we keep you posted.

April 15 2009 | Charles M. Smith

In the heavy editing stages.

April 2, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

Just completed the final shoot till the end of April! Mark and I would like to thank all the supporters of the film, all those that have helped us during production, and those that continue to contribute to the film. A warm thanks to all those working at John Deere Welland Works, we're with you guys.

March 29, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

The crew is preparing for a big shoot at the Hamilton Convention Center this Saturday. In response to further closure announcements in the Hamilton/Niagara region the CLC, Hamilton Labour Council and Local CAW 1005 has organized a march and rally for those suffering the harsh cutbacks involving job loss. For more information visit Hamilton Labour's website.

March 17, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

The crew has arrived home from the weeklong road trip. During the trip they made stops in St. Thomas Ontario, Windsor Ontario, Flint Michigan, Chicago Illinois and Moline Illinois. The trip allowed the crew and Mark to get a new perspective of the story as Windsor holds the record for the highest unemployment rate currently in Ontario. In St. Thomas the crew got to view a community sharing similar experiences as the Daimler Truck plant in St. Thomas had recently closed resulting in the loss of 1,400 jobs. Flint Michigan really opened their eyes however, as even despite the recession hitting the community hard, and all the job losses in the early 80’s with GM’s major closures, those that live in Flint continue to fight on to make their future a bright one. When the crew finally completed their journey in Moline, they were in the birth place of John Deere. It’s been a long way for the crew of Dear John, but the works not over yet.

Despite being unable to get an interview with John Deere the crew will continue to work towards completing this documentary and filling in the gaps that John Deere wishes to remain unexplained. We would like to thank everyone that worked with us along the way and helped make this trip life changing for those involved.

March 7, 2009 | Charles M. Smith

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