So many factors must unite at precisely the right place and time in order to make a film, it is a wonder they ever see the big or small screen. Does it help to have oodles of money? Absolutely. Does having oodles of money guarantee a quality film? Hardly. Nor does the lack of oodles guarantee a klunker. Because whether it is an indie breakthrough or a Hollywood blockbuster, a good film boils down to one thing: a great story, told greatly.
Millies Movie LLC was created in July 2007 to merge the cooperative efforts of MasterPeace Productions, SassyMedia, and entities partnering with them to finance the making of the feature film, Millies.
Filmmaker Bios
Lorre Fritchy (Writer, Director, Executive Producer - Millies) founded MasterPeace Productions a decade ago with a wealth of film and video experience and a strong belief in the power and responsibility of storytelling. A screenwriter, freelance writer and producer/director with a hand in various film and video production roles, Fritchy has even womanned the craft services table. She most definitely appreciates the efforts of every crew member.
Fritchy launched MasterPeace Productions to support the efforts of her 2001 documentary debut, Sandy 'Spin' Slade: Beyond Basketball. After screening at multiple film festivals and special events, this Spinumentary™ earned four stars from Film Threat magazine and won the Creative Excellence Award of Merit from the Academy of Video Arts & Sciences. The film is now in national distribution through National Film Network.
Fritchy's original screenplay KIND-HEARTED WOMAN won the national 2004 One-In-Ten Screenwriting Competition, while her short film script BETWEEN THE LINES was a Finalist in MoviePoet's 5-Minute Screenplay Contest.
Bolstering SassyMedia’s efforts on the 2005 documentary, The Gay Marriage Thing, Fritchy served chiefly as Executive Producer, among other roles. Connecting with audiences at festivals nationwide, the film is now in national distribution through The Cinema Guild.
Started in Newburyport MA in 1997, MasterPeace Productions relocated in 2001 to the historic, culturally diverse, and picturesque mill city of Lawrence, Massachusetts – the setting for
Millies.
When Lorre is on the job, she is seriously, undeniably, absolutely All Business. But when there’s steam to let off, she’s likely baking something, cranking up the disco while doing home improvements, or traveling to some offbeat historical, cinematic, photographic or tasty destination with her family and friends. For Lorre’s full production resume, click here.
READ A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR, Lorre Fritchy
Stephanie Higgins (Executive Producer - Millies) didn’t miss a step after debuting on the film scene by winning Emerson College’s prestigious EVVY Award for her film, Drive Thru Love. Higgins used this momentum to propel her into the edit suites of powerhouse corporations such as Bose and IBM, where she excels as a technical consultant for million-dollar video productions. Higgins founded her own multi-media production company SassyMedia in 2003, with a passion for storytelling and a drive to create media that makes a difference.
SassyMedia’s success exploded in 2005 with its first film and Higgins’ directorial debut, The Gay Marriage Thing. After screening at film festivals nationwide, the film (produced in association with MasterPeace Productions) won distribution through New York’s premiere educational distributor The Cinema Guild. Boston Spirit magazine said, “THE GAY MARRIAGE THING is well worth toasting now and throughout the New Year,” and audiences and educators overwhelmingly agree.
With a cup of tea at her side and a DVD rental in the player, Steff is always studying trends and techniques in film/video, distribution and the blossoming Internet content delivery arena. She is a well-rounded person who makes a mean pizzelle and is a black belt in karate. For Steff’s full production resume, click here.
Millies was supported in 2008 by a grant from the Lawrence Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. We are extremely grateful for this stamp of approval and we stretched this modest grant to cover our web related expenses as we built this site to complement the film and its efforts.
