’05 Alum Brings ‘Kings of Summer’ to Hill
The Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture kicks off the Maria J. Langer Film Series with the coming-of-age comedy, The Kings Of Summer, Sunday, Sept. 8, at 2 p.m. in Taylor Little Theatre at Mercyhurst University. The film will be accompanied by a discussion with co-producer and ’Hurst alumnus Eric Hollenbeck ’05.
Premiering to rave reviews at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, The Kings Of Summer follows three teenage friends who, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Free from their parents’ rules, their idyllic summer quickly becomes a test of friendship as each boy learns to appreciate the fact that family – whether it is the one you’re born into or the one you create – is something you can’t run away from.
The Kings of Summer – formerly titled “Toy’s House” – stars Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally and Alison Brie. Likened to a combination of Stand by Me and Superbad, The Kings of Summer was nominated for the grand jury prize in the dramatic category at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won the audience award for narrative feature film at the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival. After its Sundance premiere, the film was bought by CBS Films and is currently in theaters.
Hollenbeck earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business/marketing in 2005 from Mercyhurst, where he also played lacrosse. Since graduating, he has worked for numerous production companies and independent producers in film, television and commercials, including Walt Disney Pictures, ABC Studios, Overture Films, The Weinstein Company and Universal Pictures. His credits include Gus Van Sant/Matt Damon’s film Promised Land, Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher, The Avengers, George Clooney’s Ides of March, JJ Abrams/Speilberg’s Super 8, and Showtime’s breakout hit series, Homeland.
In 2010, Hollenbeck founded his own production company, Breakfast Films, to develop, finance and produce original films. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.
He also recently co-produced The World Made Straight, based on the acclaimed novel by Ron Rash, starring Noah Wyle, Minka Kelly, Haley Joel Osment, Jeremy Irvine and Steve Earle. In addition, he served as executive producer of Compliance, starring Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker and Pat Healy. Compliance premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was sold to Magnolia Pictures. It was released in theaters in August 2012, and came out on DVD this past January.
Don’t miss The Kings of Summer, a charming and refreshing comedy that will unearth your own memories of carefree childhood and the pitfalls of adolescence.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for students/seniors and $1 for Mercyhurst students (with ID). For more information, call 814-824-3000 or visit miac.mercyhurst.edu.
