LUMBERTON — Lumberton is a long way from Hollywood, but the Carolina Civic Center hopes to give local folks all the glitz and glamour of a red-carpet premiere Friday.
The historic theater is gearing up for the big screen debut of “Shake Off the World,” a faith-based film about high school football. The movie was shot earlier this year at various locations across Robson County and features a cast of mostly local actors, several of whom will be on hand to sign autographs during the premiere.
The civic center announced in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon that 28 tickets were left for the premiere. Regular screenings of the film are scheduled throughout the weekend, with shows at noon and 2 p.m. Friday; at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, and at 2, 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for those shows.
“Shake Off the World” was directed by Chuck Williams, an Arizona filmmaker who plans to release a series of Christian movies with his company, Avondale Pictures. The production was funded in large part through donations from residents.
According to a synopsis, “Shake Off the World” is about a high school football player who is forced to overcome a crisis of faith. Williams says it will be similar in tone to uplifting football movies like “The Blind Side” and “Remember the Titans.”
Mickey Gregory, director of the Lumberton Visitors Bereau, has been perhaps the film’s biggest cheerleader.
“This movie is all about Lumberton and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it,” Gregory told The Robesonian last month. “I think it’s going to showcase Lumberton in ways we would never have imagined.”
Robeson County residents appearing in the film include Dylan Scott, Reba Fox, Sarah Beth Short, Austin Hook, James Locklear, Mike Setzer, Mackie Register, former Miss North Carolina Johna Edmunds, Brent Tyler, Brice Heller, Mac McGill, Mahlea Celeste Hunt, Isabella Wright, John Hodges, Keaton Oxendine, Bobby Deal, Sierra Foley, Todd Nicoll, Owen Thomas, Jordan Monds, James Bass, Brett Grubbs, Matthew Deutschlander, Chad Sluss, Dylan Deal, Zack Maynor, Molli Elizabeth Hall, Jeff Barkey and Holly Anderson Storey. Kendrix Singletary, a production manager and resident artist at the civic center, contributed a song to the film’s soundtrack.
It’s going to be a busy weekend at the civic center, which will also host a performance from Southern Fried Chicks on Saturday. The down-home comediennes starred in a popular stand-up special that aired on CMT.
The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $23, or $17 each with the advance purchase of 10 or more tickets. The Carolina Civic Center is located at 315 N. Chestnut St. in downtown Lumberton. For information, visit carolinaciviccenter.com.
