Red carpet to roll out for world premier of ‘Candlewood’

By Deborah Rose

The clock is ticking until the long-awaited “Candlewood” film hits the screen.

The movie, solely filmed in New Milford, will premiere Jan. 27 at Bank Street Theater and continue with multiple sneak preview screenings in February.

A red carpet will be rolled out in front of the more than 100-year-old movie theater for the world premier, a private event.

“It’s officially done,” exclaimed the film’s director and producer, Myke Furhman, during a lengthy phone interview Jan. 24.

Having lived and breathed the movie for nearly two years, even the interview warranted a reason for Furhman to take a break from the film.

He drove the screener – an advance copy of the film – to the theater during the interview. 

“I just dropped it off, Deborah,” he said, proudly, noting the time was 1:03 p.m., just 12 hours after he said the movie was “locked in.”

The psychological thriller, written by resident and executive producer Victoria Flores-Argue will be shown Thursdays and Saturdays from Feb. 1-17 at Bank Street Theater.

As of publication, three showings have already sold out. Depending on demand, additional showings may be added.

“Right now, I’m focused on this sneak preview because we have great access to a local theater, and the previews are a thank you to the local community,” Furhman said.

Flores-Argue indicated her hope that the horror film will likely go nationwide. For now, “we wanted to give the community a sneak peek before rest of the world sees it” because the “community support has been tremendous.”

Tickets are available on the movie’s website, https://www.candlewoodfilm.com.

“We’re so excited,” said the writer-executive producer, who with Furhman attended a test screening a few hours after the screener was delivered.

“It bought tears to my ears,” said Flores-Argue, who began the process of writing the screenplay in mid- to late-2021.

“Everyone really put in the 1,000 percent of their heart, body, and soul,” the filmmaker said.

Valerie Lorimer, chair of the New Milford Film Commission, noted how "Myke and Victoria came together and formed a strong team with other locals as actors, vendors and film crew" for this film.

"It was wonderful to see this project flow so smoothly," she said. "I was delighted to see so many gifted people work together on this film."

Now that the film is a wrap, the focus is on distribution.

“It’s a home-grown movie that will go nationwide, pertaining to theatrical and streaming," Flores-Argue optimistically suggested.

Lorimer said she predicts "Candlewood " will do well at the box office.

"The town is very excited about the premiere of Candlewood, filmed in New Milford and produced by New Milford business Myke Foo Media owner Myke Furhman," New Milford Mayor Pete Bass said.

"It’s great to see films being produced in our wonderful town. This is one of many reasons New Milford is the Best Town in the USA," he said.

The film is Furhman’s directorial debut. He has produced and co-produced several independent feature films in the past, and he is the recipient of three Emmy Awards.

The movie is Flores-Argue’s first film.

THE FILM

The almost 90-minute film follows the Barrington family that moves from the city to a country town, where they feel unwelcome by neighbors. As the story progresses, the family begins to experience “weird things” related to local legends about Lover’s Leap and an underwater city of Jerusalem, according to Furhman.

The story was inspired by Flores-Argue’s own move from New York City to New Milford.

“I wanted to weave in a lot of the folklore into it….there are so many cool stories about Lover’s Leap” and other locations in town,” she pointed out.

Flores-Argue described the film as “such an homage to the area, the people, and the exodus of people leaving urban areas.”

It’s a horror movie that is also “a fun, quick, thoughtful movie with comedic points…not a slasher,” she summed up.

At this time, the film is not rated. But would be rated R for language and violence, according to Furhman.

The movie features an original soundtrack by Andrew Scott Bell, who composed the original score for “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” 

“Candlewood” stars Joel Bryant (“LA Macabre” and “Monk”) as Kevin Barrington, Lisann Valentin (“The Blacklist” and “Blue Bloods”) as Veronica Barrington, Isabel Lysiak as Sarah Barrington and Coulter Ibañez as Matteo Barrington.

New Milford resident and actor, Jeffrey Alan Solomon (“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), is also a member of the cast, portraying Eli Boardman. 

“I was impressed at how good of an actor (Jeff) is and how well he played the character,” said Furhman who, as a New Milford student, had Solomon’s wife, as a teacher.

“The first time I saw him perform the role was at the table read, and he was beyond impressive,” he added.

Several local residents make cameo appearances.

‘BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS’

Furhman, who grew up in Gaylordsville and graduated from New Milford High School, was originally assistant director and producer. But three weeks before filming began, he assumed the role of director.

“I pivoted to a new role because I had an intimate understanding of the story and local aspects of it,” Furhman said.

Filming was done at the town's park, Lynn Deming Park, as well as at The Market in Northville, and in a Candlewood Lake community. The rest of it was filmed at a private resident in the Northville section of town.

The movie cost just over $500,000, primarily funded through a private investment, accounting for 20 percent of the budget, along with other smaller investments ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.

In addition, $30,000 of the budget came through Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website, in 15 days.

“That’s not slim pickings,” Furhman said of the Indiegogo funds.

He praised Flores-Argue for her role as executive producer, which focused on acquiring the means to fund the movie.

“She hustled, scratched and clawed,” Furhman said of her focused commitment to bring the movie to life. “I don’t know how many pitches she did.”

The mutual respect among the filmmakers is clear. Flores-Argue credits Furhman for his professionalism and talent.

“Myke was so entrenched,” the writer-executive producer said. “We’d sit on the floor and read dialogue to each other to make sure it was the way people spoke.”

“He had been assistant director in the past, and his whole career was working up to a directorial debut,” she related. “He did the work and showed up.”

In addition, Furhman said he brought in “all of the A-team from around the state, including a bunch of Connecticut filmmakers for hair and makeup, the camera department” and other professionals.

The director-producer related the lengthy process of bringing a screenplay to the screen.

“There are a lot of things people don’t think about,” he said, citing just a few, including syncing the sound and picture, cutting the picture, color grading, scoring, and more.

Furhman admit, “Filmmaking is not glamorous. It’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears. And the end result is as glamours as you can get.”

The director-producer said the film “doesn’t look like your typical Indie film,” although the movie cost under a half a million dollars to make. “It’s really polished.”

He explained his creative process and specific actions in the filmmaking process.

"This time I got do it and bring my own vision to fruition rather than rely on someone else's," he said, adding he works collaboratively.

For example, he said, he would describe to the cinematographer the type of shot he was thinking about for a particular scene and say, "Show me what you can do, and I'll come in and say whether I like it or not."

"It’s a better approach for two reasons," the director-producer relayed. "It keeps morale happy, and you get better results, because if you stick to your way or the highway, a good way may get swept under the carpet."

Furhman said he was thoughtful throughout the entire production process. "I was careful with every character, every line….every scene had intent."

“I wanted nice tight story that would keep people engaged from the first minute. And we certainly have it," he summed up.

A PIECE OF NEW MILFORD

“Candlewood” was written by Flores-Argue and her friend, the late Bedhan Ball.

Ball’s wife, Sravasti Talukdar, provided significant financial support for the film, ensuring her husband’s work would be seen to completion, according to Flores-Argue.

The film’s original working title was “Lillinonah,” named for the state’s second largest manmade lake that borders six towns, including New Milford. But, Candlewood Lake, the name of the state’s largest manmade lake that also borders New Milford, was easier to pronounce and is more widely known.

New Milford is the largest town by area in Connecticut, consisting of 64 square miles, and has been a popular location for shooting other films. Among them, “Mr. Deeds,” “Founders Day,” “The Thursday Night Club,” “The Six Wives of Henry LeFay” and “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.”

Still, there was concern that including the town’s name or one of its landmark might carry with it a negative vibe. But after filmmakers spoke among themselves and got feedback from Mayor Pete Bass, they decided to go with it.

“I think it’s really cool,” Furhman said of having the movie named for a local body of water. “The one downside is, with a work of fiction like this, we had to take some liberties.”

Flores-Argue said she would love to draw more attention to the town, to have people say, “Where is this town? How do I get there?” 

The mayor agreed, emphasizing how the town wants people to find Lover’s Leap and Candlewood Lake, and all other assets in the community.

With the upcoming release of "Candlewood," Lorimer spoke of the town's film community and it being a destination

"New Milford is a very film friendly community," she said. "We literally have everything except an oceanside."

She cited the "very strong, independent film community here in New Milford as well as many SAG members."

"It's wonderful to support and empower artists and craftspeople as well as the economic development of New Milford," she said. 

Courtesy of www.peterarguephoto.com/ The film "Candlewood" centers around the Barrington family, portrayed by, from left to right, Isabel Lysiak, Joel Bryant, Lisann Valentin, and Coulter Ibañez.

Courtesy of Candlewood Film social media: The long-anticipated release of the locally-filmed "Candlewood" will happen in days.

Courtesy of www.peterarguephoto.com/ In his directorial debut, New Milford native and three-time Emmy Award-winning producer Myke Furhman showcases his talent from 20 years' experience in the industry with the soon-to-be sneak previewed horror film, "Candlewood," filmed exclusively in New Milford, Conn.

Courtesy of www.peterarguephoto.com/ New Milford resident Victoria Flores-Argue worked tireless for three years to bring her vision to life. She is the writer and executive producer of "Candlewood."

Courtesy of Candlewood Film social media: The editing process is time consuming.

Courtesy of Candlewood Film social media: Hours after the screener was delivered to Bank Street Theater in New Milford Jan. 24, 2024, Director-Producer Myke Furhman and Writer-Executive Producer Victoria Flores-Argue sat through a test screening.