In a first for both the movie and cruise industries, Princess Cruises and SenArt Films Releasing will partner for unprecedented sneak previews of the upcoming dramatic comedy “Bonneville.” The joint announcement was made today by Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Jan Swartz, and SenArt Films Releasing founder, Robert May. This is the first time a major motion picture will be screened on a cruise ship prior to its theatrical release.
Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Joan Allen star in “Bonneville,” the story of three friends who set out on an unexpected, life-changing road trip across the American West in a 1966 Bonneville. The film unites these three acclaimed actresses in a celebration of love, loss and friendship. The film will be released in theaters on February 29.
Princess passengers can view “Bonneville” on each of the line’s 16 ships during the week of February 11 (exact premiere dates vary by ship and itinerary). The film will be premiered in the theaters onboard the ships and where available, on the line’s “Movies Under the Stars,” Princess’ proprietary outdoor movie “theater” where passengers can view movies on a 300-square-foot LED screen by the pool on the ships’ top decks. Destinations visited during the week of February 11 include: Sydney, Australia; Bangkok, Thailand; St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Lucia, San Juan, Ft. Lauderdale, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Mazatlan, Puerta Vallarta, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal, Honolulu, Maui, Cape Horn, Buenos Aires, Tobago, Devil’s Island, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Tahiti, Bora Bora and Auckland.
Princess and SenArt Films Releasing have also partnered to give away a 7-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise for two as part of an online sweepstakes on the Bonneville website. To enter, visit www.bonnevillethemovie.com.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to collaborate on this inaugural event. The early word-of-mouth for ‘Bonneville’ has been fantastic and we look forward to continuing the buzz aboard the high seas. Princess is the foremost cruise company and we are delighted with this innovative program,” notes SenArt Films Releasing founder Robert May.
“Films are an integral part of our line’s entertainment offerings and this partnership brings an exciting new dimension to our programming,” said Jan Swartz, Princess’ senior vice president. “We are thrilled to present this unique opportunity to our passengers with such an extraordinary film like ‘Bonneville.’”
Robert May founded SenArt Films in 2000. In addition to “Bonneville,” SenArt produced “The Station Agent” (a 2003 Miramax Films release) which won the Audience Award at Sundance and a BAFTA for Best Screenplay. Other films include Errol Morris’ Academy Award®-winning “Fog of War,” the critically acclaimed “Stevie” by Oscar®-nominated director Steve James, and the 2006 Tribeca Best Documentary winner “The War Tapes.”
Directed by Christopher N. Rowley, “Bonneville” was written by Daniel D. Davis. It was produced by Robert May and John Kilker. Bob Brown and R. Michael Bergeron serve as the executive producers. The film stars Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, Christina Baranski, Victor Rasuk and Tom Skerritt.
The “Bonneville” theatrical trailer, behind-the-scenes featurette, blog and sweepstakes can be viewed at www.bonnevillethemovie.com.