Mother and Midwife Pictures is currently underway with pre-production on its feature length film, Papou. Starring international screen actor Yorgo Voyagis (Zorba the Greek) and Evan Kole (The Avengers), this unique tale of an imaginative young boy and his sickly grandfather has been the recipient of over $51,000 on a Kickstarter fundraiser, almost $55,000 in potential Michigan Film and Digital Media Incentive rebates, and numerous press acknowledgments.
The film is being produced by film industry veterans Michael Sinanis and Christos Moisides and directed by 24-year-old first time feature film director Michael Angelo Zervos. Zervos, who penned the story himself, states that his "intention is to create a film that does more than entertain for a day. The importance of the ability to captivate an audience doesn't end when the film ends. The film must create conversation that lasts into the future. It must engage on an emotional and intellectual level."
The film's large cast of local, national, and international talent took several months to gather. Zervos states that he went through hundreds of children for the lead role alone, finally settling on him after being impressed with his ability to think quickly on his feet and energetic vibrancy. "Working with children can be challenging," Zervos admits, "but the challenges are offset by the great reward on screen. Children can have a natural innocence that is magnetic to an audience and I think Evan is rife with this power."
As promotion for the film, the production company has hosted a Facebook application on its fan page called "Your Papou Story". This application features dozens of real life memories and stories about grandfathers submitted from around the world by fans of the film. The story with the most "likes" on Facebook by the month of June will receive movie related prizes.
The film is set to shoot in the Metro-Detroit area beginning in July. The production company is still accepting applications for extra roles more info here