Movie lovers in Kewanee have a rare chance this week to see “Fairyland” on the big screen at the Wanee Theater thanks to Chris Tanzillo’s determined effort. Inspired by Patty Seifert’s inquiry, Tanzillo worked with Lionsgate Studio to bring the film home for a limited run, ending Sunday, October 26th, with nightly shows at 7 PM. Don’t miss the opportunity to watch the movie based on the book Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father. Writer Alysia Abbott joined the premiere virtually, sharing personal memories tied to Kewanee and the making of the film based on her memoir.
Alysia started the Zoom call by thanking everyone for attending the premiere showing at Wanee Theater and thanked the theater for hosting. Her uncle, David Binder, attended the premiere and sent Alysia a picture of the front of the theater. She said the movie theater is how she remembers it from her time in Kewanee. Her father, Steve Abbott, moved them to San Francisco, California, following the death of his wife, Barbara (Binder) Abbott. Alysia visited her grandparents, Dr. Paul and Ann Binder, during the summers after her mother died in a car accident in 1973. She started visiting her grandparents when she was old enough to fly alone until her teenage years from June to August. Alysia said she has fond memories of Windmont Park, the Kewanee Public Library, and swimming in the pool at Midland Country Club. Alysia said she attended summer programs and took some acting classes at Black Hawk College East Campus during her visits. Her grandfather died in 2006, and her grandmother (Munca) died in 2008. She said it’s been about 10 to 15 years since she was last in Kewanee. She said she wants to visit Kewanee again one day and visit the places that she remembers from her childhood. Munca would visit her in New York City each fall and go out to eat with Alysia’s friends. She misses the weekly phone calls from her Munca and visiting her Grumpa at the Kewanee Hospital.
Alysia said it took 21 days to film the movie, and with a limited budget, they didn’t get to shoot any outside shots in Kewanee. However, the photos hanging on the wall in the scene following the funeral of her mother were real family photos.
The cast of “Fairyland” includes Scoot McNairy, Geena Davis, Emilia Jones, Adam Lambert, Nessa Dougherty, Maria Bakalova, Cody Fern, Bella Murphy, Ben Attal, Ryan Thurston, and Isabella Peregrina.
For showtimes and more details, visit waneetheater.com.