The Singing Revolution premiered at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany, NY last Friday evening to a packed, sold out audience! There wasn't an open seat in the entire theatre...and some folks who showed up late...actually had to wait in line for the next show!
That's a pretty amazing attendance record for a documentary film...especially one with a small operating/advertising budget (as compared to big budget Hollywood releases)...in an area where the local Estonian community barely tops 40 people (and that's including the kids)! :-) The majority of the audience was made up of moviegoers who had heard of the film either from a friend or through the local news media. Even more welcome was their genuine spontaneous response to the film, itself...a standing ovation for the film's directors, Jim & Maureen Tusty...as they stepped forward to do a Question & Answer session after the show.
The Singing Revolution is one of the most unique and inspiring films I've seen in a long time. It's basic message of peaceful conflict resolution resonates no matter what your ethnic background...and it's impact isn't lessened if you see it more than once...a rarity indeed.
I had the good fortune to see the film a second time when I took my in-laws to a screening a few days after its initial release. The time slot they had chosen was in the middle of a busy workday...and on a Monday no less. I half expected that we would be the only ones there and was pleasantly surprised to see more people in the theatre watching this documentary than at our local mall cinema when I took my daughter to see a matinee of Disney's latest blockbuster a few weeks ago!