Film to debut at Gasparilla Film Fest and on Channel 32

A film about love, death and grief, directed by actress Melora Hardin of "The Office" fame, will make its world debut at the Gasparilla Film Festival in March.

"You," staring Hardin and her husband Gildart Jackson, who also wrote the script, also will premiere on Tampa's WMOR, Channel 32, the week following the festival.

"This will be a first for any television station in the country to debut an independent film," says WMOR President Ken Lucas.

It's also the first time a local television station has become involved with the 4-year-old Gasparilla Film Festival which will screen 70 films during its four-day run March 18 -21.

Hardin and Jackson plan to attend a red carpet event and screening of "You" at the Muvico in Centro Ybor on March 19, Lucas says.

"We're so excited about coming to Tampa and sharing this film," Hardin said in a telephone interview. "My husband wrote it as a love letter to me and I directed it as a love letter to him."

The film is about a widower (Jackson) who raises his daughter on his own while dealing with the loss of his wife (Hardin.) It takes him years to overcome the loss of a soul mate and he keeps her memory alive in his imagination.

Also attending the red carpet night in Ybor will be talk show host Jerry Springer who has a role in "And the Winner Is ...," a comedy about a small Midwestern town that decides to hold a beauty pageant to select its mayor.

That comedy film will show at 5 p.m., preceding "You."

Springer has a connection to WMOR because the station carries his talk show. Springer also has a home in Casey Key south of Tampa.

"We are excited to get involved in the Gasparilla Film Festival and help bring these stars to Tampa," says Lucas.

Hardin has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows but may be best known as Michael Scott's boss, Jan Levinson on NBC's comedy series "The Office" and also as Monk's deceased wife, Trudy, on USA's comedy-drama "Monk."

Lucas met Hardin when she and her husband came to Tampa last fall to promote Channel 32's launching of "The Office" reruns. "Over dinner one night, they were telling me about the film that they had made and I thought it would be great if we could debut it here," Lucas
says.

Hardin says it deals with grief but is inspirational because it celebrates love. Jackson says they have had private screenings of the film and it has been well received by those who have lost loved ones, especially those who have lost spouses in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I have had military wives tell me how much it speaks to their grieving," Jackson says.
"You" also stars Brenda Strong, Allison Mack, Amy Pietz, Don Michael Paul, Joely Fisherand Kate Flannery.

Hardin's parents, actor Jerry Hardin and retired actress/acting coach Diane Hill Hardin, are in the film and are coming to the film festival. Jerry Hardin has made many television and film appearances including the character Deep Throat on "The X-Files."

Tickets to Gasparilla Film Festival events go on sale Monday at
www.gasparillafilmfestival.com.

"You" will debut on WMOR at 9 p.m. March 25 and will repeat at 8 p.m. March 26 and 9 p.m. March 28 on WMOR's digital channel, MY TV.