Tisha Campbell-Martin and Duane Martin greets the crowd in Baltimore.
Nia Hill--one of the owners of The Momentum Experience
and creator of Strange Fruit Films.
Co-Star and Comedian DeRay Davis opens
for the Baltimore Movie Premiere of The Seat Filler.
The Seat Filler
by Adrienne Alexander
Photos: Timothy Christmas
If you didn't make it to the premier of The Seat Filler on Friday, August 5, 2005, you missed it...at least for now.
What is a seat filler? When taping award shows for television broadcast, producers want to make sure that the audience looks full at all times, enter the seat filler. These are regular people, like you and I, that are hired to sit in the seats of celebrities until they arrive or while performing or accepting awards. Rule # 1, seat fillers can not fraternize with the celebrities, but this movie's seat filler played by Duane Martin (All of Us) has a Hollywood fantasy literally fall into his lap hence the drama begins. Kelly Rowland (Destiny's Child), DeRay Davis (Barber Shop), Melanie B (Spice Girls) and Shemar Moore (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) join Duane Martin in this brilliantly captured romantic comedy. The Seat Filler, written by Duane Martin, Mark Brown and Tisha Campbell-Martin, is a quality film made for African-Americans that all audiences will enjoy.
The company behind this production is The Momentum Experience, the nation's first African American film distribution company owned by entrepreneurs Nia Hill, D'Angela Steed and Duane Martin, with investors Will Smith and Tisha Campbell-Martin. Momentum, www.momentumexperience.com, is dedicated to bringing quality films starring people of color directly to the urban audience through non-traditional venues like the Lyric. You will definitely not see this film in a movie multiplex.
I think for most Baltimoreans, hearing that this movie was showing at The Lyric Opera House was a bit puzzling. This was nothing like the typical night at The Lyric or at the movies. Duane Martin and Tisha Campbell-Martin set the tone for the evening with a special welcome. They were comical, classy and inviting. From the beginning, you felt like you were in the right place and that the night was yours. If you felt you needed to act a certain way because of your location, that feeling soon left and everyone was comfortable and excited for the show to begin.
Comedian DeRay Davis, co-star of Seat Filler, opened the premiere with a full stand up comedy routine on "relationships" and brought the house down. He was "off da hook" hilarious and I say that with the utmost respect because Baltimore can be an unforgiving city. He definitely loosened up the crowd to truly enjoy the feature film.
Alas, it was time for the movie itself. Again, Seat Filler was a hit. The laughs continued, the actors were genuine, the characters were well developed and Seat Filler never let you down. It was a light hearted romantic comedy involving extraordinary things that could happen to normal people without having to hit the lottery or robbing a bank. You laughed from beginning to end and the cast was amazing. The entire event was well orchestrated and I would actually see the movie a second time.
There is good news for those who didn't make it on Friday, The Seat Filler will be showing at The Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC on August 14, 2005. It would be worth the drive to see this production for yourself.
www.seatfillerthemovie.com
