Sweet Home Alabama

A New York fashion designer has a secret in the South. Running Time: 108 minutes PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned

Romantic comedy

Synopsis
Separated from her Southern husband (Josh Lucas), an engaged New York fashion designer (Reese Witherspoon) confronts him about a divorce.

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen, Mary Place, Fred Ward, Jean Smart, Ethan Embry, Melanie Lynskey, Courtney Gains, Mary Rajskub, Rhona Mitra, Nathan Lee Graham

Producer(s): Original Film, Pigeon Creek Films

Crew: Director - Andy Tennant, Writer (Story) - Douglas Eboch, Writer (Screenplay) - C. Jay Cox, Producer - Neal H. Moritz, Producer - Stokeley Chaffin, Executive Producer - Jon Jashni, Executive Producer - Wink Mordaunt, Executive Producer - Michael Fottrell, Director of Photography - Andrew Dunn, Production Designer - Clay Griffith, Film Editor - Troy Takaki, Film Editor - Tracey Wadmore-Smith, Costume Designer - Sophie Carbonell, Original Music - George Fenton, Music Supervisor - Dawn Solér, Music Supervisor - Laura Wasserman, Casting - Juel Bestrop, Casting - Jeanne McCarthy, Casting - Kathleen Chopin, Unit Production Manager - Michael Fottrell, Unit Production Manager - Cheryl Quarantiello,


Distributor: Touchstone Pictures,

Release Date: 09/27/2002
Running Time: 108 minutes
OFFICIAL SITE

PG-13

Parents Strongly Cautioned

Production Notes: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<noteText><![CDATA[-Notes provided by Touchstone Pictures-



PRODUCTION INFORMATION



In this romantic comedy, America''s sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon, stars as New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael. Melanie suddenly finds herself engaged to the city''s most eligible bachelor, but her past holds many secrets, including Jake (JOSH LUCAS), the redneck husband she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her. Bound and determined to end their contentious relationship once and for all, Melanie sneaks back home to Alabama to confront her past, only to discover that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl.



Touchstone Pictures presents "Sweet Home Alabama," directed by Andy Tennant from a story by C. Jay Cox and a screenplay by Douglas J. Eboch. The film is produced by Neal H. Moritz and Stokely Chaffin and executive produced by Jon Jashni, Wink Mordaunt and Michael FottreII. The film is distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.





ABOUT THE PRODUCTION



"Whether you like it or not, there is one person who''s meant for you," says Andy Tennant, director of Touchstone Pictures'' new romantic comedy, "Sweet Home Alabama," starring Reese Witherspoon. "You can try to manufacture your own destiny, but love happens to you whether you want it to or not.



"I wanted to do a love story where the decision came down to a great guy or the right guy," says Tennant.



"''Sweet Home Alabama" deals with the very true-to-life quest of finding someone to spend the rest of your life with on a romantic level and the chaos that sometimes erupts from that," says Witherspoon. "The film is also about self-discovery and learning to be okay with yourself, which I think is something that everybody struggles with."



"I think that everybody can identify with wanting to be accepted and fit in, but not being able to because you are denying your true self," continues Witherspoon. "And then suddenly when you''re just being yourself, everything seems to make sense again. In ''Sweet Home Alabama,'' we present that in a beautiful and romantic way, and it''s funny and enjoyable."



"I lived in Alabama my whole life till I left for college," says producer Stokely Chaffin. "I understand what it is to be driven crazy by small-town life. I understand what it is to come back home and think you''re better than everybody. And I understand -- thankfully -- what it is to make your peace with the place you left behind by falling in love with it all over again."



Producer Neal Moritz was also eager to find a unique way of presenting this story. "The trap in making a romantic comedy today is that audiences feel like they''ve seen everything that can happen already-the boy and girl are going to get together in the end," he says. "So, in order to avoid these clichés, we''ve tried to put in a number of twists and turns, to give the audience a movie they haven''t seen before. They won''t have the feeling that they know the end of the movie before it begins."



Moritz has high praise for Tennant. "Andy is a true commander-in-chief," he notes. "From the day he signed on to do this movie, it''s been his vision that has really carried the movie from beginning to end. As a producer, all you can hope for is to toss the ball to somebody and let them run with it, which is exactly what Andy has done. He''s done a great job of taking his point of view and expressing that in a truly remarkable way. He''s very clear with the actors, and has a great handle on just how to work with each and every one of them."



Executive producer Wink Mordaunt cherishes her collaboration with Tennant. "I learn from working with him every day," she says. We''ve been business partners for about four and a half years, and this is our third movie together. It''s such a pleasure to watch him work with this kind of film."



Another consistent observation by cast and filmmakers alike is the source of the comedy in the script for "Sweet Home Alabama." "The humor comes from Melanie''s reintroduction back into her life in the deep South after having seemingly shed all of those trappings while evolving into a hot fashion designer in New York City," adds Tennant. "Yet, with her new attitudes and improvements that she''s picked up in New York City - because she thinks she''s hotter than napalm - when she comes back home to Alabama to take care of some unfinished business, they all sort of cut her off at the knees and remind her of who she really is."



Tennant is clearly wild about his cast. "Reese and I have known each other for years, and we''ve kept in touch," he says. "We had worked together some years ago. And as her career has blossomed, there was always this desire to find something else for us to do together, and ''Sweet Home Alabama'' sort of fell into our laps.



"It''s wonderful to have known Reese for over ten years, and seeing her now as a beautiful woman with a husband and three-year-old daughter, she''s still sparkly and funny as ever," Tennant continues.



"It''s a bonus that she''s beautiful, but Reese''s real gift is her brain," adds Chaffin. "She is so funny because she''s so smart. Her timing and her rhythm come from her being absolutely aware of everything that''s going in a scene. To do what she does, first and foremost, takes a good brain. People need to know how smart she is!"



For Reese Witherspoon, the process of deciding to do "Sweet Home Alabama" emerged from a unique place. "This movie reminds me of similar things that I''ve dealt with in my own life, as far as having a Southern upbringing, moving out of the South to an urban city and then returning home with different experiences and perspectives," says Witherspoon. "That notion was an element in the script that I found attractive when Andy presented this project to me."



"It''s always been interesting to see how differently people behave due to their regional environment and what they''ve been exposed to," says Witherspoon. "As you will see in the film, the attitude of New York is completely different than the one in Alabama. Melanie brings that new attitude back to the South with her and it''s fun to watch her interact bringing those diverse elements to the scene."



Josh Lucas also drew on his Southern roots as he prepared to play Jake, Melanie''s estranged, redneck husband. "I come from the South originally" he says. "I was born in Arkansas, and raised all over the South for about the first thirteen years of my life. So for me, when I read the script for ''Sweet Home Alabama,'' I immediately responded to this incredible energy that it captured about the essence of the South and about the differences between South and North. And now that I live in New York, that dichotomy, which was woven playfully and skillfully together in the script, appealed to me," says Lucas. "Also, I was immediately in love with my character - and he was completely the antithesis of anything I''ve done before. I felt a kinship with him, a brotherhood. This character is such a gentle soul that I wanted to spend the next period of time playing him. Something else I loved about the script was its honesty, and the fact that the motivations of the characters come from very human and realistic reactions."



According to Lucas, "When Melanie and Jake split, it caused Jake to suffer a tremendous sense of self doubt. I think he spent the next, long period of his life finding a way to not only recapture himself, but also her love. In order to do that, he had to figure out how to not only make a living, but how to find his own confidence and his own power."



"My relationship with Reese in the film is interesting, because we battle throughout almost the entire movie -our relationship is very snide," says Lucas. "We had a lot of fun with each other playing within that energy and within that game."



"I hate Josh Lucas for so many reasons," kids Andy Tennant. "He has talent and he''s gorgeous, and that just shouldn''t be allowed in the same package. Something has to be done about that guy - I can''t stand him."



Lucas, like the rest of the cast, adored working with Andy Tennant. "I would read the phone book if Andy Tennant asked me to," he says. "He''s a master. I feel like I''ve been given this gift. First of all, this director chose me and he and Wink fought for me to do this part, so I''m completely blessed and honored by that to begin with. And then from there, we''ve gone on this ride together where I feel I''ve taken a master class in comedy. He''s someone who will come on the set, and have the place fall down laughing. And he''s just a wonderful human being who''s very deep and, very very open. l feel I''d do anything for this man, and I''ve never had that relationship with a director before now."



Patrick Dempsey adds, "I had a great time working with Andy. He''s a terrific director who has the ability to create such a wonderful atmosphere on the set, where it''s safe to fail, but somehow you don''t."



For Dempsey, the film is "about finding your soul mate; about finding the right person - and in ''Sweet Home Alabama'' there are two good people for Melanie to choose from. So it''s a love story and a comedy - and the comedy comes from the concept of the North versus the South - the city and the country - and how the people from each region interact and how they misunderstand one another."



Dempsey thoroughly enjoyed working with Reese Witherspoon. "She''s great. I''ve always been a big fan of hers, especially from ''Election'' and on. The camera just loves her. She''s a talented actress, she''s funny and she''s a joy to work with. And getting to work with Candice has been amazing - she''s a lot of fun, she knows exactly what she''s doing, and has a great sense of humor about herself, which is a great lesson for all of us. It''s a true honor to be playing her son."



"Patrick Dempsey was the one that everybody said would be perfect for the role right from the beginning," says Tennant. "Everybody said, ''You gotta cast Patrick Dempsey. And then I met with him, and of course, I had to cast Patrick Dempsey. On top of everything, he''s so much funnier than you might think. And he''s way too good-looking - that''s been my other problem: having two great-looking guys compete for my leading lady. I can''t compete with that."



Candice Bergen, who plays Kate, the mayor of New York City, says, "Andy and I met about the movie about six months before the filming began. I had seen ''Anna and the King,'' and thought it was just a wonderfully directed film. I was very moved by it. And I saw ''Ever After,'' which I thought had incredible humor and style." When Bergen met Tennant the first time, Kate was a socialite, and not the Mayor of New York City. "About six months later, when I was asked to do the film, she''d become the mayor and Reese had been cast. l had never met Reese, but I respected her and thought she was so incredibly talented. And Andy''s a sensational director. He''s got a great eye for comedy and wonderful instincts - and he''s very, very smart."



Some of the funniest scenes emerge from Kate''s reactions to Reese''s character. "Kate is aghast at her son Andrew''s choice of Melanie because she had such a specific alliance in mind for her son - someone who would be a real political asset, and Melanie was just not what she had in mind. So Kate, in trying to make the best of it, and turn it to her advantage, fails miserably and hysterically." Bergen loves that the comedy is so situational: "The conflict and the contrast of not just the North and the South, but the fashion extremists from New York City - the models and designers, the fashion society - then mixed with real down-home trailer folk What a contrast. It was great to see them on both grounds, and utterly hilarious."



Rounding out the cast are four actors playing Melanie''s extended family in Alabama: Fred Ward plays Earl, her father; Mary Kay Place is Pearl, her mother; Ethan Embry is Bobby Ray, her closeted gay friend; and Jean Smart plays Stella Kay Jake''s mother.



Fred Ward was enticed by the potential for comedy as the two worlds, north and south, collide. It''s what you might expect from his character, who spends his free time reenacting the Civil War. "You see that clash everywhere," he says. "Earl and Pearl are very working-class Southern; Melanie has gone high-class New York. But everyone is still on their best manners, or trying to be... though everyone does get loose, eventually."



"Fred''s a real trooper," says Tennant. "His first day on the set, I said that I didn''t like his entrance and would he mind galloping in on a horse. He didn''t miss a beat - just, ''Yeah, where''s the horse?'' And he rode on in, hit his mark, hopped down, and said his lines. He''s brilliant."



Mary Kay Place has played Southern comedy before, most memorably as Loretta Haggers in the classic television series "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and its spinoff, "Forever Fernwood," and was eager to return to those roots. "I''d done a few films right in a row that were intense dramas, and this movie seemed like a lot of fun," she says. "I actually wrote a backstory for Pearl - how she met her husband, Earl; her childhood; her early days of marriage. I''ve played a Southerner many times, so it''s comfortable and always fun for me. I''m from Oklahoma, and my parents are from Texas, so the accent feels like home."



"Mary Kay Place has a reputation as the nicest person in Hollywood," says Tennant, "and sure enough, she''s amazing. And that was no mere backstory she wrote - it was a 12-page dossier on her character. I thought, ''Now, this is character development.''"



Ethan Embry was excited to re-team with Reese Witherspoon. "I hadn''t seen Reese for about ten years, since I was fourteen and she was sixteen, and we did a little movie in Africa called ''A Far Off Place,"'' he remembers. "We''d spent nine months together then and hadn''t seen each other since. I showed up for the audition, and she was coming out of a meeting, and I thought, ''Well, even if I don''t get the part, at least I got to see Reese again: I didn''t care where they put me-I just wanted to do this project."



Jean Smart is another actress who "hadn''t played a Southerner in awhile," she says. "I thought it would be fun to do that again. And it''s great doing the accent again -though this time, there''s definitely more lilt to the vowels than I did before. Not bad, considering I''m from Seattle, but if anybody in Alabama thinks it''s not perfect, please forgive me."



Location is everything, and of the New York City shoot, both producer Neal Moritz and director Andy Tennant echoed similar sentiments: "It was particularly important to us to show off New York City and Manhattan in all of its glory and magnificence. To that end, we shot on Fifth Avenue in front of Saks Fifth Avenue, in the NoLiTa section of The Village, in Washington Square Park, on Sutton Place, and ended up the week''s work on the plaza at Lincoln Center."



But one New York location took on a special meaning for the filmmakers. "When it came to the proposal scene, we really wanted to have one for the record books," says Tennant. For the memorable scene, the filmmakers persuaded world-famous jeweler Tiffany & Co. to open their doors-something the boutique has afforded to few film crews in the past; only (memorably) "Breakfast at Tiffany''s" and (very briefly) "When Harry Met Sally..." have had scenes on the store''s main floor. In addition, "Sweet Home Alabama" represents Tiffany''s first filmed marriage proposal.



"That little blue Tiffany''s box has become synonymous with top-drawer," says Tennant. "Once we had thought of Tiffany''s, we knew that nothing else would do. They were a bit hesitant at first-they don''t open their doors for just anybody - but once we were able to show them that the scene was going to be something special and a lot of fun, they got on board. In fact, I used the staff from Tiffany''s in the scene - those aren''t actors, those are Tiffany''s jewelers."



(On a side note... the proposal at Tiffany''s in "Sweet Home Alabama" was not the first Tiffany''s proposal in Tennant''s life. "My wife was proposed to in Tiffany''s," he notes. "Luckily for me, she said no.")





ABOUT THE CAST



Golden Globe nominee REESE WITHERSPOON (Melanie), a native of Nashville, TN, first attracted the attention of audiences and critics alike with her feature film debut in Robert Mulligan''s coming-of-age drama "The Man in the Moon." Witherspoon is only 26, but she''s already demonstrated her wide range and charisma with an impressive assortment of accomplished performances in both comedy and drama. She has completed many diverse and successful projects that have led her to becoming one of Hollywood''s most sought after young actresses. In addition, Witherspoon has created TYPE A Films, her production company, which is housed by Intermedia Films.



Witherspoon received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress: Comedy or Musical for last summer''s hit film, "Legally Blonde," which also received a Golden Globe nomination. She could last be seen in this summer''s "The Importance of Being Earnest" in which she co-stared opposite Judi Dench and Rupert Everett. As a producer, Witherspoon has several projects in development, including three that she plans on starring in: "Honey West," An Untitled Tennis Project, and "Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing." Type A Films has other projects in development that Witherspoon will be involved in solely on the production level.



JOSH LUCAS (Jake) is a young actor with a career on the rise. He was most recently seen in Ron Howard''s Academy Award(r)-winning drama, "A Beautiful Mind," in which he co-stars with Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Ed Harris.



Lucas recently completed production on Ang Lee''s "The Hulk" for Universal, which is scheduled for release in June 2003. Upcoming projects slated for release include Victor Nunez''s "Coastline," opposite Josh Brolin and Timothy Olyphant, and Kathryn Bigelows "The Weight of Water" co-starring Sean Penn and Catherine McCormack Lucas was seen last summer in Brad Anderson''s "Session 9" and "The Deep End," directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel.



Additional film credits include "American Psycho," directed by Mary Harron and co-starring Christian Bale and Reese Witherspoon, and the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prizewinner, "You Can Count on Me," directed by Kenneth Lonergan and co-starring Laura Linney. Other films include Stacy Cochran''s "Drop Back 10"; "Harvest," directed by Stuart Burkin; "Restless," directed by Jule Gilfillan; and "Alive," directed by Frank Marshall.



Lucas'' theater credits include "Corpus Christi" at the Manhattan Theatre Club and "The Picture of Dorian Grey" at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.



PATRICK DEMPSEY (Andrew), born and raised in Lewiston, Maine, will soon be seen starring opposite Kevin Kline in "The Emperor''s Club," directed by Michael Hoffman. He nabbed an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Aaron Brooks, Sela Ward''s psychologically unbalanced brother in the critically acclaimed series "Once & Again." In last season''s "Will & Grace," he played Matthew, a sportscaster who dated Will. Dempsey starred in Wes Craven''s "Scream 3" with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Parker Posey. He recently signed to co-star in HBO''s "Iron Jawed Angels," opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston.



Dempsey first appeared on stage as David in the San Francisco production of "Torch Song Trilogy." Other early stage work included "On Golden Pond," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," directed by Gene Saks, and "The Subject Was Roses" at the Roundabout Theatre in New York. He recently starred at the Pasadena Playhouse in "The Importance of Being Earnest."



CANDICE BERGEN (Kate) is "a beautiful actress who projects intelligence, humor, vulnerability, and self-reliance-all more or less simultaneously;" wrote critic Vincent Canby in The New York Times. Candice proved this every week for 10 years as Murphy on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy "Murphy Brown" for which she received five Emmy awards and two Golden Globe awards.



The daughter of Frances and the late Edgar Bergen, Candice grew up in Los Angeles, and attended schools around the world. She received critical acclaim for her performances in "Getting Straight," "Carnal Knowledge" and "Starting Over" for which she received an Oscar(r) nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She most recently starred in "Miss Congeniality" with Sandra Bullock Bergen also has completed a role in the feature film "A View from the Top" and is currently shooting "Till Death Do Us Part," opposite Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. Her television program "Candice Checks It Out" is currently airing on the Oxygen network



Candice made her Broadway debut in "Hurly Burly." When she''s not acting, Candice pursues her interests in writing and photography. Her autobiography, Knock Wood was released in 1984 to critical acclaim, and enjoyed several weeks on The New York Times'' bestseller list.



ETHAN EMBRY (Bobby Ray), a talented comedic and dramatic actor, has successfully been building his career since the age of 10 when he made his feature debut opposite Ed O''Neill in "Dutch" and in the Emmy winning miniseries "Drug Wars: The Camarena Story." Embry has recently completed three independent features, "Rennie''s Landing," "They" and "Ball In The House."



Embry is well known for his turn as the secret admirer in the teen comedy "Can''t Hardly Wait" opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt, the naive young bassist in "That Thing You Do," directed by Tom Hanks, and the young crew member in Ridley Scott''s "White Squall." Additional credits include the cult hit "Empire Records," "Vegas Vacation," "Disturbing Behavior" and "Dancer, Texas."



A versatile and gifted actress, JEAN SMART (Stella Kay) continues to exhibit her extraordinary talents in theater, television and film, having won her second Emmy Award for her guest-starring role on "Frasier," and was nominated for an Emmy for her work on "The District." In 2000, Smart received recognition in theater, film and television: she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her critically acclaimed performance in the feature film "Guinevere;" she was awarded her first Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for her hilarious guest appearance on "Frasier," and she was nominated for a Tony Award for "Best Actress in a Play" for her starring role on Broadway in "The Man Who Came To Dinner."



Smart received critical praise for her role as a local anchorwoman who comes to the aid of Bruce Willis'' character in the feature "Disney''s The Kid." Other film credits include: "Odd Couple II," "Mistress," "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey," "The Brady Bunch," "Flashpoint" and "Protocol." Perhaps best know to television audiences for her role in the popular sitcom, "Designing Women," Smart also had leading roles in "High Society" and the American version of "Absolutely Fabulous." On stage, Smart has appeared in "Marvin''s Room," "Laughing Wild," "Fit To Be Tied," "It Had To Be You," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Long Days Journey Into Night," "A Moon for the Misbegotten," and on Broadway in "Piaf" and "Last Summer at Bluefish Cove," for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award.



FRED WARD (Earl) is an accomplished actor recognized for bringing to life complex characters in compelling ways. Ward has been sought by prominent directors such as Robert Altman for "The Player" and "Short Cuts," Jonathan Demme for "Miami Blues" and "Swing Shift," Walter Hill for "Southern Comfort," Mike Nichols for "Silkwood," Alan Rudolf for "Equinox," Beth B for "Two Small Bodies," Alain Robe-Grillet for "A Maddening Noise," and Sam Shepard for his play "Simpatico" at Joseph Papp''s Public Theatre under the playwright''s direction. Director Philip Kaufman, director of "Henry and June" and "The Right Stuff," said that "it was great casting to have Fred play Henry Miller. He''s been studying for the role his whole life..."



"What distinguished Fred Ward," said the late film critic Gene Siskel, "is his unique sense of humor. He can play comedy even better than action. He''s a lot more than a grizzled hunk." Other credits include: "Road Trip," "The Chaos Factor," "Tremors," "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," "Dangerous Beauty," "Chain Reaction," "The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult," "Big Business," "Uncommon Valor," "Escape From Alcatraz" and "The Crow 3: Salvation."



On television, Ward has starred in BBC''s "Invasion: Earth," "Cast a Deadly Spell," "Four Eyes and Six Guns," and the PBS American Playhouse production of "Noon Wine."



MARY KAY PLACE (Pearl) has made her mark as a performer both on screen and on television. Her film credits include: "My First Mister," "Girl Interrupted," "Being John Malkovich," "The Rainmaker;" "Citizen Ruth," "The Big Chill" and "Private Benjamin." She has received an ACE nomination as Best Actress, an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a TV Critics Award nomination.



Place wrote three "M*A*S*H" episodes in collaboration with Linda Bloodworth. She has also recorded two music albums: Tonight! At the Cams Lounge Loretta Haggers and Aimin'' to Please.



Her television career began with a memorable performance in the series, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' " She has directed for television, including episodes of "Friends."



Place can currently be seen in "My First Mister," and shortly in the upcoming "Safety of Objects." Other film credits include "Committed," "Human Nature," "Nailed," "Starting Over," "More American Graffiti" and "Bound For Glory." Other television credits include: "Chicago Hope," "Saturday Night Live" as a guest host, "The Gift," "Tales of the City" "Telling Secrets," "Mom on Strike" and "The GirI Who Spelled Freedom," to name but a few of this versatile actress'' credits.



MELANIE LYNSKEY (Lurlynn) first garnered attention in Peter Jackson''s "Heavenly Creatures." Without any prior acting experience, the then-l5-year-old landed the role of Pauline Parker, a wayward teen who, with the help of another girl (played by Kate Winslet), brutally kills her mother. Lynskey received a New Zealand Film & Television Award for Best Actress for her performance in the internationally acclaimed film.



She followed with a role in Jackson''s horror thriller, "The Frighteners," and also appeared in "Foreign Correspondents" for director Mark Tapio Kines. American film audiences recently saw Lynskey in ABC-TV''s production of "Stephen King''s Rose Red," as a stepsister in "Ever After," and a "druggy" in "Coyote Ugly" She also appeared in the independent features "Detroit Rock City" and "But I''m A Cheerleader."



RHONA MITRA (Tabitha), having only arrived in the United States from the U.K. a short time ago, is fast becoming one of today''s most sought-after actresses. Mitra has also completed shooting the highly anticipated "The Life of David Gale," under the direction of Alan Parker. She is currently shooting "Highwaymen."



Previously, Mitra shot "Ali G In Da House," and was most recently seen as a series regular on the critically acclaimed ABC series "Gideon''s Crossing." She was a series regular on the hit Fox series "Party of Five," and in the UK, on the BBC mini-series, "The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous."



On the big screen, Mitra supported Kevin Bacon in Paul Verhoven''s "Hollow Man," as well as playing a complementary role in "Get Carter" opposite Sylvester Stallone.





ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS



A native of Chicago, ANDY TENNANT (director) studied theater under John Houseman at the University of Southern California. In 1999, Tennant directed "Anna and the King," which starred Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat and received two Oscars nominations and grossed over $110 million worldwide. He also co-wrote and directed the romantic adventure "Ever After;" which grossed over $125 million worldwide and starred Drew Barrymore, Dougray Scott and Anjelica Huston.



Tennant''s other feature credits include "Fools Rush In," starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek, and his feature directorial debut, "It Takes Two," featuring Kirstie Alley and the Olsen twins.



DOUGLAS J. EBOCH (story by) wrote the original screenplay for "Sweet Home Alabama" as his Masters thesis at the University of Southern California, where he graduated with an MFA from the Graduate Screenwriting Program. Doug grew up traveling the world with his family. He has lived in such diverse places as Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and Juneau, Alaska where he went to high school. Doug used his experiences moving from the small town of Juneau, where bears routinely walked down the street and half the roads in his neighborhood were



unpaved, to the urban center of Los Angeles as the inspiration for "Sweet Home Alabama."



Doug has been awarded the Carl Sautter Memorial Screenwriting Award for Most Promising New Voice Features, presented by the Scriptwriters Network He recently wrote and directed the short film "The Twenty-Four-Year-Old Virgin." In addition to writing and directing, he edits the web site letsschmooze.com, which is a resource for filmmakers attending film festivals. He also volunteers with Voices in Harmony, a theater project for at-risk youth.



C. JAY COX (screenplay by) grew up on a ranch in Eastern Nevada, downwind from the nuclear test site. Despite growing up where there was only one movie theater in the entire county, he was enthralled with motion pictures. He made his first film, the two-minute 8mm opus, "Vampire Cave," while in the third grade. He was later sent to the principal''s office for using the term film noir in class. His teacher said she knew it was French and "figured it had to be dirty."



As an adult, following stints as an actor, performance artist and photographer interspersed with forays into the exciting worlds of office temp and food service professional, C. Jay began making video shorts, industrials, and documentaries. He recently wrote and directed the five-minute 35mm short, "reason thirteen."



Not long after his first screenplay, "The Thing in Bob''s Garage," was optioned by Norman Lear, he found himself in demand as a studio script doctor. He subsequently has written projects for Bette Midler, Antonio Banderas, Walt Disney Studios and Columbia Pictures.



He is currently prepping his script "Latter Days" as his directorial debut, to begin shooting this fall.



C. Jay currently lives in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles.



NEAL H. MORITZ is the owner of Original Film, an established feature film, television, commercial and music video production company. Neal has a degree in economics from UCLA and a graduate degree from the Peter Stark motion picture producing program at the University of Southern California.



Neal produced this summer''s blockbuster "XXX" (Revolution), a modern-day James Bond with Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson, which was his fourth collaboration with director Rob Cohen, following last year''s $145 million-plus sleeper hit "The Fast and the Furious" (Universal), starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. Other films they have done together include "The Skulls" (Universal), also starring Paul Walker and Josh Jackson, and the HBO movie "The Rat Pack," with Ray Liotta and Don Cheadle, which was nominated for 11 Emmys.



Neal''s earlier credits helped establish him as one of the most profitable producers in Hollywood. "Juice" (MGM) was his first major film, followed up by the hit "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (Sony), which featured break-through performances by Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe and Freddie Prinze, Jr. lts sequel, "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" (Sony), followed, ad