As a young child in the 1960s, Mohawk Valley native Kim Bass watched his first big-screen movie at Utica’s Uptown Theater.
It proved to be a mesmerizing experience that launched his dream to become one of the “magic people” who make movies happen.
Today, the award-winning and Emmy-nominated independent Hollywood filmmaker has dozens of film and TV show credits to his name, including In Living Color; Sister, Sister; Kenan & Kel; and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
He’s especially excited about Tyson’s Run, his first nationwide film release that will open exclusively in theaters March 11. Bass - who wrote and directed the inspiring family drama - made sure the film would be shown at the Marquee Cinema in New Hartford so his family, friends, and everyone else living where he grew up could see it.
Bass - the third of six children born to Bridgewater native Juanita (Holmes) Bass of Frankfort and the late Clarence Bass, Jr. - likened his own journey to the transitional arc that Tyson goes through. His grandfather, Everett Holmes, was mayor of Bridgewater.
“With a nationwide release opening in my own hometown where my dream actually started, that’s really special. I’ve come full circle,” said Bass, a 1974 Notre Dame High School graduate who was born in Utica and grew up in both the city and Town of Frankfort. “I would be honored if people in this area would support my cinematic creative endeavor and find it worthy of their time.”
Rated PG, Tyson’s Run is the inspiring story of a 15-year-old home-schooled boy who doesn’t let autism hold him back. He attends public school for the first time.
To mend a rift between his parents and make his family whole again, aspires to become a marathon champion. Through the process, he learns that with faith, belief in himself, perseverance, and the support of those who understand him, anything is possible.
If one parent’s reaction after an audience test-screen is any indication, Bass’s story will resonate with its audience.
The man approached Bass to say the movie had inspired him to be a better father to his teen-aged daughter with Downs Syndrome. He began to cry and hugged Bass before wrapping his arm around the daughter and exiting the theater.
“That’s exactly what I was hoping to accomplish,” Bass said. “I wanted to convey that people shouldn’t have pre-conceived notions about others or put them in a box. No one should sell anyone short.”
The film, produced by Planet 9 Productions, will be released in theaters by Collide Distribution, with Universal Pictures handling home entertainment distribution. John Cappetta, head of Planet 9…
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