THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
DANVILLE — When local residents see the movie “The LAF (Lost & Found) Kids” premiere next week at Fischer Theatre, some sites and cast members may look familiar.
Executive Producer Brian Yarbrough, with Northend Empire Films, said they shot the movie earlier this year entirely in the Danville, Champaign and Bloomington areas.
In the Danville area, they used a building off Alexander Street in which they purchased and turned into a shelter for displaced citizens to get back on their feet, Yarbrough said.
He said it was in their hearts to help the community, and they started a local nonprofit called New Beginnings.
The building was used as the orphanage in the movie.
They also used an East Main Street commercial building in the movie that was a former candy shop, and a warehouse by Garfield Park, thanks to the Three Kings of Peace.
Other site locations include Neil St. Blues and West Side Park in Champaign.
Another movie sequence uses the Vrooman Mansion in Bloomington.
“The film features almost all local actors and iconic locations. The movie stars a child cast that all attend schools in those districts,” Yarbrough said.
The movie stars: Chuck Gibson, Brian Yarbrough, Marissa Curry, Nate Morris, Holden Hightower (a Danville School District 118 student), Na’vaiya Lewis, Adila Tylor, Naijier Morris, Williams Dixon, Reesha Morris and Amanda Allhands.
“Our current movie, ‘The LAF Kids,’ was made by Northend Empire Films and follows on the heels of our summer release, ‘Irresponsibull,’ which launched on Tubi and leads in its category. Our distribution is through Tubi, Netflix, Hulu and Peacock,” according to Yarbrough.
He said, “The LAF Kids” is a family-friendly comedy that follows the adventures of four orphans who go on the adventure of a lifetime when mob goons show up one day and kidnap the Head Lady.
Fun antics and comedy ensues as they set off to try and save the day.”
“Our goal in making this movie was to showcase the talent and possibilities of shooting in these areas. We hope to drive up the visibility and tourism to draw in future filmmakers,” Yarbrough added.
The red-carpet premiere of the movie will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 at the historic Fischer Theatre in downtown Danville. Tickets start at $25, and it’s open to everyone.
“We liked the look of the theater and iconic setting,” Yarbrough said about why they chose the Fischer for this movie premiere.
Yarbrough said their last premiere was at the historic Virginia Theatre in Champaign, which was also a red-carpet event that was completely sold out.
He said they feel like they can produce the same type of night for the Danville movie premiere.
Yarbrough, who is from Peoria, initially entered the music industry as a hip-hop rapper and was signed to Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings.
After his musical success, including writing songs and commercial jingles, he ended up writing and getting involved in movies, too, including “Space Jam 2.”
Yarbrough said he’s now producing movies for major networks with his own film company. He also acts in “The LAF Kids.”
“I’m now more about seeing all of it coming together in a real way …,” he said.
“It’s just watching a bigger picture unfold.”
He said he and Nate Morris, who wrote and directed the movie, have been friends for a long time, and it was perfect timing for creating it.
FOR COMPLETE ACCESS TO NEWS-GAZETTE STORY PLEASE GO TO https://www.news-gazette.com/news/movie-shot-locally-to-premiere-at-fischer/article_effc82e0-a5c3-11ef-b35c-ff1d3fba392a.html
