"Broken" premieres in Cleveland June 23, 2007

After a huge premiere in Detroit, "Broken", a feature film directed by David DeLeon of Sandusky and Derek Justice, a native of Norwalk (now living in metro Detroit), for Top 250 Productions, premieres in Lorain. The team made the film for less than $1,000 and the screenplay was among the top 250 finalists in the first season of "Project Greenlight", the Bravo TV series sponsored by Miramax, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

"Broken" is the story of Christian, played by David Gries, whose life was shattered as an eight-year-old after he watched his father brutally murder his mother. Now, twenty years later, he wrestles with his demons through art and heroin. Aziza Amy Poggi co-stars as Beth, an abused magazine editor sent to retrieve Christian’s artwork for the next issue. Steve Hopton plays Beth’s abusive boyfriend. This is the beginning of a dark descent into hell for The Junkie, The Girl, The Boyfriend and three lives full of secrets.

LeeAlan Weddel, Chuck Diamond, Jayk Hanna, Matt Lang, Altonio Seahorn, Jr. and Adam Hill complete the cast. Several bands contributed music including Dendura, Riot in Progress, Unfinished Thought and David Gries. Susan Stanek created the art that would later become Christian’s work in the film.

Justice and DeLeon based the screenplay on a short story that DeLeon wrote years ago.

At the time, DeLeon was about 20 and going through the customary artistic, Bohemian phase - all dark and broody. The idea of a barefoot hippy chick came to him, complete with a loose flower-print dress and long, dark hair. The character shared his artistic outlook on life - somewhat cynical, yet with the firm belief that if his art couldn’t change the world, then maybe it could change a mind or two. From there came the love interest, Christian and the abusive ex-boyfriend.

After several revisions, the story eventually morphed into the finished script that the pair entered into numerous contests including "Project Greenlight". The contest generated approximately 7,000 entries. Broken was shortlisted and became one of the top 250 finalists.

After "Project Greenlight", Justice and DeLeon swore off contests. The script sat on a shelf for a while. In the meantime, DeLeon wrote a horror script that was optioned by a producer and re-wrote a script for another independent filmmaker. Justice worked on two features, Generation Xtinct and Above Ground.

However, they returned to "Project Greenlight" for the third season. This time, Justice and DeLeon threw their hat into the directing category with a short film called "Sequence 1". They competed against nearly 5,000 entries and advanced to the top 250 finalists.

Justice and DeLeon finally realized that the best way to bring the project to the screen was to do it themselves. They surrounded themselves with a team of people who put their talent, faith and sweat equity into the project. They shot in Ohio and Michigan.

In the end, Justice and DeLeon made "Broken" for $985. They spent $285 on tape and other production supplies and $700 on catering for the cast and crew.

"Broken" premieres in Lorain on June 23 at The Lorain Palace Theater at 617 Broadway. Call 440. 245. 2323 for more information. Tickets are $10 at the door or $11 in advance via PayPal. Although the film is unrated, nobody under 17 will be admitted unless accompanied by an adult due to language, drug use and sexual situations. Arrive at 6 pm for "Peep Show", a collection of trailers and short films by Ohio and Michigan filmmakers. "Broken" begins at 7 pm. For ticket information or to see the trailer, visit www.myspace.com/brokenmovie or www.broken-movie.com.