Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
It’s been an amazing year for producers J.T. Arbogast and Kim Dilts. Their film, “Angel’s Perch,” began its country-wide tour in June at FestivALL in Charleston; it had a limited DVD release and now its worldwide rights have been acquired by Gravitas Ventures.
“It’s an incredibly humbling, wonderful feeling,” Dilts said. “For a distribution company as choosy as Gravitas Ventures to pick our film and then to have them be able to place it in so many of the major cable providers’ on-demand services is just extraordinary. It is a testament to the hard work everyone put in to craft the movie with care. We all obviously felt like the film deserved a wide audience, but everyone loves their own film. This is real validation and a chance to share the West Virginia we know – not just national, but internationally.”
Arbogast credits a lot of the success to the support the film received from the county.
“The staff at Cass Scenic Railroad and the local residents really made this film happen,” he said. “We never could have done it without the support, love and hours of volunteering that they poured into it. This is as much their movie as it is ours.”
The couple, who found the time to get married during the production of “Angel’s Perch,” also credit the West Virginia Film Office with helping the film succeed.
“Pam Haynes and Jamie Cope offered us critical support in securing locations, crew and most importantly, the West Virginia film tax incentive,” Dilts said. “The incentive we received for shooting in West Virginia is what allowed us to distribute our film. We would have been sunk without it.”
The majority of “Angel’s Perch” was filmed in Pocahontas County and utilized local talent as actors, musicians and crew members.
Arbogast drew inspiration for the film from his family ties to West Virginia and his family’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease, which currently affects more than 5.4 million Americans.
“‘Angel’s Perch’ was by far one of the most moving films I’ve seen depicting Alzheimer’s and the struggles that exist for both those diagnosed and the families who love them,” President and CEO of Alzheimer’s Association Southland Chapter Susan Galeas said in a press release.
The film will be available via most cable providers and online starting December 1, as well as on Cable Video-on-Demand, iTunes, Amazon and DVD/Blu-ray at www.angelsperch.com, the Green Bank Gallery and WV Living Marketplace at Snowshoe.
Gravitas Ventures founder and CEO Nolan Gallagher said “Angel’s Perch” is a great example of what can happen when dedicated filmmakers come together to create a film.
“[It] is an excellent example of independent filmmakers really finding a devoted and engaged following for their film,” he said in a press release. “It’s a poignant story about family bonds in the face of hardship and we are delighted to be bringing the film out to reach an even wider audience.”
Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com