Longwood Professor's Book 'Waterwalk' Turned Movie Premieres at LU

Longwood University will be the first loca­tion to ever show the film "Waterwalk," a film based off of a nonfiction book published in 2008 by Longwood Assistant Professor of English Dr. Steve Faulkner. On April 5 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., there will be a book signing in the Longwood University Barnes & Noble Bookstore. The mov­ie will premiere on April 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Jar­man Auditorium with an interactive Q&A panel preceding the event from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Wygal Hall.

The event will host producer and screenwriter Roger Rapoport, as well as lead actor and direc­tor Robert Cicchini, actor Chase Maser and ac­tress Mary MacDonald Kerr.

The book details a 62-day journey Faulkner took in 1996 with his then 16-year-old son, a trip that totaled 1,000 miles in a canoe. The ex­perience was enacted to follow a canoe journey French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, along with three other men, went on in 1673.

Faulkner said, "The book 'Waterwalk: A Pas­sage of Ghosts' is a triple journey; an explora­tion of this continent 300 years ago, as recorded in Marquette's journal, a modern exploration of the quiet waterways that weave through busy, rush-around America and a voyage through the heart of a father-son relationship."

Assistant Dean of the Cook-Cole College Jo­anna Baker is the coordinator of all the activities for the movie premiere. Speaking of the event, she said, "This is a rare opportunity for students across the University to interact with profes­sionals in the film industry - producer, director and actors."

Faulkner noted what inspired him to take the journey was from reading Marquette's biogra­phy to his children as well as his wish to have more contact and bonding with his children.

"I thought it would be a great adventure as well as a good way to spend time with my son," said Faulkner, later adding, "I wanted for us to create a common memory that would hold us together in the years ahead."

"Waterwalk" contains multiple scenes filmed in the same location as the rivers Faulkner and his son travelled in their journey. "You can get a sense of what it's like to spend weeks and months moving through the real world," said Faulkner.

The trip the original French explorers took was from St. Ignace on Michigan's Upper Pen­insula to Lake Michigan, across Wisconsin to the Mississippi River and then to the Arkansas River and back. Faulkner reported that the total journey of the explorers totaled 3,200 miles if to­taling both traveling to the Arkansas River and back all the way up to St. Ignace. Faulkner and his son ended the journey before reaching the Arkansas River and ended in St. Louis.

The Longwood University website reported, "Unless the scene has been cut - even Faulkner hasn't seen the film - he will appear briefly on screen in a nonspeaking role. 'They put me in a scene in which I play a disheveled swamp rat whittling on a stick who points them the way out of a swamp,' he said with a laugh. 'I'm not sure, but I think that scene will be left in. My students will probably have a good laugh out of that.'"

"I do hope the movie will encourage Long­wood students to get out there and discover this incredible planet we live on; the real, physical world is a magnificent place, full of mystery and wonder," Faulkner said.

Faulkner stressed that people cannot fully ex­perience the world on an electronic screen and must spend time in nature to have the "oppor­tunity to fall in love."

Baker said, "This movie has something for ev­eryone: adventure, danger, history, psychology, family relationships ... You won't want to miss it!"

Longwood.edu reports that over 200 theaters in five Midwestern states will show the film after its premiere at Longwood. The movie will also play in other theaters, universities and film fes­tivals throughout the Unites States and France.

The film is sponsored by the Cook-Cole Col­lege of Arts and Sciences, the English and Mod­ern Languages Department, the President's Of­fice and the Cook-Cole Student Advisory Board. Efforts to organize and plan the event have been in effect since September 2011. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

The film adaption of Dr. Faulkner's book premieres April 16.