Tucson singer-songwriter Linda Chorney was nominated for a Grammy, wrote a book about that improbable nomination and the ensuing backlash, then turned the book into a movie that is now making the film festival rounds.
And winning.
So far, she’s snagged three prizes:
- People’s Choice Award at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival in early April, the festival’s highest honor.
- One of four prestigious Remi Awards at World Fest Houston in Texas, which will be presented on April 28.
- Finalist for picture of the year in the Nashville Universe film competition, whose results will be announced May 8 in Nashville, Tennessee.
It’s only the beginning.
“There’s a buzz going on about this film,” said Chorney, 57, whose 2012 Grammy nomination for her Americana album “Emotional Jukebox” led to accusations by skeptics that she gamed the system after reaching out to Grammy voters through the Grammy365 website.
Chorney plans to submit her self-produced, independent film, “When I Sing,” into more film festivals in hopes of landing a distribution deal to get the movie into theaters.
But on Saturday, April 21, she’s showing it in a private screening in Tucson, complete with a red carpet and a mini-concert afterward to thank her adopted hometown for helping bring the film to life.
“ ‘When I Sing’ proudly employed a lot of people here. But we’re inviting the cast and the (people) who were kind enough to offer their places for us to film it,” she said, including Maya Palace, the now-closed Miss Saigon restaurant on West Ina Road and Interstate 10, Orthopedic Institute, KXCI’s downtown studios, Borderlands Brewing Co., Skyline Country Club, Mineral and Fossil Co-Op, Next Generation Automotive, Wavelab Recording Studios, Luna Recording Studio, Tucson International Airport, Danny’s Baroque and the old Nancy’s Fort Lowell Pub.
Southern Arizona Video Productions did most of the filming, although Chorney and her husband, Scott Fadynich, were behind the camera for some scenes.
Chroney self-financed the project with some outside funding from a trio of local investors and a grant from the University of California at Riverside to cover editing costs. Robin U. Russin, who teaches film at UC Riverside and is married to Chorney’s cousin, directed the film, and Doug Raine served as a producer and co-wrote the script with Chorney.
“He believed in this film so much, he believed in my story so much, that he took a semester off teaching to direct the movie,” Chorney said.
The movie features a handful of Tucsonans, including appearances by TV anchor Dan Marries, actor Christopher Hokin, Tucson Realtor and longtime community mover and shaker Mark Irvin, Lanny Colton, Carl Weinstein and singer-songwriter John Coinman. Other Tucson residents in the film include Rogelio Camarilo, Martyn Bouskila, Camerone Parker, Jaysyn Landyn, Ginia Desmond, Greg Teesdale, Kalpana Pandit, Babe Mcguire and Chorney’s father, Paul Chorney.
“The fact that the community was so supportive, that energy was in the film that’s driving it forward,” said Chorney, who plans to submit it to as many festivals as she can afford. Entry fees can be steep, but the idea is to get the movie seen and to drum up interest.
“I think it will get us into more festivals. It’s already gotten us distribution interest. But here’s the reality that I’m learning about distribution these days,” she explained. “Because of the new millennium of streaming, the model has changed even from a year ago. Distribution companies used to pay good money up front to buy a film. They’re no longer doing that.”
Chorney and her husband invested two years and her life savings into making the movie, which is based on her book, “Who the F$*$ is Linda Chorney?” The autobiography was inspired by the backlash she received from the 2012 Grammy nomination from people who didn’t believe she belonged on a roster of well-established artists including Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm, Lucinda Williams and Ry Cooder. Helm won the award. But the underlining purpose of the book and movie, Chorney said, was to share her wild ride.
