Baby Boomerang News

Baby Boomerang Wins Silver Lei Award In Honolulu

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:30:55 -0700

The Honolulu Film Festival (now the Waikiki Film Festival) was a sweet finale to Baby Boomerang’s world film festival tour. And to get an another award was all the sweeter.

Mark and Camille had not been back to Hawaii since they were both seniors in high school and their choir toured Oahu for spring break. “When I first saw Pearl Harbor in 1979, it seemed like the Japanese attack was forever ago,” Mark recalls. “This time, it felt very recent. The older I get, the more time contracts. Wow, listen to me, I’m starting to talk like my father.”

“History is nothing but the passing on of the stories that shape us,” Mark states as he begins to wax philosophical. “My father’s life has certainly shaped me. And I’m so very thankful that I have been able to preserve his story for my family. Aloha.”

Baby Boomerang Wins Accolade’s “Award Of Excellence”

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 18:00:24 -0700

“It’s getting a little embarrassing,” Mark says as he attempts to hold all of the awards Baby Boomerang received in 2009. “I was hesitant to even announce this newest award, because I can only assume that people are getting sick of hearing about all the awards Baby Boomerang racked up this past year.”

But this fifth award is a fitting end to this film festival season and Mark couldn’t resist showing it off. The Accolade recognizes film, television and videography professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment.

Thomas Baker, Ph.D., who chairs The Accolade, had this to say about the latest winners (only three of which were feature documentaries), "The Accolade is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world. The Accolade helps set the standard for craft and creativity." Mark was just impressed with the 24k gold plated trophy made by the same company that makes the Oscar, Emmy, Clio and MTV Video Music Awards.

“The awards have made it easier to bring attention to Baby Boomerang,” Mark continues. As an example, the Beehive just published a recent article chronicling the success of Baby Boomerang this last year. “I just want as many people as possible to see Baby Boomerang, because I am convinced that my parent’s story really touches people.”

Full House for Screening of Baby Boomerang in Salt Lake City

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:30:06 -0700

After the success of the DVD signing at Deseret Book, I was worried that no one would show up to the screening. I didn’t know if anyone would come see a film they could watch on DVD. But when people started lining up it was clear that this was going to be a special night.

The house was full and the audience was fantastic. They laughed and cried in all the right places.

When the film was over the audience kept asking questions and it seemed like they didn’t want to leave. Then someone asked if there were any WWII veterans in the crowd. I soon learned that there were several, so I invited them up. Everyone leapt to their feet for a standing ovation. It was very moving.

As I talked to each veteran I suddenly realized why so many people came. They were connected to this war the same way I was. They knew a veteran and they loved him.

Deseret Book DVD Signing Sold Out in 15 min

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:00:40 -0700

When Mark, Camille and Anna showed up at the Deseret Book in Midvale, Utah to kick off the release of Baby Boomerang, they were met by Frank the store manager. “He told us not to expect much traffic on a Monday,” Camille recounts. “And then he let us know that signings are typically not very well attended, even for well known authors.”

“So don’t be discouraged if only a handful of people show up. That’s very typical,” Frank warned.

“So I was prepared to play games on my iPhone for the next two hours,” Mark recalls. “But surprisingly, before we were scheduled to begin, a small line started to form and within 15 minutes we had sold out of the 25 copies the store had on hand.”

They just kept coming and coming and Mark kept sending Camille out to the car to get more DVDs and the store kept restocking the selves.

“It was just like the end of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ when everyone shows up at Jimmy Stewart's house and starts giving him money.”

And it never let up. They sold 56 within the first first two hours. “And then a half hour after we left I got a call from the store asking us to come back and sell them 30 more DVDs to tie them over until the end of the week when their next order comes in.”

Deseret News Features Baby Boomerang in Sunday Paper

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:37:41 -0700

SUNDAY: Deseret News ran a feature story on Baby Boomerang on the front page of the Life Etc. Arts section in Sundays paper. Baby Boomerang made the very front page too (Mark is on the right. Not to be confused with the University of Utah and BYU Football players).

MONDAY at NOON: To kick off the release of Baby Boomerang on DVD, Deseret Book has invited Mark, Camille & Anna Arnett to attend a DVD signing in the Salt Lake City area (Fort Union in Midvale) at noon on Monday, September 28th.

Mark is giving away free T-shirts with every DVD purchased.

MONDAY at 7:30 PM: Baby Boomerang will be shown on the big screen at the Tower Cinema in Salt Lake City Monday, September 28, 2009 at 7:30 pm. Mark, Camille and Anna will be answering questions following the screening.

“Best Documentary” at Mormon Film Festival in Brussels

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 15:48:42 -0700

Claude Bernard is on a mission to bring LDS films to the French-speaking Mormon community. Claude heard about Baby Boomerang from LDS film director, Christian Vuissa (director of “The Errand of Angels” and many other LDS FIlms). Christian is a fan of Baby Boomerang and told Claude about it on a visit he made to Europe.

In April, Claude contacted Mark and asked him if he could show it at his upcoming festival. Mark was quick to agree. Then Claude added, “Do you have a script so that I can translate it into French?”

“Of course I have a script,” Mark responded, “But I don’t see how that will help as the script and the film don’t have that much in common.”

Mark started typing, and by July of 2009 he finished it and emailed it to Claude.

The screening of Baby Boomerang was on August 21, 2009 at the Brussels First Ward Chapel (but the Brussels Second Ward came too). The crowd was split evenly between French and English speakers. As people come into the building they picked up wireless headsets and then someone translates for whatever language is not being spoken at the time. When Baby Boomerang was shown, Claude sat with a microphone and translated with script in hand. Then he matched his translation to the film in real time.

“It was really interesting watching people who don’t speak English watch my film,” Mark recalls. “I was real nervous, but then the crowd started laughing in all the right places.” But then Mark adds, “Either Baby Boomerang has a universal appeal, or Claude was telling much better jokes than I had.”

Mark & Camille flew home to Arizona the day after the screening, and were pleasantly surprised to find out that Baby Boomerang had won “Best Documentary” at the festival (Christian Vuissa’s film, The Stonecutter, won Best Short Film). That makes four awards at seven festivals, but who’s counting?

“It has been great to see Baby Boomerang touch so many people,” Mark reflects. “Ceci est un grand honneur. Merci beaucoup.”

Mark & Camille Present Baby Boomerang to Holland

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:55:46 -0700

When Mark and Camille were invited to both the International Christian Film Festival in Wales and to the LDS Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium, they decide that they would have to take a day and go back to Tuitjenhorn where the Boomerang crashed. The little village is part of 12 villages all governed by the town of Harenkarspel. “The reunion back in 1994 was great and the people were so warm and friendly.” Mark recalls. “The return in 2009 was just as warm and friendly.”

After a week in the United Kingdom, Mark & Camille spent a week in Brussels with their good friends Rod and Rhonda Larson. The Larsons still have a home in Mark & Camille’s neighborhood in Arizona, but they have lived in Brussels for the last two years. They not only put Mark & Camille up in their palatial guest room, but drove them up to Holland at the invitation of the Mayor of Harenkarspel.

“Lunch was great.” Mark says with a big smile. “It was so wonderful to see the film stars from the 1994 reunion and present them with a copy of Baby Boomerang.” The Mayor had been sent an advanced copy and he loved the film. “The others we met have not yet seen the film.” Mark says with a little apprehension. “I hope they like it. I sure love them in it.”

After lunch everyone went to the Hof-Klejbrrok home to see the propeller blade from the Boomerang. “They have made a great memorial for the Boomerang,” Mark states proudly. “It has been repainted to prevent rusting and the brickwork around the blade is impressive.”

Next the Bleekers invited everyone to the home where the Germans took the crew of the Boomerang after the crash in 1944. “The home looks beautiful.” Mark recounts. “The fields were plowed up in May of 1994. This time everything was lush and green.”

Next the group visited the Surmerhuizen Museum just down the road. The museum is dedicated to people of Harenkarspel (Specially Eenigenburg) who left Holland to escape religious persecution and immigrated to America. The people who left had their last name changed to Eenigenburg after the town they left. The museum also has a historical Holland home, showing people what life in Holland used to be.

Lastly, Mark wanted to see the coast that the Boomerang had flown over. “When I was making the film I always wondered what the coast looked like in that area.” Mark said. “I imagined it very different. I’m glad we went.”

“All in all it was a fabulous day,” Camille reports. “Harenkarspel, Holland looks like a storybook land and the people here are the kindest.”

“And I got a new tie,” Mark adds.

Baby Boomerang Wins “Best Documentary USA”

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:31:05 -0700

Well, it happened again. Baby Boomerang won an award. “Best Documentary USA” for the Christian Film Festival. The Welsh really know how to put on a show. Local Celebrates, three Mayors, and a minister of parliament were among the guests in attendance.

Baby Boomerang was one of five documentaries nominated for “Best Documentary USA.” The others included “Shotgun Jesus” directed by Kent Wall; “Traces Of The Trade: A Story from the Deep North” directed by Katrina Browne; “Roots and Wings” directed by Angad Singh; and “Veteran Affair” directed by Herb Sennett.

“I figured I had a 20 percent chance of winning,” Mark recalls. “I was actually caught off guard and I got up and babbled on. I wish I had prepared something to say. When it was over I thought of some great things to say, but I couldn’t get everyone back into the building to listen.”

Mark should have gotten a clue that he would win when he and Camille were seated at table number one, with the festival president and British TV star Lionel Fanthorpe, Famous welch actor Boyd Clark and his wife Kirsten Jones, also a famous welsh actor and writer, and the minister of education (all of whom presented awards at the festival).

Baby Boomerang returns to North Pickenham, England

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:26:46 -0700

In advance of the International Christian Film Festival in Wales this Saturday (August 15, 2009) Mark and Camille Arnett were invited to screen Baby Boomerang for the residents of North Pickenham, where Charles Arnett and the rest of the 492nd Bomb Group were stationed in May of 1944.

The film was screened at The Blue Lion, the local pub frequented American servicemen. Charles only visited The Blue Lion once. No, not in 1944, but in 1994 during the 50 year reunion trip. In 1944, Charles never had the chance to visit anywhere as the Boomerang was shot down before the crew could ever leave the base. “When we visited the Blue Lion in 1994 I’m pretty sure that it was dad’s first pub experience,” Mark recalls. “I remember that Dad thought the root beer was excellent.”

The back room at The Blue Lion was packed for the screening where Mark and Camille were greeted with the same warmth and hospitality that prevailed in 1994. “The English have been so good to us,” Mark reports. “And they seemed very forgiving of the fact that I misspelled North Pickenham in my film.” The film credits “North Pickingham.”

The screening went well as those in attendance laughed in all the right places and appeared genuinely moved by the story. Pub owner, Mick Lee was very touched by the film. “The film is quite special and unlike your standard documentary. It draws you in,” Mick told the packed room at the Blue Lion. “I put the DVD in to make sure it would work and I couldn’t stop watching it. Quite special.”

The Blue Lion has an impressive room devoted to the 492nd and 491st Bomb Groups that flew out of North Pickenham. Now it houses a copy of Baby Boomerang for anyone in the village to borrow.

Sounds of Zion™ Picks Up Baby Boomerang For LDS Distribution

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 05:21:28 -0700

Every August the LDS Booksellers Association holds a convention in Utah so that LDS bookstores from all over the world can come and see what new products are available. This year the convention was held at the South Towne Expo in Sandy, Utah and Mark Arnett was ready for them. “I decided that the best thing I could do was to rent a banquette room at the convention and show my film,” Mark recounts.

Mark’s gamble paid off. Sounds Of Zion™ loved Baby Boomerang, quickly agreed to distribute the film, and began taking orders for shipment in September or October (the release date is still being discussed). Mark was delighted to join up with the distributor of such classic LDS films as The SIngles Ward, Sons Of Provo, and The Best Two Years.

Also among those who attended the private screening of Baby Boomerang was Deseret News reporter, Carma Wadley. Carma was so impressed by Baby Boomerang that she came back the following day with a photographer and interviewed Mark for about a half hour. She plans to run a piece on the film in conjunction with the bookstore release. “I couldn’t ask for a better reception from the LDS market,” Mark states gratefully and with a sense of relief.

Baby Boomerang should start shipping to bookstores shortly and will retail at a new price of only $14.98. Mark is now selling online at $14.98 as well.

NEXT: Mark heads off to Europe next week for the International Christian Film Festival in Barry, South Wales where Baby Boomerang has been nominated for “Best Documentary USA.”

Baby Boomerang takes "Best Documentary"  at the Gone With The Film Festival in Hollywood

Sun, 17 May 2009 19:00:51 -0700

Each year the Hollywood film festival “Gone with the Film Festival” receives thousands of submissions from filmmakers trying to get a spot on the program. Just getting into a film festival is an achievement and an honor. The “Official Selection” designation surrounded by laurel leafs is an award in-and-of itself. But as Mark has learned, “Winning feels so much better than not winning.”

Baby Boomerang walked away with an engraved trophy for “Best Documentary” at the 2009 Gone With The Film Festival. The festival was held in the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. It’s an arts center on top of a small hill with a great view of the valley and the Hollywood sign (see Hollywood photo below).

“Baby Boomerang has done much better than I expected,” Mark says as he tries to act humble. “Not as good as I fantasized, but much better than I really expected.”

Mark would like to thank all of the people who drove over from Arizona to this festival. Among the group was Eexecutive Producer Wayne Arnett and his wife Sue; Creative Consultant Brian Nissen and his wife Maria (who took many of the photos you see); and Musical Director Kip Huff, who not only brought his wife Debbie but their son Nik and nephew Zac as well. Mark’s nephew Greg Ethington (the tall guy in the back) lives in the LA area, but gets special points because he and he and his wife drove out to the Phoenix Film Festival last April just to see Baby Boomerang.

“Your support means so much to me,” Mark adds. “Not as much as the trophy, but it still means a lot.”

British Film Festival In LA results in selection in the international Christian Film Festival in the UK

Tue, 5 May 2009 16:00:17 -0700

Baby Boomerang was well received by those in attendance at the British Film Festival in LA, but perhaps the biggest thing to emerge from the festival was an invitation to screen Baby Boomerang at the International Christian Film Festival in Wales, United Kingdom August 4-8, 2009. “Looks like were going back to Europe,” Mark says with a big smile.

Baby Boomerang was chosen for the International Christian Film Festival because of its ties to the British Film Festival in LA.

At the British Film Festival Mark and Camille became friends with one of the directors of the International Christian Film Festival, Kelvin Guy who came to the screening of Baby Boomerang in LA. “The best part of attending any film festival is the interesting people you meet, and the British Film Festival certainly delivered,” Mark recalls.

Mark & Camille met Kelvin and his wife Judith while attending the filmmakers’ reception at the Custom Hotel before the screening of Baby Boomerang. Kelvin came from Wales to screen his own documentary “In Search of Gareth Hughes.” Gareth Hughes was a distant relative of Kelvin’s who left Wales and became a silent film star in Hollywood. After completing 45 films, Gareth left Hollywood and became a minister to the Paiute Indians in Nevada for 14 years.

Calvin is taking his documentary to the Paiute tribe next week for a special screening. A trailer of Calvin’s documentary can be found at the International Christian Film Festival’s website.

“We always meet such interesting and pleasant people at film festivals,” Mark concludes. “I’m looking forward to the next festival.”

By the way, the next festival is Gone With the Film Festival, May 16, 2009 in Hollywood.

Baby Boomerang screening in two LA film festivals in May

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:00:23 -0700

Baby Boomerang has been scheduled to screen at the British Film Festival in Los Angeles. Yes, Los Angeles. Think about it, if you were British would you rather attend a film festival in your boring home town or would you rather attend a film festival in Hollywood and take in Disneyland and Universal Studios while you’re at it?

In any event, Baby Boomerang has been chosen by the British Film Festival as an official selection and will be screening in Los Angeles at 4:00 pm on May 5, 2009 at the Custom Hotel 8639 Lincoln Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90045. For more information go to www.britishfilmfest.com (See Map Below).

So please tell your LA friends to come. Or if you live in the LA area please come. Or if you don’t live in the LA area and you don’t have any friends, consider a trip to LA. You can make a friend at the British Film Festival and you can go to Disneyland and Universal Studios while you are there. Hope to see you there (at the festival, not Disneyland).

Mark rides the last flying B-24

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:00:09 -0700

On Friday April 24, 2009, Mark was fortunate to catch a ride on the “Witchcraft,” the last flying B-24 Liberator. The “Witchcraft” is a B-24 just like the “Boomerang” that Mark’s dad, Charles Arnett flew in WWII.

“It was an exhilarating experience.” Mark recounts. “I have crawled into a few B-24’s over the years at air museums, but actually flying in one gave me more respect for the plane. It was as windy and as noisy as I expected, but it flew much smoother than I thought it would. The inflight movie was pretty good too.”

For information about how you can see or even fly the “Witchcraft” next time it’s in town go to www.collingsfoundation.org

Mark Arnett receives Silver Ace Award at Las Vegas Film Festival

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:00:07 -0700

It’s not every film festival that raffles off a free “breast augmentation” as a door prize for those attending the awards ceremony. But that’s exactly what happened at the 2009 Las Vegas International Film Festival. The festival had films and filmmakers from around the world. Mark got to sit at a table with the winner of the screenplay competition on his left and a man who was a school mate of Anne Frank on his right. “Filmmakers are an interesting and friendly group,” Mark reports. “As you can imagine, they have a lot of interesting stories to tell.”

When Mark Arnett was called up to receive a Silver Ace Award he gave these words in acceptance, “I’m honored that the Las Vegas Film Festival awarded Baby Boomerang this award. But I have to confess I am a little disappointed. I was actually hoping to win the breast augmentation instead.”

“When you make a film you don’t really know what other people are going to think. You are simply too close to the project to really see it the way other people will see it. It is great to learn that people outside of my family are touched by my film. Thanks.”

Baby Boomerang sells out at Phoenix Film Festival

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 17:00:18 -0700

At the conclusion of the screening of Baby Boomerang at the 2009 Phoenix Film Festival the Harkins theater was buzzing with excitement for a least an hour. With over 200 people in attendance it was one of the best attended films at the festival.

“I couldn’t have been more pleased with the response,” Mark recalls. “Not only from family and friends, but so many strangers came up to me and expressed how touched they were from the film. That means more to me than I can express.

“My favorite story came from a audience member who bought a ticket for another film but walked into Baby Boomerang by mistake. She enjoyed it so much that she stayed. She had tears in her eyes as she expressed to me how much my parents’ lives had touched her.”

Baby Boomerang sold 80 DVD’s at the screening. While those figures are skewed by the fact that Rex Arnett bought 20 copies, the festival director of the Phoenix Film Festival staff were amazed (and pleased) at the response. People just couldn’t seem to stop talking about it.

Mark Arnett on Filmmakers Panel

Sat, 4 Apr 2009 16:00:46 -0700

It’s is always a pleasure to talk about my film. So when the Phoenix Film Festival invited me to sit on a panel of filmmakers to answer questions on what goes into making a movie, I jumped at the chance. Talking is my second favorite thing to do.

The theme of the discussion seemed to be the importance of just doing it. You can talk about it, read about it, or even go to film school to study it, but there is no substitute for actually making a film. That seemed to be the consensus of the filmmakers.

Personally, the things I thought would be hard about making a film turned out to be easy, but the things I didn’t even think about, turned out to be the hardest. That’s the way most things go in life. Things look different until you experience them.

-Mark Arnett-

Official Selection In Phoenix International Film Festival

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:00:55 -0700

Mark received a phone call yesterday from Phoenix Film Festival Director Jason Carney informing Mark that Baby Boomerang has been chosen as an official selection for this year’s festival.

As Mark recalls, “He asked me if I wanted to show the film Sunday at three. I told him that I didn’t think I could get my own mother to come on a Sunday. I asked him if he had any time on Monday. The only time he had open on Monday was 5:30 pm. I told him about family home evening and we scheduled it for Monday.”

Baby Boomerang will be shown at 5:30 pm on Monday, April 6, 2009, at Harkins Scottsdale/101 Theatre 700 E. Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85054 (see map below). Tickets are not available yet. We’ll put a link to the Phoenix Film Festivals web site as soon as something is posted.

As an “Official Selection” Baby Boomerang will not be judged at the festival (no awards), but it will be shown in the festival’s largest theater (or “theatre” as Harkins like to call them) - about 260 seats.

Be sure to sign-up for our news updates so you can get ticket information as soon as they go on sale. I think the tickets will be $10 each (with all the money going to the festival). Hope to see you there.

Baby Boomerang Featured in “The Beehive”

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:05:51 -0700

The Beehive is a free quarterly publication reporting on news and events specific to LDS members. It serves the 400,000 members of the LDS Church in Arizona.

The Current issue (February to March 2009) has a feature article on Baby Boomerang. You can read the Beehive online at www.arizonabeehive.com Or for a direct link to the article click here.

One correction: The interview was done on the phone from the LDS Film Festival. The article refers to the trip to Germany that I was planning to attend after the festival. However, I was too sick to go. My brother Wayne and sisters Marolyn and Kat went without me. They brought back great photos and stories.

Baby Boomerang Shown at LDS Film Festival

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:00:38 -0700

Baby Boomerang was shown Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm (noon) at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah to a crowd of about 300 people. No awards were given at the festival for any of the feature films (I guess they just don’t like to judge others), but the audience response was very positive.

Mark was deathly sick at the time. He had lost most of his voice and was coughing so much he actually passed out during another film as he was trying to exit so as to not disturb anyone. When he passed out, he face-planted into the carpet and causing a large rug burn on his forehead for the rest of the festival (Mark has retouched all the photos and removed the evidence).

At the screening of Baby Boomerang, Mark, Camille, and Anna Arnett answered questions from the audience and then held a reception in the lobby.

“I want to thank everyone who came or sent people to the screening. It meant a lot to me to have a theater that felt full. I was very pleased to have so many people attend. I was even more pleased when the audience laughed and cried in all the right places. What more could one ask from a film.”
-Mark-