Just in time for the 50th celebration of The Beatles’ visit to New York, one Jackson Heights filmmaker takes a local look at the Fab Four’s American debut.
“Lovely Lily,” a short film created by filmmaker Celeste Balducci, debuted on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Elmhurst Hospital Center Auditorium during a Beatles Bash party.
The movie takes place in 1964 and surrounds a “has-been” lounge singer at the Cavalier Restaurant in Jackson Heights just hours before The Beatles took the stage on the Ed Sullivan Show, and changed music history.
The story involves social and historical attributes of that day, and includes various props and costumes from that time period. It also includes the concept of love lost and found between five other characters, Balducci said.
“We forget that The Beatles went toe to toe with The Supremes that year for number one hits, the civil rights movement was building momentum and the United States had just begun its tour in Vietnam, but most importantly, the country was still mourning a great tragedy – the assassination of JFK,” she said. “When we recall The Beatles and all the great music from that time, we remember the good times. That is what I hope the audience will take away from seeing ‘Lovely Lily.’ It is my love song to a bygone era.”
The film, which took 12 years to create, first premiered in 2009 as a full feature film, but after years of editing is now 36 minutes long. It features Jackson Heights actors, musicians and residents.
Balducci hopes to make “Lovely Lily” available for purchase and also enter it in upcoming film festivals.
To contact the filmmaker and be placed on the film’s mailing list to catch future screenings, email lovelylily1964@gmail.com.
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