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The leaves are changing. Pumpkins are being carved. Ghosts, spider webs and witches cover the neighborhoods.
Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
At least that’s what Robert Tinnell hopes people are in the mood for when his holiday movie, “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” is screened at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Slope Amphitheater at the rear of the Pittston Memorial Library, Rear 47 Broad St.
Tinnell, who wrote and directed the Christmas film, and his brother, producer Jeff Tinnell, will be on hand for a discussion. The Downtown Pittston Partnership and Sabatelle’s Market have partnered behind the free screening.
Set in West Virginia in 1983, the family/romantic comedy follows the Oliverio family as they prepare for Christmas Eve and the Italian tradition of serving the feast of the seven fishes. Cousins Tony (Skyler Gisondo) and Angelo (Andrew Schulz) are thinking more about finding girls than engaging in family drama. But the big-mouth, proud and loud relatives have their own say in the matter. Tony has his heart set on Beth (Madison Iseman), who returns to town during school break. It will be tough for a non-Italian girl to fit into the craziness that makes up the Oliverios.
Robert Tinnell has wrestled with this story for years. At an early age, he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker, but the idea of “Feast of the Seven Fishes” came about through several transformations.
“I had the idea to do this as a movie,” Tinnell said. “But my manager at the time did not support the idea. And I didn’t have the reputation to support a rom-com.”
Tinnell’s previous works included “Frankenstein and Me,” about a teenager obsessed with old-time movie monsters, and “Kids of the Round Table,” a child-friendly tale mixing Excalibur, Merlin and the modern day.
Tinnell switched his idea to online comics, and once those became popular, he published a graphic novel. He hopes that the movie will get a surprising response, like the novel.
To promote “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” Tinnell is taking the film to communities with a large Italian population, like Pittston, before it hits nationwide on Nov. 15.
“We’re doing some things that I’ve never done to promote a film,” Tinnell said. “We believe, and we’re already witnessing this, that the film is generating such a strong word-of-mouth.
“For Italian-Americans, I think you’ll find that it resonates particularly with real power,” Tinnell said. “So, we decided that we would try a word-of-mouth campaign of small screenings in communities that we know would have a built-in audiences.”
Tinnell previously toured Pittston weeks ago to set up the screening, finding that the Northeastern Pennsylvania city is very similar to his native West Virginia setting depicted in the film, from the architecture to work ethic to culture.
There’s also another link between the film and the region. Its composer, Matt Marino, grew up in Hazleton. Tinnell and Marino met through mutual friends as Marino was working on a show for FOX.
“He watched the film, we talked and he said, ‘Look, this is my movie. This is what my family does. I’m doing this,’” Tinnell said.
Marino was familiar with the feast and about being Italian, Tinnell said, which added more to the film score.
Tinnell was able to ensemble a cast of young talent and veterans for the film, like character actors Paul Ben-Victor, who will also appear in “The Irishman” later this year, and Joe Pantoliano, who is best known for his roles in “The Matrix,” “Memento” and “Bad Boys.”
“What was just so awesome about the whole experience is on paper I never shouldn’t have gotten that cast,” Tinnell said, giving credit to the film’s casting director Brandon Henry Rodriguez.
Tinnell expected that more experienced actors would nab the older roles, but he was shocked by the caliber of actors he got for the young leads.
“Being this deep in (a) cast with as many young and talented actors is the best gift – I can’t put a price on it,” he said.
Most of all, Tinnell hopes that “Feast of the Seven Fishes” will be among the evergreen holiday titles for years to come.
“My biggest goal for this film is to capture a time, a place and a tradition that were just absolutely wonderful,” he said. “People can share it for years to come and say, ‘This is what our lives were like, these are the foods we ate.’”
Speaking of food, Italian fare from Sabatelle’s Market will be available after the movie.
Tickets for the Pittston event can be picked up at Art e Fekts Gallery, 71 S. Main St., or Sabatelle’s Market, 114 S. Main St.
Another screening will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Cinema & Drafthouse, 31 W. Broad St., West Hazleton. Tickets are $5, and the theater’s full menu and bar will be available.