MCC Spotlighted in New Feature Film

Actor Richard Riehle

The producers of “Pilot Error,” the exciting new feature film inspired by the true story of a French airliner missing in the Atlantic, will honor Muskegon Community College faculty, staff, students and alumni at a special Nov. 12 premiere.

The film, set for an 8 p.m. screening at Cinema Carousel in Muskegon, features numerous college locations and was shot across west Michigan as well as An Arbor, Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Milwaukee and Paris.

Tickets are $5 for MCC students with ID, $8 for seniors, and $10 for adults

MCC President Dale Nesbary, along with star Kate Thomsen and Muskegon producer Roger Rapoport, will introduce the film. The premiere event will include a meet-and-greet and a talkback with Nesbary, the cast and a veteran airline pilot.

Opening across the Midwest at more than 40 locations in November and December, “Pilot Error” will expand to more than 200 locations in 2015.

In addition to Thomsen, the cast includes MCC alum Jacqui Bernhardt along with local actors Kim Harsch, Craig Powers, Kurt Schroeder, Judy Johnson, Diane Van Wesep, Joe Carmolli, Robert Chessman, Rebecca McCroskey, Gerald Nehra, and Anna Alpert.  Rapoport co-wrote the screenplay with Grand Rapids-based director Joe Anderson.

Thomsen plays the role of investigative reporter Nicola Wilson, who is determined to find out why a jet headed from South America to Paris disappeared in the Atlantic, taking her close friend and 211 other passengers with it. How, she wants to know, can a plane just disappear?

As Nicola digs deeper and deeper into this mystery, she puts her job, friends and very livelihood on the line. Even though she knows nothing about aviation, refuses to fly and doesn’t speak French, Nicola quickly uncovers astonishing details about the missing flight. Was it preventable? Has it happened before? Could it happen again? And was it PILOT ERROR?

The independent film, which costars Hollywood actors Richard Riehle (“Office Space”) and Robert Cicchini (“Godfather III”), features many prominent Michigan actors, including Julia Glander, Alex Leydenfrost, and Michael Brian Ogden. The film was shot in the Muskegon area, Montague, Whitehall, Duck Lake State Park, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Paris.

“Pilot Error” follows up on the success of Muskegon producer Roger Rapoport’s first film “Waterwalk,” which has played at over 200 theaters nationwide.

“Our goal is to encourage more hands-on training and simulator training at a time when the industry is increasingly focused on automation,” he explains.

Thomsen has distinguished herself on stages at the Hope Summer Repertory Theater, the Muskegon Civic Theater and the Howmet. She teaches in the theater departments at Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. A winner of a special Irene Ryan Award for her undergraduate work on the Kennedy Center stage, she earned her MFA at the University of California-Irvine. She currently lives in Kalamazoo with her husband Travis, a middle school principal, and their two young children.

“Kate’s terrific work with MCC Theater Professor Tom Harryman in ‘The 39 Steps’ at the Howmet Playhouse brought her to our attention,” says Rapoport. She also appeared on the Frauenthal stage in “Proof.”

The film is coproduced with Robert Goodrich, owner of the Goodrich Theater chain. The Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce is a financial supporter of the film.

“Pilot Error” is edited by Gene Gamache, who has won many awards for his work on major studio film trailers ranging from “Forrest Gump” to “12 Years A Slave.” He produced the documentary “Houdini.” The film’s score is composed by Emmy Award-winner Garth Neustadter. Cinematographer David Darling worked with well-known Detroit director of photography Bruce Schermer, who shot most of “Roger & Me.”

Based on five years of research and interviews with more than 100 pilots, the script and Rapoport’s forthcoming novel Pilot Error offer audiences an inside look at the fate of pilots unfortunately kept in the dark about failed automation.

“Top airline training pilots at our preview events have been warmly received by audiences trying to understand how, in the most interconnected moment in human history, it’s never been easier to hide the truth,” says Rapoport.

The Pilot Error trailer is at http://vimeo.com/105185122.

To arrange an interview with Kate Thomsen contact her at katie.thomsen@gmail.com or call (424) 634-9950. To arrange an interview with producer Roger Rapoport call (231) 730-0930 or email him at rogerdrapoport@me.com.