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Morinda Inc., will be a sponsor of "The Legend of Johnny Lingo," a major motion picture that will hit theaters in the spring of 2003. The story, with its ties to the South Pacific, is a natural for Morinda. The movie will play a pivotal role in telling the Morinda story, building brand identity and in promoting Tahitian Noni products.
The producer, Jerry Molen won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993 for "Schindler's List." He also produced Steven Spielberg's films "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Jurassic Park," "Hook" and most recently, "Minority Report." The list of hits that he has been involved with as an Executive Producer for Amblin Entertainment goes on and on.
This motion picture will be publicized and advertised on major TV and all other advertising means normally used to promote a new motion picture. Morinda feels the exposure to be gained through their participation will boost the Tahitian Noni brand for years to come.
Morinda, Inc., the TAHITIAN NONI® Juice Company, is pleased to announce that it will sponsor "The Legend of Johnny Lingo," a major motion picture that will hit theaters in the Spring of 2003. The story, with its ties to the South Pacific, is a natural for Morinda.
The movie will play a pivotal role in telling the Morinda story, building brand identify, and in promoting TAHITIAN NONI® Products. We feel that this is an opportunity that simply cannot be passed by and are excited about the prospects.
Morinda is especially happy to be a part of this production and the team of renowned professionals that have been assembled for its creation.
Production Information
The Molen/Garbett Production of "The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is set to begin principal photography on July 8, 2002 in Auckland, New Zealand and will then move to the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.
Academy Award-winning producer Jerry Molen ("Schindler's List") along with veteran producer John Garbett, brought in the critically acclaimed Polynesian screenwriter Riwia Brown ("Once We Were Warriors") to write the script. The film will be the feature film debut for editor Steven Ramirez. Casting is currently underway in New Zealand where the filmmakers are drawing from a pool of experienced Polynesian actors. Brad Pelo will serve as executive producer.
The Story
"The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is adapted from a short story written by the late novelist Patricia McGerr and was first published in the mid-1960's. It has been translated into dozens of languages and reprinted in hundreds of publications that have reached millions of people the world over. As told by a father to his young son, "The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is a captivatingly romantic tale set amongst the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific. At the same time, the story's themes about love and self-image resonate with universal appeal.
Johnny Lingo, or Tau, as he was called as a child, was orphaned as a baby. He was passed from household to household as families grew tired of him. He was blamed for a wide variety of curses that befell the community and soon found himself living at the least desirable home on this small South Seas island. It was there he came to know Mahana and her father who blamed his daughter for his wife's death in childbirth.
Fellow islanders have come to see Mahana through her father's eyes -- as troublesome and undesirable. However, Tau and Mahana, the two outcasts, form a strong bond. When Tau finds the wherewithal to leave the island on a canoe he has built, he promises to return one day for Mahana.
Eight years later, Johnny Lingo has the means to return for Mahana. He has learned a lot about life and is determined to win Mahana's heart. But he has devised a plan that enables him to also make a long-overdue point with those who for so many years treated both him and Mahana with such malice. Johnny's point? That real beauty comes from within. Most importantly, however, Johnny has found a way to honor Mahana, and in fact, to honor love itself.
About the Filmmakers
Producer Jerry Molen won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993 for "Schindler's List". He also produced Steven Spielberg's films "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", "Jurassic Park", "Hook", and most recently, "Minority Report". As an Executive Producer for Amblin Entertainment, he was involved with such hits as "Twister", "Casper", "Little Rascals", and "The Flintstones" among others. Molen also worked as a Unit Production Manager on "The Color Purple", "A Soldier's Story", "Tootsie", "The Postman Always Rings Twice", and "Days of Thunder".
After an 18-month, post-graduate internship at the White House, producer John Garbett was hired by ABC Television as a financial analyst in its business division. He soon joined Fox Television moving from finance into production management. In 1984, he was hired by the Walt Disney Company as a television production executive and later held the same position in the feature film division.
As a feature film production executive, he oversaw "3 Men and a Little Lady", "Father of the Bride", and "Alive" among other Touchstone projects. He has since acted as a development producer and production consultant for Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros., Universal Studios, and independent production companies on a number of feature film projects including "The Frighteners", "Pet People", "The Matrix", and "Shrek".
Director Steven Ramirez makes his directorial debut with "The Legend of Johnny Lingo". As a feature film editor, he has worked on such pictures as "Driving Miss Daisy", "Being There", "Cocoon -- The Return", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Dolores Claiborne", "Pacific Heights", and "Devil's Advocate". Ramirez is following in the footsteps of other feature film editors -- such as Richard Donner and James Cameron -- who have gone on to become successful film directors.
Screenwriter Riwia Brown is one of Polynesia's most accomplished screenwriters and playwrights. In 1994, she wrote the screenplay for "Once We Were Warriors". This New Zealand-made movie went on to become the most successful film about the Polynesian people to date.
Brown won worldwide accolades for helping to create a window into the lives of a Maori family in contemporary New Zealand. Brown has been involved with Polynesian (Maori) theatre as an actor in Wellington, New Zealand, since the early 1980's. In 1988, Brown's first play, Roimata, was selected for inclusion in a five-part Maori drama series, which she adapted and directed for television. She has since written and directed numerous plays -- her own and those written by others.
Stay Tuned -- There's More to Come...
"The Legend of Johnny Lingo" promises to be a major promotional event for Morinda, Inc. Stay tuned for announcements that will be made over the next several months regarding how Morinda Distributors will benefit from programs that will be implemented with the production and release of "The Legend of Johnny Lingo".
Again, we at Morinda are extremely excited to be a major partner in this project and look forward to the impact that the movie will have with audiences everywhere. We feel the exposure to be gained through our participation will boost the TAHITIAN NONI® Brand for years to come.
Douglas R. McAllister
Director of Public Relations
Morinda, Inc.
In 1993 Gerald Molen won the Best Picture Academy Award as one of the producers of Schindler's List. He also produced Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Hook and most recently Minority Report starring Tom Cruise for DreamWorks SKG. As an Executive Producer for Amblin Entertainment he was involved with films like Twister, Casper, Little Rascals and The Flintstones. Molen has also worked as a Unit Production Manager on The Color Purple, A Soldier's Story, Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Days of Thunder.
John Garbett and Gerald Molen first worked together in 1992 at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. As the LA-based producer of Shrek for Dreamworks SKG, Garbett was responsible for the project's overall development. He spent eight years as an executive for the Walt Disney Company supervising the production of pictures such as Father of the Bride, Oscar, Three Men and A Little Lady, Alive and over twenty-five family-themed films for the Disney Sunday Movie.
Steven Ramirez (Editor/Associate Producer) Steven Ramirez has been a feature film editor for over twenty years working on such projects as Driving Miss Daisy, Being There, The Chamber, Cocoon -- the Return, Big Trouble in Little China, Devil's Advocate, Leap of Faith, Dolores Claiborne, Intersection, Rush, Pacific Heights, Double Jeopardy, The Running Man, and Weird Science.
Academy Award-winning producer GERALD MOLEN (Schindler's List) broke into the film business in 1957 with a job in Republic Studio's transportation department. It was the realization of a boyhood dream that began when his father opened a small restaurant across the street from the same Studio City lot. Two years later, Molen moved to Universal Studios and, in 1967, he was named Head of the Transportation Department. After a seven-year stint at Universal, he went on to work as Transportation Coordinator on the production of such films as Bound for Glory, Coming Home, Being There, Ordinary People, and Absence of Malice.
Molen went on to join the Directors Guild of America as a Unit Production Manager and served in that capacity on such films as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Tootsie, A Soldier's Story, and The Color Purple. He earned the additional credit of Associate Producer on Batteries Not Included, Executive Producer on Bright Lights, Big City, and Days of Thunder and Co-Producer on Rain Man.
Molen's first producing credit was on the film Hook in 1990. He then joined Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment as its Head of Production. In that capacity he also served as Executive Producer on The Flintstones, Little Rascals, Casper, Little Giants, and Twister among others. In addition, Molen served as producer on Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: The Lost World.
Three months after wrapping Jurassic Park Molen left for Europe to produce Schindler's List with Branko Lustig. In March 1994, he and Lustig were awarded the Oscar for Best Picture one of the film's countless accolades.
Molen has also worked in front of the camera. He first appeared in the role of Dr. Bruner in Rain Man and subsequently acted in Days of Thunder, Jurassic Park, and Amistad. He plays the role of Groberg's first mission president in The Other side of Heaven.
In the past several years, Molen has devoted much of his time to organizations specializing in educational and humanitarian causes and serves on numerous boards. He can often be found lecturing to university students and is a frequent speaker on the subject of the Holocaust. He is especially proud of his involvement in the beginnings of the Survivors of the Shoah History Foundation. Molen holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Montana.
Information Source:
http://www.hollywoodplayersnetwork.homestead.com/vtff_OtherSideHeaven.html
More Information:
http://daviszone.com/jp/
"The Legend of Johnny Lingo"
Story Condensed from Woman's Day
Patricia McGerr
When I sailed to Kiniwata, an island in the Pacific, I took along a notebook. After I got back it was filled with descriptions of flora and fauna, native customs and costume. But the only note that still interests me is the one that says: "Johnny Lingo gave eight cows to Sarita's father." And I don't need to have it in writing. I'm reminded of it every time I see a woman belittling her husband or a wife withering under her husband's scorn. I want to say to them, "You should know why Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for his wife."
Johnny Lingo wasn't exactly his name. But that's what Shenkin, the manager of the guest house on Kiniwata, called him. Shenkin was from Chicago and had a habit of Americanizing the names of the islanders. But Johnny was mentioned by many people in many connections.
If I wanted to spend a few days on the neighboring island of Nurabandi, Johnny Lingo would put me up. If I wanted to fish he could show me where the biting was best. If it was pearls I sought, he would bring the best buys. The people of Kiniwata all spoke highly of Johnny Lingo. Yet when they spoke they smiled, and the smiles were slightly mocking.
"Get Johnny Lingo to help you find what you want and let him do the bargaining," advised Shenkin, "Johnny knows how to make a deal."
"Johnny Lingo! A boy seated nearby hooted the name and rocked with laughter."
"What goes on?" I demanded. "Everybody tells me to get in touch with Johnny Lingo and then breaks up. Let me in on the joke."
"Oh, the people like to laugh," Shenkin said, shruggingly. "Johnny's the brightest, the strongest young man in the islands -- and for his age, the richest."
"But if he's all you say, what is there to laugh about?"
"Only one thing. Five months ago, at fall festival, Johnny came to Kiniwata and found himself a wife. He paid her father eight cows!"
I knew enough about island customs to be impressed. Two or three cows would buy a fair-to-middling wife, four or five a highly satisfactory one. "Good Lord!" I said, "Eight cows! She must have beauty that takes your breath away."
"She's not ugly," he conceded, and smiled a little. "But the kindest could only call Sarita plain. Sam Karoo, her father, was afraid she'd be left on his hands."
"But then he got eight cows for her? Isn't that extraordinary?"
"Never been paid before."
"Yet you call Johnny's wife plain?"
"I said it would be kindness to call her plain. She was skinny. She walked with her shoulders hunched and her head ducked. She was scared of her own shadow."
"Well," I said, "I guess there's just no accounting for love."
"True enough," agreed the man. "And that's why the villagers grin when they talk about Johnny. They get special satisfaction from the fact that the sharpest trader in the islands was bested by dull old Sam Karoo."
"But how?"
"No one knows and everyone wonders. All the cousins were urging Sam to ask for three cows and hold out for two until he was sure Johnny'd pay only one. Then Johnny came to Sam Karoo and said, 'Father of Sarita, I offer eight cows for your daughter.'"
"Eight cows," I murmured. "I'd like to meet this Johnny Lingo." "And I wanted fish. I wanted pearls. So the next afternoon I beached my boat at Nurabandi. And I noticed as I asked directions to Johnny's house that his name brought no sly smile to the lips of his fellow Nurabandians. And when I met the slim, serious young man, when he welcomed me with grace to his home, I was glad that from his own people he had respect unmingled with mockery. We sat in his house and talked. Then he asked, "You come here from Kiniwata?"
"Yes."
"They speak of me on that island?"
"They say there's nothing I might want they you can't help me get."
He smiled gently. "My wife is from Kiniwata."
"Yes, I know."
"They speak of her?"
"A little."
"What do they say?"
"Why, just..." The question caught me off balance. "They told me you were married at festival time."
"Nothing more?" The curve of his eyebrows told me he knew there had to be more.
"They also say the marriage settlement was eight cows." I paused. "They wonder why."
"They ask that?" His eyes lightened with pleasure. "Everyone in Kiniwata knows about the eight cows?"
I nodded.
"And in Nurabandi everyone knows it too." His chest expanded with satisfaction. "Always and forever, when they speak of marriage settlements, it will be remembered that Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for Sarita."
So that's the answer, I thought: vanity.
And then I saw her. I watched her enter the room to place flowers on the table. She stood still a moment to smile at the young man beside me. Then she went swiftly out again. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. The lift of her shoulders, the tilt of her chin the sparkle of her eyes all spelled a pride to which no one could deny her the right. I turned back to Johnny Lingo and found him looking at me.
"You admire her?" he murmured.
"She...she's glorious. But she's not Sarita from Kiniwata." I said.
"There's only one Sarita. Perhaps she does not look the way they say she looked in Kiniwata."
"She doesn't. I heard she was homely. They all make fun of you because you let yourself be cheated by Sam Karoo."
"You think eight cows were too many?" A smile slid over his lips. "No. But how can she be so different?"
"Do you ever think," he asked, "what it must mean to a woman to know that her husband has settled on the lowest price for which she can be bought? And then later, when the women talk, they boast of what their husbands paid for them. One says four cows, another maybe six. How does she feel, the woman who was sold for one or two? This could not happen to my Sarita!"
"Then you did this just to make your wife happy?"
"I wanted Sarita to be happy, yes. But I wanted more than that. You say she is different This is true. Many things can change a woman. Things that happen inside, things that happen outside. But the thing that matters most is what she thinks about herself. In Kiniwata, Sarita believed she was worth nothing. Now she knows she is worth more than any other woman in the islands."
"Then you wanted --"
"I wanted to marry Sarita. I loved her and no other woman."
"But --" I was close to understanding.
"But," he finished softly, "I wanted an eight-cow wife."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jerry Moosman, 801-234-1405
Jason Russell, 801-234-1402
Morinda, Inc. Announces Sponsorship of
"THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY LINGO"
OREM, UTAH - Morinda, Inc., the TAHITIAN NONI® Juice Company, is pleased to announce that it will sponsor "The Legend of Johnny Lingo," a major motion picture that will hit theaters in the spring of 2003. The story, with its ties to the South Pacific, is a natural for Morinda.
The movie will play a pivotal role in telling the Morinda story, building brand identity and in promoting TAHITIAN NONI™ products. We feel that this is an opportunity that simply cannot be passed by and are excited about the prospects.
Morinda is especially happy to be a part of this production and the team of renowned professionals that have been assembled for its creation.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
The Molen/Garbett Production of "The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is set to begin principal photography on July 8, 2002 in Auckland, New Zealand and will then move to the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. Academy Award-winning producer Jerry Molen ("Schindler's List") along with veteran producer John Garbett brought in the critically acclaimed Polynesian screenwriter Riwia Brown ("Once We Were Warriors") to write the script. The film will be the feature film debut for editor Steve Ramirez. Casting is currently underway in New Zealand where the filmmakers are drawing from a pool of experienced Polynesian actors. Brad Pelo will serve as executive producer.
THE STORY
"The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is adapted from a short story written by the late novelist Patricia McGerr and was first published in the mid-1960s. It has been translated into dozens of languages and reprinted in hundreds of publications that have reached millions of people the world over. As told by a father to his young son, "The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is a captivatingly romantic tale set amongst the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific. At the same time the story's themes about love and self-image resonate with universal appeal.
Johnny Lingo, or Tau as he was called as a child, was orphaned as a baby. He was passed from household to household as families grew tired of him. He was blamed for a wide variety of curses that befell the community and soon found himself living at the least desirable home on this small South Seas island. It was there he came to know Mahana and her father who blamed his daughter for his wife's death in childbirth. Fellow islanders have come to see Mahana through her father's eyes - as troublesome and undesirable. However, Tau and Mahana, the two outcasts, form a strong bond. When Tau finds the wherewithal to leave the island on a canoe he has built, he promises to return one day for Mahana.
Eight years later, Johnny Lingo has the means to return for Mahana. He has learned a lot about life and is determined to win Mahana's heart. But he has devised a plan that enables him to also make a long-overdue point with those who for so many years treated both him and Mahana with such malice. Johnny's point? That real beauty comes from within. Most importantly however, Johnny has found a way to honor Mahana and, in fact, to honor love itself.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS…
Producer JERRY MOLEN won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993 for "Schindler's List." He also produced Steven Spielberg's films "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Jurassic Park," "Hook," and most recently, "Minority Report." As an Executive Producer for Amblin Entertainment, he was involved with such hits as "Twister," "Casper," "Little Rascals," and "The Flintstones," among others. Molen also worked as a Unit Production Manager on "The Color Purple," "A Soldier's Story," " Tootsie," "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Days of Thunder."
After an 18-month, post-graduate internship at the White House, producer JOHN GARBETT was hired by ABC Television as a financial analyst in its business division. He soon joined Fox Television moving from finance into production management. In 1984, he was hired by the Walt Disney Company as a television production executive and later held the same position in the feature film division. As a feature film production executive, he oversaw "3 Men and a Little Lady," "Father of the Bride" and "Alive," among other Touchstone projects. He has since acted as a development producer and production consultant for Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros., Universal Studios and independent production companies on a number of feature film projects including "The Frighteners," "Pet People," "The Matrix" and "Shrek."
Director STEVEN RAMIREZ makes his directorial debut with "The Legend of Johnny Lingo." As a feature film editor he has worked on such pictures as "Driving Miss Daisy," "Being There," "Cocoon - The Return," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Dolores Claiborne," "Pacific Heights" and "Devil's Advocate." Ramirez is following in the footsteps of other feature film editors - such as Richard Donner and James Cameron -- who have gone on to become successful film directors.
Screenwriter RIWIA BROWN is one of Polynesia's most accomplished screenwriters and playwrights. In 1994, she wrote the screenplay for "Once We Were Warriors." This New Zealand-made movie went onto become the most successful film about the Polynesian people to date. Brown won worldwide accolades for helping to create a window into the lives of a Maori family in contemporary New Zealand. Brown has been involved with Polynesian (Maori) theatre as an actor in Wellington, NZ, since the early 1980's. In 1988, Brown's first play, Roimata, was selected for inclusion in a five-part Maori drama series, which she adapted and directed for television. She has since written and directed numerous plays - her own and those written by others.
STAY TUNED, THERE'S MORE TO COME
"The Legend of Johnny Lingo" promises to be a major promotional event for Morinda, Inc. Stay tuned for announcements that will be made over the next several months regarding how Morinda distributors will benefit from programs that will be implemented with the production and release of "The Legend of Johnny Lingo."
Again, we at Morinda are extremely excited to be a major partner in this project and look forward to the impact that the movie will have with audiences everywhere. We feel the exposure to be gained through our participation will boost the TAHITIAN NONI™ brand for years to come.
Q: When will the film be released?
A: Spring of 2003
Q: Where can I see it?
A: Distribution plans have not yet taken shape. The film's producers expect initial release to involve 300 theaters, primarily in the Intermountain West.
Q: But what if I live in Florida, or elsewhere in the East. Am I out of luck?
A: No, we don't think so. Morinda hopes to arrange special screenings for distributors and guests in as many cities as possible. Morinda will provide this information as soon as possible.
Q: What's the film about?
A: "The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is adapted from a short story written by the late novelist Patricia McGerr and was first published in the mid-1960s. It has been translated into dozens of languages and reprinted in hundreds of publications that have reached millions of people the world over. As told by a father to his young son, "The Legend of Johnny Lingo" is a captivatingly romantic tale set amongst the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific. At the same time, the story's themes about love and self-image resonate with universal appeal.
Q: So why is Morinda involved?
A: Given the film's setting in the South Pacific, Morinda has a special opportunity to explain the history of noni usage and its inherent role in South Pacific cultures.
Q: How will Morinda benefit from the film?
A: Morinda is examining dozens of ways to promote the film and the company throughout the country. Primary among these ideas are juice sampling in theaters showing "The Legend of Johnny Lingo," a special Johnny Lingo-only Tahiti Dream drawing, and possible movie tie-ins with regional restaurant chains.
Q: Who's in the movie?
A: Film goers will recognize Temuera Morrison and Daniel Logan, the actors who portrayed Jango and Boba Fett, respectively, in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. But on the whole, the film will feature Polynesian actors unknown to most Americans.
Q: How long did filming take?
A: About 30 days, involving the combined efforts of 117 crew, 38 cast members, and almost 100 extras. And this does not include pre- and post-production personnel.