17
ON THE SCREEN
WHAT’S PLAYING
IN THE THEATER
AUGUST 4�11, 2021
Hermiston graduate produces horror film
By Tammy Malgesini
Go! Magazine
W
ALLA WALLA — A one-
night screening event of a
fi lm produced by 1997 Hermiston
High School graduate Amanda
Rae Jones will be held Thursday,
Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. at Cinemark
Grand Cinema 12 in Walla Walla.
Filmed in the Pacifi c North-
west, “The Stairs” is described
as a frightening tale about a
group of hikers hunted by a
sinister presence in the woods.
It features acting veterans John
Schneider of “The Dukes of
Hazzard” fame and Kathleen
Quinlan, who was nominated for
an Academy Award for her role in
“Apollo 13.” The all-star cast also
includes Adam Korson, Brent Bai-
ley, Stacey Oristano, Tyra Colar
and Josh Crotty.
Tickets for the fi lm viewing,
presented by Cinedigm and Fath-
om Events, can be purchased
at the theater box offi ce or in
advance via www.fathomevents.
com/events/The-Stairs.
“The Stairs’’ is racking up ac-
colades at horror festivals around
the globe. It has been an offi cial
selection at more than a dozen
fi lm festivals, including its Pacifc
Northwest premiere on Aug. 1
during the Portland Horror Film
Festival at the newly reopened
1926 Hollywood Theatre. It
has nearly two dozen wins and
counting, including top honors at
several festivals.
Describing herself as “a huge
movie fan” growing up, Jones
recalls with fondness “movie
vacations” with her family. Her
Courtesy of Cinedigm and Fathom Events
A one-night screening of “The Stairs,” a fi lm produced by 1997 Hermiston
High School graduate Amanda Jones, can be viewed Thursday, Aug. 12.
parents would rent a stack of
movies, park their cars around
the corner, take the phone off
the hook and from Friday night
through Monday morning, they
holed up in their living room with
the blinds drawn — eating junk
food and watching fl icks.
“It was everything about a va-
cation that you love, without the
packing and traveling, plus mov-
ies,” Jones said. “I think these
movie vacations have infl uenced
me more than anything else in my
decision to get into the industry.”
After graduating from high
school in Hermiston, Jones
headed to Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity in La Grande, graduating
in 2001 with a degree in history.
She later got an MBA at Portland
State University and began a
career in the fi nance industry.
After being approached to read
and possibly help support a fi lm
project, Jones shifted vocational
gears and co-founded Wander-
ing Dragon Productions. “The
Stairs” is her third feature fi lm
project.
Jones said the fi lm will be
released Aug. 27 on DVD/BluRay/
VOD in conjunction with a week-
long run at a few select theaters.
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