"Alumnus Returns to Shoot Film," Daily Tar Heel, 7/26/01
By RUSS LANE
"The Pink House," an independent film shot in and inspired by Chapel Hill, is described as "Woody Allen does `Animal House.'" It defies all natural law.
And it doesn't stop there.
The film's writer-director, UNC alumnus Ian Williams, is a native Californian who lives in New York but still considers himself a Southerner after spending nearly a decade in Chapel Hill. In a similar manner, the film's crew is an odd yet fascinating clash of Los Angeles, New York and North Carolina cultures.
Most of the 40-member crew is affiliated with Chapel Hill or the University in some way -- think "The Six Degrees of Silent Sam," and you get the right idea. Two of the three producers are former Morehead Scholars. The first assistant director, whose father is a professor at the University, knows more about "Dawson's Creek" and "The Andy Griffith Show" than is safe. The production designer literally has no home, keeps his possessions in storage and travels from location to location like a gypsy.
Also thrown into the mix are nudity clauses, enough mobile phones to keep several telecommunications businessmen well-fed for eternity, healthy doses of Duke-bashing -- always good for a laugh -- and the never-ending battle to obtain financial backing ("We're stilling raising money actively. You can run that in bold print. We're very nice people and we'll do the best we can with your money").
Welcome to "The Pink House."
Or more specifically, welcome to the world of Ian Williams.
Although he graduated 11 years ago...
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