NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10, 2014 - Horizon Movies is proud to announce the release of Calloused Hands, a semi-autobiographical film by Jesse Quinones recounting the challenges faced by Josh, a mixed-race boy and promising young baseball player, growing up in a neglectful and abusive household, headed by his absentee mother and her unemployed, drug-addled boyfriend. His mother, desperate for cash, agrees to her Jewish father's request that Josh study the Torah in preparation for his Bar Mitzvah. Josh discovers his religious heritage which provides stability as his home life becomes increasingly more chaotic and dangerous.
Calloused Hands played at over ten film festivals, and won the Hearts, Mind, and Soul Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Best Actor (Andre Royo/Luca Oriel), Best Actress (Daisy Haggard), Best Screenplay (Jesse Quinones), Best Cinematography (Fabio Dominguez) awards at the Golden Door International Film Festival.
Now, this moving coming-of-age drama comes to DVD from Horizon Movies on March 25th, with a SRP of $26.95. Special features include an interview with Andre Royo and the theatrical trailer.
Calloused Hands is the first feature film from writer-director Jesse Quinones, who drew on his relationship with his step-father, Byrd, the man who inspired his passion for baseball but also suffered from addiction and possessed an unpredictable violent temper. Quinones had to reconcile the different sides of the man, whom he initially felt great anger toward but now views with love and compassion for the inspiration he instilled. As Quinones says, "This film is a tribute to men like Byrd, men who are tortured by the dreams that slip through their fingers, men crushed by the immense weight of the American Dream."
These experiences form the story of Calloused Hands, about Josh (played by Luca Oriel), a 12-year-old boy with remarkable skill on the baseball field. His stepfather Byrd (played by Andre Royo) sees in Josh's talent the opportunity to realize the American Dream that had always eluded him. However, Josh's home life is unstable and abusive, with Byrd spending Josh's projected earnings on drugs.
Things begin to change when Josh's mother (Daisy Haggard) is reunited with her estranged father, Solomon (Hans Howes). In exchange for $10,000, Josh is to rediscover his Jewish heritage and have a Bar Mitzvah. While Byrd continues to fall to lower and lower depths, Josh studies with Rabbi Brookstein (Sean McConaghy), who inspires Josh to discover the full potential he never knew he possessed.
BONUS FEATURES: * Andre Royo Interview * Theatrical Trailer Technical Specs: 16x9, 1.78:1 * 97 minutes * English * Not Rated * Stereo * Color
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