To kick off the theatrical release of the critically-acclaimed documentary, The Overnighters in Williston, North Dakota, where the documentary was filmed, Drafthouse Films and the Williston Herald will host a special event screening of the film at the Grand Theatre in downtown Williston. The advance screening will be followed by a panel discussion with director Jesse Moss, former Williston Mayor Ward Koeser (who is featured in the film), current Williston Herald Managing Editor, Jerry Burnes and other guests in attendance. Drafthouse Films CEO Tim League will moderate the discussion, touching upon topics including the film’s spotlight on some of the multi-layered consequences facing modern day boomtowns across America. The event will take place on Thursday October 30th at 7:00pm.
The feature documentary–which won the Special Jury Prize for Intuitive Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival (among other festival awards)–is an intimate portrait of job-seekers desperately chasing the American Dream to the oil boom town of Williston, North Dakota. With the town lacking the infrastructure to house the overflow of migrants, a local pastor starts a simple but controversial “overnighters” program, allowing down-and-out workers a place to sleep at his church. His well-meaning project immediately runs into resistance with his community, forcing the clergyman to make a decision that leads to profound consequences that he never imagined.
The advance screening of “The Overnighters” will be the first opportunity that Williston residents will have to see the film. The special screening will be followed by a regular theatrical run of the film also at the Grand Theatre starting October 31st. Tickets are available at the Grand Theatre box office at 211 Main Street, Williston – open from 3:45pm-10pm daily.
To date, “The Overnighters” has opened in New York and Austin and will also be opening at the Landmark Nuart in Los Angeles on October 31stbefore expanding into additional markets.