Never Been Thawed (2005)

Interesting facts

Never Been Thawed is a 2005 American independent film released on April 15, 2005. It takes its name from the best condition a frozen entree can be in according to the film's fictional Mesa Frozen Entree Enthusiast's Club. It was filmed in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area by director Sean Anders on a budget of approximately $25,000. Various reviewers referred to the comedy as a mockumentary in the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap and Best in Show.

Production and release

Never Been Thawed started as more of an experiment in filmmaking than a serious production, with Anders and LeVinus planning it as a "learning experience" before embarking on a real production. However, positive reactions at initial film festival screenings led to a successful project that turned a profit. The idea for the film came from some fictional biographies Anders wrote for his band, Stone Bogart.

Anders and LeVinus filmed Never Been Thawed in more than 50 Phoenix area locations, including local cafes and wine bars, Squaw Peak, Anders' Mesa, Arizona home, and stretches of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. They used DV camcorders for shooting more than 100 hours of footage and cast friends in the major roles, accomplishing the production in 18 months on an extremely low budget of $25,000.

The production team initially had problems getting film festivals to accept Never Been Thawed. The Silver Lake Film Festival eventually accepted the film, where Los Angeles Times reviewer Kevin Thomas saw it and subsequently gave it a good review. Thomas' review generated more festival interest, and the film screened at the Wisconsin Film Festival and the Sedona Film Festival in early April 2005.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.