Maui girl and St. Anthony graduate Charlene Schulenburg - also known as Charlene Blaine during her successful career as a Hollywood actress and producer -will launch the DVD release of her film "Reach for Me" with a meet-and-greet at WalMart in Kahului from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Seymour Cassel, the Academy Award-nominated actor who stars in the film, will join her to talk to the public and sign copies of the new DVD.
Cassel stars with Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard and Golden Globe nominee Adrienne Barbeau playing "a terminally ill widower confined to a hospice bed who makes life hell for everyone around him," according to write-up on the Internet Movie Database.
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Charlene Schulenburg
Directed by "Star Trek's" LeVar Burton, the film is described as a life-affirming drama with lots of comic relief, exploring end-of-life issues "with a levity and level of humor that helps one digest the importance of it's educational, informational and entertaining message," according to a release.
The film had a limited theatrical release in Palm Springs, Calif., and Las Vegas, went into pay-per-view in April and now is one of Walmart's largest orders for an independent film. The Maui launch coincides with a nationwide campaign that will bring it to 2,770 stores that day.
Schulenburg is a Kihei girl whose father, Leland Schulenburger, is well-known around the island as former manager of the long-gone Woolworth's in Maui Mall. Her return to Maui was prompted by a desire to enjoy time with her parents who are still in Paia, she said in a release.
Now that she has returned to Maui, Schulenburg is balancing sharing her film work with taking an active role in the Maui community.
She is chairwoman for Habitat for Humanity's annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser, coming to the Old Blue Wailea Course on Oct. 15.
Looking forward to meeting the public at Walmart on Tuesday she says, "This bonus to having done this film is that it has changed so many people's lives for the better."
- Rick Chatenever
