by lynn a. harmon

Tired of selling candy bars and raffle tickets to raise money for your nonprofit organization? Here's an opportunity that put $10,525 in the coffers of the Kelso Ballet School and enriched the lives of a lot of members of the Kelso community along with it.

Northwest Film Projects is offering screenings of its locally produced motion picture "The Immigrant Garden" to nonprofit organizations as a means to raise money.
"All an organization - or a group of organizations - has to do is provide a venue and sell tickets. We'll do everything else," said C. Tad Devlin, the film's producer and director. 'We'll provide the projection equipment, engineers, advertising and marketing and any other help we can. Between concessions and its share of the gate, a charity could expect to raise proceeds of $10,000 or more."

Featuring gorgeous location photography that recreates a bucolic 1910 Oakvi11e~ "The Immigrant Garden is a gentle coming-of-age story about Miss Cicely Barnes" (portrayed by 18-year-old Onalaska resident Angela Johnson), her widowed father, her friends, her garden, and her wise and beloved elderly English pen pal.
"It's a story about tolerance," Devlin said. "And it's a story that shows life can be hard, but you're worth something."

Devlin's credits include "George of the Jungle," "D3: The Mighty Ducks," 'When a Man Loves a Woman," and "Sleeping with the Enemy." Yet today he finds himself living and working in Chehalis as a devoted advocate for young people.

What's special about "The Immigrant Garden" is that it was written, produced, and shot entirely in Lewis, Cowlitz and Thurston counties by approximately 350 local volunteers who
- other than Devlin-had little or no experience in movie making, The average age of this cast and crew is between 14 and 17.
Devlin has been trying to find funding for it. Most distributors and would-be investors tell him "It's not edgy enough. It's not adult-themed enough. No murders, No women in jeopardy. And we need a big-name star;" he said.

Devlin throws up his hands saying" Hollywood is looking for 'The Sopranos Meets Taxi Cab Confessions.' But the rest of America is clamoring for good, clean, wholesome entertainment So here we have a very American, G-rated, quality movie that's at the same time training kids in a working environment, teaching them responsibility and nobody will l5ack it. Why don't people put their money where their mouths are?"

In part, the goals of Devlin's production company, Northwest Film Projects, are "to create entertainment media which exalt themes of moral excellence, social responsibly, unselfish behavior, and respect for others," according to its mission statement.

So, Devlin has hit upon the approach of offering his movie ("It's not my movie!" he's quick to retort. "The kids made this movie!")
"These screenings are the only way the general public can currently see the movie," he said.