Deadline, the new movie based on Mark Ethridge’s novel Grievances (NewSouth, 2005), premiered yesterday in Nashville to a crowd of over 1,000. The premiere kicks off a 42-city tour for director Curt Hahn and some of the cast, before the movie opens across the country on April 13.

Premiere attendance had been projected at only 200-300 viewers; the attendance instead ended up selling out three movie theaters, the Tennessean newspaper reported. Deadline follows two journalists trying to solve a decades old civil rights-related murder.

Ethridge, dapper in his hand-tied blue bowtie on the red carpet, praised the Tennessean for co-sponsoring the premiere. Tennessean publisher Carol Hudler told the Associated Press that the newspaper is “a fan of creativity, and we’re also a fan of telling the tough story. Sometimes you really have to dig deep to tell the truth, and we’re all the better for it.”

Hahn, speaking with the Tennessean, noted that the increased attendance will raise more money for Nashville’s Family and Children Services, which benefits from the premiere. Showings along the tour will be sponsored by local newspapers and equally benefit local charities.

Also on the red carpet, actress Jackie Welsh, who plays the victim’s mother in the movie, spoke with the Tennessean‘s Brad Schmitt about filming Deadline in Tennessee, especially in Pulaski, birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan. “The history of this area, juxtaposed to the themes of the movie, it’s kind of fitting, even though it can feel uncomfortable,” she said, “but that’s the beauty of this art that you can highlight these things.”

Deadline received a glowing review from Art Now Nashville, coinciding with the premiere. “The picture ably notes Southern faults and uniqueness while also acknowledging our strengths and shared humanity,” wrote Evans Donnell. “Perhaps that’s because the film and the novel Grievances that inspired it come from the minds and efforts of people who’ve lived in the South, or because those involved know how to tell a cinematic story; most likely it’s a combination of both.”

The Deadline tour will include showings in North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, and other locations. See the full list at the Deadline website.

Read the Associated Press and Art Now Nashville coverage of Deadline. You can also see a video from the red carpet premiere from the Tennessean.

Grievances is available in print and ebook editions from NewSouth Books, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore or ebookstore. Mark Ethridge’s new novel Fallout is also available in print and ebook formats.

Next Wednesday marks the world premiere of Deadline, the new movie based on veteran journalist Mark Ethridge’s 2005 novel Grievances; Ethridge also wrote the screenplay for the movie. Deadline stars Eric Roberts and Steve Talley as reporters investigating a decades-old civil right murder.

The world premiere itself kicks off an experiment of sorts in movie-making. After the premiere, the movie’s director and many of its actors will embark on a forty-two-city tour of the country to promote the film in person. This grassroots approach epitomizes Deadline as a whole — a movie produced by Nashville-based production company FilmHouse, which used predominantly local actors and even had its soundtrack written by a local musician.

Ethridge told the Tennessean newspaper that he and Hahn met when Ethridge spoke about Grievances at their fortieth high school reunion. Four years later, advance screenings of the movie are already bringing in positive reviews; MovieGuide said Deadline‘s mystery keeps “viewers engaged [and] guessing.”

The release of Deadline comes in conjunction with the publication of Ethridge’s new book, Fallout. Like Grievances, Fallout follows a newspaper reporter, this time seeking the cause of an illness that strikes an entire Ohio community. Fallout is available in print and ebook formats, as is Grievances.

Mark DeCastrique, author of Blackman’s Coffin, called Fallout “a gripping drama of love and perseverance expertly woven into a tale of murder and betrayal. Fallout leaves you haunted by the terror without and the terror within that can strike every family and every community. Ethridge has crafted a compelling story highlighting a ticking time bomb whose fallout threatens us all.”

The first premiere of Deadline will be hosted by the Tennessean, and proceeds benefit Nashville’s Family and Children’s Services. Premieres in other cities, Hahn told the Nashville Scene, will similarly partner with newspapers and support local charities.

Learn more about Deadline from the official movie website, deadlinefilm.com. You can read articles about the premiere from the Tennessean, Nashville Scene, and Nashville’s NewsChannel 5. Grievances and Fallout are available direct from NewSouth Books or your favorite book retailer.

We’re only growing more and more excited for the premiere of Deadline, the new movie starring Steve Talley and Eric Roberts, and based on Mark Ethridge’s thrilling novel Grievances, in theaters in 2012. And now, the official Deadline trailer has finally arrived!

In Deadline, young Nashville Times reporter Matt Harper begins investigating a decades-old civil rights murder, risking his life against forces that want to keep the truth hidden. Author Mark Ethridge’s novel Grievances is based on true events, and borrows heavily from Ethridge’s long career as a reporter and editor.

Pat Conroy called Grievances “as riveting as the best Grisham courtroom thriller … [with] heart that will resonate with readers long after they have turned the final page.”

Watch the Deadline trailer on YouTube or learn more about the film at DeadLineFilm.com.

Grievances, by Mark Ethridge, is available in hardcover and ebook formats from NewSouth Books, Amazon.com, or your favorite book retailer, and on all major ebook platforms.