Ti native pens major Hollywood movie

TICONDEROGA | During his senior year of high school, professional screenwriter and filmmaker Zach Donohue vividly remembers 12th-grade English teacher Deb Breitenbach expressing her confidence that one day, he would have a movie premiere all his own, and that she wanted a ticket. Twenty-two years after he walked across the stage and graduated from Ticonderoga High School, the belief that Mrs. Breitenbach had in the red-haired visual storyteller has come full circle. This Friday, May 22, Donohue's movie, PASSENGER, co-written with friend and contemporary T.W. Burgess will open in 2,500 theaters nationwide (and another 65 countries around the world). "We have tested the movie near LA with theaters accommodating 100-200 people," Donohue previewed. "It's a fun, thrilling rollercoaster ride that has lots of moments that will scare and shock you. It's about a haunted road trip, so if you like horror movies, you should take a drive to see it on the big screen." PASSENGER is a supernatural thriller in the truest sense. Online reviews of the trailer have been overwhelmingly favorable, with cinematic thrill seekers already singing its praises upon seeing the two-minute clip. After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the "Passenger" won't stop until it claims them both, turning their van life adventure into a nightmare. Directed by André Øvredal and will be released by Paramount Pictures. For Donohue, this big break in the competitive world of Hollywood and the film industry is a dream come true, and he is the first to say that his Ticonderoga and Adirondack roots played a significant role in his success. "I am very proud of where I come from," Donohue noted. "I had amazing teachers in Ticonderoga along the way who fostered a ton of creativity and championed following your dreams." In addition to Breitenbach, Donohue recalled Laura Kiely, Bob Bartlett, Rick McClintock, Jody Sutphen, and Amy Crannell, among many other local educators, who inspired him and ignited a creative spark thanks to their dedication to the craft of teaching, and championing raw talent. Donohue grew up as an only child out on the Hague Road, directly across from the Densmore family's Valley View Farm. He credits parents Shirley and Dave for fostering, nurturing, and supporting his ambitions, far-fetched as they have seemed to others, at every turn. "Going to film school can seem like a crazy idea for some people, but my parents put me through college and believed in me," Donohue said. Donahue recalled his father showing him the film CARNIVAL OF SOULS at the tender age of four or five, planting the love of the horror genre early. "PASSENGER even takes some inspiration from that movie," Donohue revealed. During the impressionable middle and high school era, Dave Donohue had an 8 mm Super 8 camera that had been put to good use with his friends back in the 70s and 80s. He took his son all around the area to film little horror shorts, giving Donohue the opportunity to be both in front of and behind the camera. Having attended SUNY Plattsburgh for writing, Dave also instilled in his son the love of the written word, which Donohue took to immediately. The area itself lent to Donohue's creativity, having to walk a half-mile wooded road to reach his summer employment at Densmore's, and the memory of those strolls across a bridge and amongst the looming hardwood and evergreen trees, sometimes at night, also helped inspire his road trip fright flick. Graduating from NYU Film School in 2008, Donohue took the leap of faith three years later and headed out to the West Coast, landing in Los Angeles. Like many others who have worked from the ground up in making their passion into a viable career, Donohue invested years breaking into the industry, making contacts and connections and creating projects in his chosen genre of "Horror" that all served as stepping stones that brought him to this point. "I have been steadily building a network of people in the industry that I have worked with over the years, writing scripts that have never turned into movies, and throughout that time I have been fortunate enough to have been paid to write movies," he revealed, adding there were also years where had to work other jobs to support his dream. "In the last five years, I built up enough of a group of producers who knew and wanted to work with me, and I was starting to get into these rooms where you could pitch ideas. I wasn't just a guy off the street anymore at that point. This is a long time in the making; I just stuck it out." Turning lemons into lemonade, Donohue's original concept for PASSENGER was the result of a car accident that occurred in his 20s. "After that, I had been really waiting to make a movie about the road," he revealed. "I realized it is a terrifying place and grappled with that fear that I had coming out of the accident, and turned it into something more entertaining." The movie was shot within a two-month time frame, and Donohue was able to be on set and assist in a hands-on capacity, guiding any day-to-day changes the script required and working with the actors in adjusting their dialogue. Despite the probability of a manuscript making it to the silver screen being extremely low, Donohue is proof that odds are meant to be defied. His journey from a young boy with a relentless ambition to a man immersed in a career that fulfills his mind and spirit is one he believes anyone is capable of achieving, as long as they commit to staying the course. "Someone from a small town can make a movie that goes in theaters- someone from a small town can do anything they set their mind to. Try to keep pursuing it even if it can't be your number one priority, don't just stop doing it. Your dream won't come true if you don't do anything," he expressed. "Seek out people who will foster your creativity. The teachers that are at Ticonderoga are a great resource. I'm excited to see organizations in Ticonderoga helping young people follow their dreams as well. I recently learned about the Northern Lake George Foundation, which awards scholarships to graduating students." PASSENGER may be enjoyed this Memorial Day Weekend in theaters located in Regal Aviation Mall (Queensbury, NY), Regal Champlain Center (Plattsburgh, NY), Majestic 10 (Williston, VT), Essex Cinemas (Essex, VT). A strong opening weekend at the box office bodes better for the movie's future success, so if you are interested in supporting the Ticonderoga native as he continues to rise in Hollywood, this would be the opportune time to do so. "This is the career that makes me happy," Donohue said. "I love writing horror movies, and I want to continue doing this and making movies that are engaging, fun to watch, and a good scary time." You may follow Donohue and his movie-making adventures on Instagram @donohuezach. For more information on Northern Lake George Foundation and how to donate, please visit https://www.nlgfoundation.org/

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Ti native pens major Hollywood movie

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