At long last, The Shark is Still Working had its first “day in the sun”…or moon as it turns out. Premiering to two sold-out houses Saturday night and a sold-out encore showing the next morning, with yet another showing Sunday night to accommodate the demand, TSISW was a hit! Strangely reminiscent (on a far smaller scale, mind you) of the anticipation of showings of JAWS back in its heyday, crowds lined the street waiting, in some cases for two hours, to get a good seat. It felt like the summer of 1975 all over again.

Festival founder and coordinator Jason Connell created the perfect venue for rolling out “Shark” – complete with backlit marquees, and a neon-lined vintage theater in Los Feliz, just minutes away from the Hollywood sign. Special creature effects guru Gregory Nicotero was on hand with his stunning life-sized “Bruce” replica on display in the lobby. Also attending were JAWS veterans Carl Gottlieb, Joe Alves, Jeffrey Kramer, Kevin Pike and JAWS camera Operator Michael Chapman – who answered questions onstage prior to the first showing. The doc. was preceded by a wonderful 13-minute short film by Chris Jones titled Gone Fishing.- a heartwarming, JAWS-inspired story featuring actor Devon Murray from the Harry Potter films. The short proved to be the perfect primer for a feature-length discourse on all things JAWS.

Each attendee was given a complimentary World Premiere Commemorative Program, on which some snagged autographs from the JAWS crew alumni. The excitement was palpable and for the TSISW producers, it was a long-awaited moment to treasure. The Los Feliz 3 Cinema, which hosted the event, seemed an appropriate setting for the proceedings, since the theater reportedly looks the same today as it did back when JAWS shined upon its screens nearly 35 years ago. With the scent of popcorn wafting through the place, and anxious crowds packing the front lobby, it was hard to not get nostalgic on the one hand, and geeked-out on the other. With a running time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, a longer-than-planned Q & A and pre-show short film, viewers for the midnight showing had to wait outside a bit longer than they expected, but as these were die-hard JAWS fans, it didn’t seem to matter all that much. Midnight on a Saturday in L.A. apparently isn’t as late as midnight on a Saturday everywhere else in the country.

Early the next day, fresh, well-rested crowds gathered a third time to get in. The producers, exhausted from the previous day, dragged themselves to the theater, but were promptly energized by the anticipation of fans awaiting them. Witnessing the crowd’s response during the show was certainly one of the highlights of the entire TSISW experience for the foursome. There were laughs, gasps, and applause in all the right places. These were immensely satisfying moments for four guys whose goal it was to create a worthy account of a film cherished by so many fellow fans.

The producers would like to thank all those who attended – who patiently waited (and waited) to the see it. A tremendous thanks goes out to and to Carl, Joe, Jeffrey, Gregory, Kevin, and Michael for being there, and making this night all the more special for everyone. To friend and fellow documentarian Brandon Kleyla (IndyFans and the Quest for Fortune and Glory), a big thanks for shooting coverage of the evening’s activities. And a very, very special thanks goes out to Jason Connell and his United Film Festivals for having us, and so lavishly promoting our documentary. He worked very hard to make the occasion one to remember, going well above and beyond for us as he evidently did for all the films he acquired this year. For those who were not able to attend the L.A. festival, we are happy to announce that we have been included in the lineup of this year’s remaining UNITED festivals in San Francisco (June), Tulsa (July-August), Chicago (September), New York (October), and finally London (November). For more information on these festival dates visit http://www.theunitedfest.com/ and reserve your ticket when they are made available!

Producers Erik Hollander, James Gelet, Michael Roddy, Jake Gove

You can thank this guy right here! Jason Connell, President, LA United Film Festival

Michael Roddy mugging with Bruce (Courtesy of Gregory Nicotero)

Poster Boy, Erik Hollander

James Gelet reclines on world’s most lethal pillow

Jake Gove standing between 35 years of cinema history

Michael Roddy before the world premiere showing at 9:45pm

United Film Festivals founder, Jason Connell

Erik Hollander, Jeffrey Kramer (Deputy Hendricks) and Kevin Pike (special effects assistant)

JAWS screenwriter Carl Gottlieb with JAWS camera operator Michael Chapman

Five guys. One BIG fish.

Lining up for the Sunday showing, Los Feliz 3 Cinema, Hollywood

Seconds before doors opened

An anxious crowd of JAWS philes – files in…

…and keeps going…

…and going…

Passing out programs

Pat Jankiewicz, author of Just When You Thought it Was Safe: A JAWS Companion

The producers introduce Carl Gottlieb

Opening remarks by Michael Roddy

Some onstage Q&A

TSISW one-sheet

And the film commences to a packed house

James and Jake hamming it up with fellow uberfans Shaun Adair, Todd Root, Mike Gencarelli, and Patty Gencarelli

Jake Gove and Gregory Nicotero

Line for the first showing, Saturday night

Anticipation… is making me wait.