Cigar News: Cigar Maker Turned Filmmaker, Marvin Samel, Begins National Tour for His Debut Movie, iMordecai
Former Drew Estate Cigars Co-Founder Takes a Slice of Real Life on Tour
MIAMI, FL—iMordecai, a heartwarming comedy produced, written, and directed by former Drew Estate Cigars co-founder, Marvin Samel, is commencing a multi-city tour of the country this week. The film, which stars Judd Hirsch (Taxi, Ordinary People, Independence Day, The Fabelmans), Carol Kane (Taxi, Hester Street, The Princess Bride, Scrooged, Unbreakable Kimmy Shmidt), and Sean Astin (Rudy, The Lord of the Rings), is not only Mr. Samel’s first screenplay, iMordecai is also his directorial debut.
Shot on location in Miami, Florida, the multi-city iMordecai tour will begin in Florida with showings scheduled for Aventura (Feb.8) and in Boca Raton (Feb.10) with many more dates to follow this month including Los Angeles and New York City. Tickets can be purchased through the iMordecai website at iMordecai.com.
iMordecai marks Hirsch’s and Cane’s first on screen reunion since being cast members on the hit TV series, Taxi. Additionally, breakout star, Azia Dinea Hale (F9:The Fast Saga), is starring in her first major film role as Nina,
Based on a true story, the film was inspired by a pivotal chapter in the life of the real Samel family. iMordecai centers around an aging Mordecai Samel (Hirsch), a Holocaust Survivor from Poland now living in a Florida retirement community with his wife Fela (Cane), also a survivor from Poland. The story begins when Marvin (Astin) has to take Mordecai to buy a new cell phone. Meanwhile, Marvin is under heavy pressure to negotiate the sale of his cigar company. This leaves him with practically no time to show his father how to use the phone. However, an attractive young store employee, Nina (Hale), steps forward to help Mordecai. Nina and Mordecai not only become friends, they eventually discover that they share a dark secret. In the meantime, Marvin has to referee Mordecai’s eccentricities while his Mother’s failing mental condition has begun to take an emotional toll on both men. Through a series of flashbacks, animation, and poignant performances, the message of iMordecai is a simple one: Live Life to the fullest.
During an upcoming CigarAdvisor.com interview about the film, Marvin Samel was asked if it was fair to call iMordecai an octogenarian coming of age movie. Samel replied, “iMordecai is a coming of age movie for every age.”
You can watch the official iMordecai movie trailer here. CA