www.joythefilm.com

 

Joy is now available on DVD. You can view it on Amazon.com or pick up a copy from retailers like Best Buy and Barnes & Noble.

 

What can the perfect cake teach us about love and loss? Have you ever passed someone at the grocery store and wondered what is going on in their life? What can a 1997 Michigan Pinot Grigio teach us about the unexpected death of a loved one? What's on your grocery list?

 

These questions and more are asked in “Joy.” When the death of their father doesn't bring sisters closer together, it takes an unexpected journey to make them realize the importance of finding joy in life by living each day to the fullest. In this feature comedy, these sisters learn about love, loss, and redemption while on a trip to quite possibly the most magical grocery store.

Joy is a magical reinterpretation of a true story. After her sister and father passed away, both unexpectedly, actress Julie Marie Hassett conceived the script. In awe of her family’s journey through grief and healing, she decided to make a film that would be a perfect explanation to fix grief, erase the fear of unknown, and heal. Instead of finding those answers, she created a celebratory film that has been called by cast and crew, "the little film that could.” It is our story of finding joy, told with bravery and humility, some great music, and a lot of joy.

 

Hassett began co-producing the film with her sister Elizabeth Joy, an MBA student at Xavier University, after their father passed away. The goal for Julie, Liz and Red Love was to combine profitable feature film-making with support to the non-profit and philanthropic world.

 

No one knew how literal and personally this goal would be realized. When they were nearing completion of pre-production, Elizabeth and her twins passed away after 17 weeks of pregnancy. Devastated, the film almost came to a complete halt, put on a shelf and left to move on to other projects. But encouraged by friends and family to finish the film for Liz, Julie decided to finish this for her and their family. Julie started the Foundation of Joy (www.FoundationofJoy.Org), a 501(c)(3) charity in honor of Elizabeth. The Foundation became a co-producer in the film and will benefit as a major investor from the sale of this film. Foundation of Joy produces and creates art in the effort to educate, increase awareness, and raise money for the health, wellness, education and artistic development of children and women's reproductive healthcare and human rights. We do this through art: film, music, literature, and mixed media. Art spreads joy. We partner with nonprofits domestically and globally and we are dedicated in our participation in the UN Millennium Development Goals.

 

And the film did happen, and Liz posthumously became a producer on her first feature, because of the generosity of the cast, crew, vendors, locations and the community at large who donated their time, energy and love to the film. Actors who flew in from Los Angeles at a fraction of their rate, crew that came in from Chicago and New York on buses, or drove on their own dollar are just some of the many incredible efforts put forth to see this film made.  

 

Foundation of Joy began with a partnership with Red Love Film to make the film Joy.  Through profits and press from that film, Foundation of Joy has

~ Made yearly donations to Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids~ Hosted a silent auction that benefited the Boys and Girls Club of Cincinnati

~ Music Resource Center for Kids~ The Boys and Girls Club of America   St. Judes~The Los Angeles Children's Hospital

 

Continued sales of the film will generate revenue for FOJ to make donations to charities that support FOJ's mission.

 

Foundation of Joy hosted a fundraising event in Venice, CA for Right Action for Women in 2011.  

 

When Red Love Film shot the film Measure, it sent the cast and crew back down to Cincinnati Boys and Girls Club bearing gifts and toys.  Always a strong partner, Red Love Film did this on behalf of Foundation of Joy.