I have put a new layout up here and at the gallery – I have lots of pictures to add already so stay tuned whilst I get the site back up and running!

“Road to Nowhere” was directed by Monte Hellman, and written and produced by Steven Gaydos. It stars Dominique Swain (“JAG,” “Ghost Whisperer”), Shannyn Sossamon (“How to Make it in America,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Tygh Runyan (“Battlestar Galactica,” “SGU Stargate Universe”), and Cliff De Young (“The Young and the Restless,” “Grey’s Anatomy”).

“Road to Nowhere” is described as a romance-thriller about a young filmmaker who gets wrapped up in a crime while shooting his latest project on location. The real filmmakers spent two months last year shooting in several areas of North Carolina, including Jackson, Graham, Buncombe, Haywood, and Swain Counties, the cities of Waynesville, Asheville and Bryson City, and at Fontana Lake.

“Filming in Western North Carolina was a wonderful experience,” said co-producer Peter R.J. Deyell, who is based in Los Angeles. “We were welcomed by friendly communities and had enormous cooperation by local business, government, and law enforcement. We hired very professional local crew members and were supported by film students from Western Carolina University.”

Deyell, who was in charge of production, singled out Amanda Baranski of the Western North Carolina Film Commission for special thanks, along with location scout and manager Michael Bigham, who, according to Deyell, was “as good as any Hollywood location manager.” Bigham, who is based in Asheville and has worked in the film industry for 20 years, said that working on “Road to Nowhere” was one of the best experiences of his career.

“It was wonderful to work with Monte Hellman, Melissa Hellman (producer) and co-producer Peter Deyell,” Bigham said. “On a lot of movies, once the production gets going, the director and producers become so obsessed with what they are doing, they forget about everybody else. But Monte and Peter were very supportive and respectful of the local crew and property owners all the way through.”

The spirit of cooperation extended both ways, according to Larry Lerner, first assistant director.

“We received a lot of help from the local, state and federal level,” Lerner said. “The Waynesville Police Department provided us with picture vehicles and off-duty police as extras, which greatly added to the ease of production. They even dedicated a plainclothes detective car to the show, which was available wherever and whenever we wanted it.”

Locations included Fontana Lake and Fontana Dam, for which the filmmakers were required to obtain special permits from The Tennessee Valley Authority. The Federal Aviation Administration granted permission for the filmmakers to fly a small airplane over Fontana Dam. And the Great Smoky Mountains National Park allowed the company to shoot the actual Road to Nowhere and the tunnel at its end, specific locations that director Monte Hellman wanted, as described in the script.

“The level of cooperation we received was exceptional,” Deyell said. “I look forward to working in North Carolina again, when I shoot my next feature, ‘Blood Lake,’ in 2011.”

From Moutain X

From Variety

Road To Nowhere tells of a film-maker who sets out to make a film based on what he believes to be a true crime story, only to discover that his young lead actress is not who she appears to be and that his life is in danger.

The film shot in North Carolina, Los Angeles, London, Rome and a handful of other European locales and is based on a screenplay by Steven Gaydos.

Melissa Hellman makes her feature debut as producer and the cast includes Waylon Payne, Tygh Runyan and Cliff De Young. Monte Hellman served as executive producer on Reservoir Dogs.

Jonathan Dana negotiated the deal between the film-makers and E1 Entertainment.

From Screen Daily

The site is pretty much back to its original state – I am still working on completing some of the content pages (like filmography and an in depth biography) – but the gallery is back up and houses over 8,700 photos! I’ll also start adding video clips of Dominique, so that’s something else to look forward too!

Please take a look around and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments of this post! Also, if you’re on the website Twitter, you can follow @Dominique_Fan for the latest on Dominique and this website!

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to come back to www.dominique-swain.net again soon!