Wishin’ and Hopin’ (2014)

The 10^th Anniversary of the World premiere of

Wally Lamb’s “Wishin’ and Hopin”
Q&A following the film
Hosted by Wally Lamb, Andrew Gernhard & John Doolan

Wally Lamb’s holiday coming-of-age tale classic, based on his best-selling novel “Wishin’ and Hopin’” returns to the Garde’s giant screen ten years after its world premiere in 2014.

The anniversary screening of the film, shot on location in Norwich, the Norwich Free Academy, Jewett City and Willimantic. will be hosted by author Wally Lamb and the film’s producer Andrew Gernhard.

Directed by Colin Theys with a screenplay by John Doolan, the film stars Molly Ringwald, Annabella Sciorra, Meat Loaf, Conchata Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Danny Nucci, Wyatt Ralff, Quinn McColgan, Chevy Chase, and a large cast of local extras.

A vivid slice of 1960s life, Lamb’s Christmas tale is the poignant and hilarious story of a feisty parochial school fifth grader named Felix Funicello—a distant cousin of the famous Mouseketeer and teen movie queen Annette. Set in the beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, “Wishin’ and Hopin’” follows Felix as he navigates through Catholic school and learns about life, culture and the birds and the bees. Published in 2009, “Wishin’ and Hopin'” is Lamb’s fourth fictional work.

“Wally and I had not a moment of hesitation when we considered launching this movie ten years ago at the Garde Arts Center with their movie palace décor, giant screen, and state-of-the-art digital cinema,” Andrew Gernhard said. “We can’t wait to do it again.”

WALLY LAMB – Author

One of America’s major authors and the pride of Connecticut, Wally Lamb, is the author of such award-winning works as “She’s Come Undone,” “I Know This Much is True,” “I’ll Fly Away,” and “The Hour I First Believed. “

Born in Norwich, Lamb taught English and writing for 25 years at Norwich Free Academy. He was an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Connecticut and the school’s Director of Creative Writing. His first two works of fiction, “She’s Come Undone” and “I Know This Much Is True,” were both number one on “The New York Times” bestsellers and Oprah’s Book Club selections. His novel “I’ll Take You There” is a salute to the legacy of the Garde Theater, which was recently named the Number One Outstanding Historic Theater in America by the League of the Historic American Theaters and will be celebrating its centennial in 2026. Lamb also recently hosted a three-day screening at the Garde of the award-winning HBO film version “I Know This Much Is True” along with its star Mark Ruffalo.

Lamb currently lives in Connecticut with his wife, Christine.

JOHN DOOLAN – Screenwriter

John Doolan, a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, grew up with a love of the arts, with interests in theatre and filmmaking. Having spent his childhood both roaming the aisles of video stores and writing short stories, John quickly found his love of screenwriting. His credits have crossed genres for various distributors, including horror, thriller, and even heart warming comedies like an adaptation of Wally Lamb’s best selling Christmas story, Wishin’ and Hopin.’ With writing and other production credits on projects for various networks such as NBC Universal’s Chiller TV and A&E’s Lifetime, all of John’s projects have been distributed worldwide through television airings, theatrical screenings, and various home video formats. He continues to pursue his passion for writing fun and exciting genre projects, with a new thriller set to be released in early 2025.

ANDREW GERNHARD – Producer

Andrew Gernhard’s film production company, Synthetic Cinema, is one of the busiest producers of Hallmark and other network holiday feature films and has produced films for television at the Garde and many other Connecticut locations.

COLIN THEYS

Connecticut native, Colin Theys turned a love of movies, obsession with technical geekery, and acting hobby into a career making films. As a student, he made several award-winning CGI animations and VFX-driven short films. Since graduating from Wesleyan University in 2007, he has been working with Connecticut-based independent production company Synthetic Cinema International.