Creative couple behind big-little film

Set in the Big Apple, LITTLE MANHATTAN tells the story of Gabe who experiences that mysterious, maddening and wonderful phenomenon known as 'first love.' LITTLE MANHATTAN is a true labor of love for director Mark Levin and screenwriter Jennifer Flackett. Following a decade as a successful writing team for film and television, Levin and Flackett, who are husband and wife, decided they were ready to direct their first feature film. Gabe (played by Josh Hutcherson) is happy hanging out with his three best friends, playing basketball in the schoolyard and scooting around the neighborhood. He has no time for or interest in girls. But when Gabe joins a karate class and is partnered with Rosemary Telesco (Charlie Ray), whom he's known since nursery school, everything changes. Gabe is smitten with Rosemary, even if he doesn't understand the feelings that are both thrilling and tormenting him. And so Gabe begins his bumpy road to first love. When Rosemary reveals she is leaving soon for summer camp and - even worse! - may be attending private school next year, Gabe is stunned. With the stakes never higher (at least in his first decade), he must take action to keep his first love - all in a wonderful, magical world known as the Upper West Side. LITTLE MANHATTAN is a true labor of love for director Mark Levin and screenwriter Jennifer Flackett. Following a decade as a successful writing team for film and television, Levin and Flackett, who are husband and wife, decided they were ready to direct their first feature film. "As a married couple," says Flackett, "romance is obviously important to us and always high on our list of things to write about. With LITTLE MANHATTAN, we wanted to explore where love begins." "Everyone remembers the feelings of discovering love for the first time," adds Levin. "We wanted to capture the daily discovery, the obsessive, wonderful/painful, wonderful/horrible collision of feelings that come with first love." These themes, while explored through the eyes of two young people, cut across all ages, for everyone has experienced first love. "From its inception, we wanted LITTLE MANHATTAN to be for everyone," Flackett points out. "We made it for audiences of all ages." Mark Levin makes his directing debut with LITTLE MANHATTAN, from Flackett's original screenplay. Flackett and Levin wrote the screenplay for "Wimbledon," starring Kirstin Dunst and Paul Bettany. As a writing team, their first screenplay, "Drive," was purchased by Scott Rudin in 1997. They subsequently adapted the classic children's book, "Madeline," starring Frances McDormand. Levin was a playwright, trained at the Yale School of Drama. His many television credits include "The Wonder Years," on which he worked as a writer and producer on over 50 episodes. Flackett was previously an actress. In 1992, Steven Bochco hired her as a writer on his series "Civil Wars" and subsequently as a staff writer on "L.A. Law." LITTLE MANHATTAN opens very soon (January 2006) from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.