A scene from “The House that Jack Broke,” which includes MSU alumna Jennie Kahn-Jacques as Tammy Jones. The film will be shown in Lansing on March 21. Photo courtesy of Jennie Kahn-Jacques
MSU alumna Jennie Kahn-Jacques thought she had left her dreams of acting in the past.
Despite her knack for the stage throughout her childhood, the Lansing resident reached success elsewhere, among the Big Three automakers — only to find the passion wasn’t the same.
“I wasn’t getting butterflies anymore,” Kahn-Jacques said. “I still had that strong pull toward doing what I love, and that’s the acting side of stuff.”
Kahn-Jacques jumped back into the film scene, auditioning and scoring a role in “The House That Jack Broke.” The film, directed and produced by Michigan filmmaker John Wayne Bosley, depicts the turmoil a young married couple, Jack and Anne Peterson, faces during an FBI investigation of a small-town murder.
“You don’t see it from the point of view of the FBI, but from the young couple being torn apart by the investigation,” Bosley said.
Bosley wrapped up shooting the film in Oct. 2011, and will premiere it Thursday at Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, Mich. The Lansing premiere will be held on March 21 at NCG Cinemas, 2500 Showtime Drive.
More than anything, Bosley said he is anticipating the crowd reaction.
“I’m more interested in the commentary of ordinary audiences than (a) nice review,” he said. “At the end of the day, audience members are the ones who pay to watch it and are motivated to recommend it to a friend.”
In the film, Kahn-Jacques plays Tammy Jones, Jack Peterson’s opinionated older sister, a role she said she enjoyed.
“I like characters that are strong women, and she is not one of those people who are gonna take any crap,” she said.
After seeing a decline in filmmaking following a cut in Michigan Film Production incentives, Bosley said he has noticed a negative change in Michigan independent films.
“A lot of them are using social media now,” he said. “(Filmmakers) don’t think a lot in terms of marketing independent films in Michigan.”
MSU Director of Film Studies Joshua Yumibe, who left Michigan for Scotland during the rise in filmmaking, said he noticed a distinct difference upon his return.
“When I left, it was kind of at the height of the incentives,” Yumibe said. “It’s really tailed off from what I can tell. It seems to be of a different order of industrial structure.”
But for those who have chosen to continue their work in Michigan, such as Bosley, Kahn-Jacques said it shows genuine passion for the craft.
“The people that are still in Michigan and have not left truly love it,” she said. “We wanna keep it alive in Michigan.”
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