'Brotherhood': 21-stop promotional campaign set for immigration-themed musical filmed in Utah

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A nationwide promotional campaign for "Brotherhood," an immigration-themed musical filmed in Utah, launches on Saturday in Provo.
The campaign, with free general admission tickets, will make 21 stops at cities around the country.
The national premiere of the film will be on Sept. 29 in Salt Lake City with opening at select theaters on Oct. 9.

PROVO — The makers of a film aimed at fostering a more sympathetic view of immigrants and the immigration issue are launching an ambitious national campaign to promote the movie.

"Brotherhood," a musical directed by Ross Boothe, was filmed at multiple locations in Utah, and the 21-stop promotional effort starts Saturday in Provo, though all the free general admission tickets for the Utah County event have already been claimed. VIP tickets with a suggested price of $197 are still available, with the funds to help with marketing.

The tour, which goes through Oct. 1, "is less a promotional event for a movie, and more the beginning of a movement meant to gather like-minded people who share a deep commitment to caring about every person no matter where they come from or what they look like," Boothe said.

Stops are planned on the East and West coasts, the Midwest and the Southeast, with the national premiere of the film scheduled for Sept. 29 in Salt Lake City. A West Coast premiere is scheduled for Sept. 23 in Los Angeles, and an East Coast premiere will be held on Oct. 1 in New York City. "Brotherhood" will open at select theaters on Oct. 9.

Boothe said the tour is meant to recreate the vibe those involved in the production felt as the movie came together. The film tackles the immigration issue in the context of the ongoing immigration crackdown through the story of Jon, a lifelong U.S. citizen, and his neighbor Fabián, a Mexican immigrant still pursuing an asylum application after more than a decade.

"Brotherhood began in small rooms where we read the script, sang the songs and had emotional conversations about these real human issues together," Boothe said. "The Love Your Neighbor Tour is an attempt to bring the same feeling of those early experiences to the world. This is a message that is best communicated heart to heart, and we're going to share our hearts every night, night after night across the United States this fall."

A 21-stop promotional campaign for "Brotherhood," an immigration-themed musical filmed in Utah, starts on Saturday in Provo. The photo comes from the film and shows lead actors Casey Elliott, left, who plays Jon, and Mauricio Martinez, who plays Fabián. (Photo: Brotherhood)

The full film will be shown only at the three premiere dates. The other 18 stops, with free general admission tickets and paid VIP tickets, will feature presentations by Boothe about the film, panel discussions on the controversial immigration topic, live performances of songs from the movie and clips of the film.

The lead actors, Mauricio Martinez, who plays Fabián, and Casey Elliott, who plays Jon, will take part in the stops along with other cast members in select cities. Local people will serve on the panels.

"The goal of the tour is to let audiences experience it together before opening weekend, in their own cities, with their own neighbors in the room," said Daren Smith of Craftsman Films, producer of "Brotherhood." "A film like this doesn't sell tickets off a trailer or a single post on social media. It sells off the person sitting next to you. So we're bringing it to communities rather than marketing at them."

Boothe was the main moving force behind the creation of the film, spurred by the crackdown on illegal immigration of President Donald Trump's administration.

"The message of 'Brotherhood' is simple: We are the same," he said. "No matter who we are and where we come from, we are all human beings with immense and equal value."

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