Local film headed to New York

A movie about a runaway slave that was shot and produced in Bucks County will be shown at a film festival in New York City next week.

The North Star was written and directed by Bucks native Thomas Phillips and stars former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter as Benjamin "Big Ben" Jones.

Based on a true story, the film recounts the tale of Jones, who escapes his masters in Virginia and flees to Buckingham, where he befriends a group of Quakers.

The film debuted at the County Theater in Doylestown in May. It will be screened again Tuesday at the Harlem Ocktober Music and Film Festival, and civil rights leader and film producer Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is scheduled to join Phillips and the cast.

In a statement, Phillips said that he hoped the film would "create a dialogue with audiences about how people came together for the cause of abolishing slavery."

For more information about the film, visit www.thenorthstarmovie.com - Chris Palmer