Former Tournament of Roses’ Rose Queen Evanne Friedmann Stars In Coming-Of-Age High School Thriller

Co-Written By Then-16-Year-Old Ryan Koehn; Both Burbank-Born

Two Burbank-born talents will be featured on the big screen when the acclaimed coming-of-age- high school thriller “As Night Comes” begins its week-long Los Angeles theatrical release at Laemmle’s prestigious Music Hall in Beverly Hills on Friday November 14, 2014.

The film from Illuminate Pictures, which is conveniently located in Burbank-adjacent Hollywood in the Cahuenga Pass, stars Evanne Friedmann (iCarly) and was co-written by Ryan Koehn. A then 16-year-old Ryan collaborated and co-wrote “As Night Comes” with veteran filmmaker Richard Zelniker, lending an unwavering authenticity to the feature film.

“As Night Comes” follows troubled new kid, Sean Holloway, who falls in with a group of teenage outcasts called ‘The Misfits,’ under the wing of its charismatic leader, Ricky. On the eve of Halloween, Ricky’s anarchist plan for revenge spirals out of control, culminating in brutal violence, and ultimately Sean’s fight for survival and freedom.

“I think what ‘As Night Comes’ portrays are realistic characters that you’d find in high school. The outcasts who don’t fit in, the more popular kids who are trying to act a certain way to be cool, and the teachers who do their best to moderate it all,” said Ryan who is currently in the USC MFA Writing for Film and Television program and believes this film is for anyone who ever for one second hated high school, or felt like they didn’t fit in. “I think we’ve all felt at one time judged for who we are or how we feel. There’s a certain alienation that comes from that which is possibly at its peak in high school, when the worst thing you could do is stand out. Ironically, it’s after we grow up and move on that we realize that the thing that makes us stand out is the best thing about us.”

Evanne, the former 2010 Tournament of Roses’ Rose Queen, who stars as Sarah, the good-girl love interest of a struggling Sean, agrees.

“I can absolutely relate to the film. Identifying where you belong in High School/Middle School was a main theme for myself. I was always trying to put myself in a group. Was I cool? Was I a nerd? An artsy kid? Did I belong with the theatre kids? Did I belong with the sarcastic kids? Was it wrong to drink at parties, or was I cool if I did that?” said Evanne who continues to study her craft at USC as well. “Hopefully, when people watch this movie, they will try to see others’ actions through that person’s eyes, and perhaps have a greater understanding that people attempt to cope with the pain in their life however they can.”

“As Night Comes,” described by Director Richard Zelniker as “a dark, gritty look into the turbulent underworld of high school rebellion” also stars Luke Baines (The Ever After), Myko Oliver (Castle), Stacia Hitt (Neighbors) and Jesse Kove (Bunyan) among others.

Following its theatrical run, As Night Comes will be available via VOD on December 5, 2014.

More from Arts