'Red State' poster breaks new ground as a charitable effort

Posted Friday, December 3, 2010 at 4:36 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 4:12 PM Central

by John Couture

Hot off the news that his latest film Red State will debut at the Sundance Film Festival next month, filmmaker Kevin Smith continues to be a trailblazer in independent film. This afternoon, Smith tweeted a challenge to his followers that if they could donate a total of $1,000 to his charitable foundation The Wayne Foundation within the hour, he would release a new poster for Red State.

Not surprisingly, his ardent followers took up the cause and answered resoundingly by surpassing the $1,000 mark in less than 30 minutes. And always true to his word, Smith made good on his end of the bargain.

The new poster is entitled "The Virgin" and features Kerry Bishé in an innocent, if not vulnerable pose. Kevin Smith verified that it was relative newcomer Bishé in the poster and added the following in his tweet:

It is [Bishé]. And she's AMAZING in the flick.

The Wayne Foundation is a charity initiative with an aim to crack down on child rape and to provide help in escape and rehab for victims.

Smith promised that he would release three new Red State posters next week beginning with Monday. It's not known if they will all be character posters like this one, but I figure that it's a safe bet. The original one sheet teaser is shown above and it's refreshing to see the same spooky style continue on this new offering.

Here's hoping that other filmmakers will follow Smith's lead on this and help raise awareness and funds for important causes when an opportunity like this comes around. Well done, sir!