PORT ANGELES — A one-night-only theatrical showing of the romantic mystery “Shuffle” is set for Saturday night at the Deer Park Cinema, and it won’t be your run-of-the-mill movie screening.
Sica Schmitz, the Los Angeles-based costume designer for “Shuffle,” is from Sequim and has been hoping for this showing for quite a while.
With Gathr, an online platform facilitating on-demand movie screenings — and a little help from family and friends — she’s about to see it happen.
“Shuffle,” the story of a man who keeps awakening at different points in his life — and living all out of sequence — will light the screen at 7 p.m. Saturday at Deer Park Cinema, just off U.S. Highway 101 at 96 Deer Park Road.
Tickets won’t be available at the theater, though; they’re on sale through Gathr at https://Gathr.us/screening/383 or through JACE The Real Estate Co. at 360-565-2024.
More information about the film can be found at www.shufflethemovie.com.
At JACE, Schmitz’s mother, Eileen, is coordinating ticket sales through Wednesday night only.
Eileen saw “Shuffle” last month in Los Angeles, and calls it a “Twilight Zone”-like picture, but also a love story and “really fabulous.”
She’s backed by a number of reviews from critics who saw the film at festivals across the nation.
Sica Schmitz, for her part, will conduct a question-and-answer session after Saturday’s screening, along with offering “Shuffle” tote bags and DVDs of the movie for donations to the Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks.
Sica Schmitz and her family have long supported the nonprofit rescue organization, a haven for wolf and coyote hybrids and other canines.
She added that “Shuffle” turned out better than even she had imagined.
“When I first received the script, I couldn’t put it down,” she said. “I was so engrossed with trying to figure out why our lead character is living his life out of order, and piece together the clues and meaning behind it.”
Sica Schmitz has worked on the costuming crew of many films, including “Safety Not Guaranteed,” another movie that won critical praise that was screened at the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend and the Lincoln Theater in Port Angeles.
But “Shuffle” is the first film for which she was the costume designer.
“It’s very special to me, on top of truly being a wonderful movie,” she said. “It was written and directed by Kurt Kuenne, known for his amazing documentary ‘Dear Zachary’ — which, if you haven’t seen it, you must, but bring tissue — and also the YouTube sensation ‘Validation,’ a super uplifting short film.”
“Shuffle” stars TJ Thyne of “Bones” and has makeup effects by Schmitz’s friend, Academy Award winner Barney Burman.
“’Shuffle’ is actually out on video now,” Schmitz said, “but nothing beats getting to experience it on the big screen.”
Sica Schmitz moved with her family to Sequim when she was 10. She is the daughter of Eileen and the late real estate broker, Jace Schmitz, who died in January at age 65.
After earning a degree in art and art history from Willamette University in Oregon, she studied fashion design in New York City, then spent some time designing lingerie for a company in Seattle before moving to Los Angeles, where she landed a job on the crew of “Castle,” a series that airs Monday nights on ABC-TV.
To fly up here, Schmitz is taking some rare time away from her long days on the “Castle” set — not that she’s complaining.
“We are just starting to work on our Christmas episode,” she said, which “is making me superexcited for the holidays.”
Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
