On Oct. 22, the red carpet was rolled out, and the line was out the door, for a sold-out crowd of 450 at the premiere of a new indie sci-fi adventure movie, The Legend of Two Pines screened at Branford’s Walsh Intermediate School (WIS).

Actor/producer and part-time Branford police officer Greg Nutcher linked the movie premiere event to the WIS location. Nutcher, a Hamden resident and retired Hamden police officer, has a supporting acting role in the film, playing Scout Leader West.

About 10 WIS students also got into the act on Oct. 22, assisting as ushers during the premiere.

“I love working in Branford, so anytime I have an opportunity to bring something to Branford, I do,” said Nutcher. “Branford is not only a beautiful town, but the people here are great. The First Selectman, and all the employees of Branford, bend over backward to make things happen. So anytime I can bring something to Branford, I will.”

Nutcher noted he’s also helped spotlight Branford in recent years by assisting with bringing in production teams for the making of a Hallmark movie (Romance at the Reindeer Lodge, 2017) and a national Subway commercial featuring New England Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick (2020).

Nutcher has been pursuing acting for over 15 years and has appeared in over 75 movies. He said he’s grateful to be working part-time for Branford Police Department, which gives him the flexibility to get involved with opportunities for acting and producing projects.

Nutcher met The Legend of Two Pines director and writer, Michael T. Lombardi, last year while working on another movie project written and directed by Lombardi. Lombardi, a Newington resident, is an Emmy-nominated director and owner MTO Film & Television. Together with actor/producer Robert Canelli of Cheshire, Nutcher and Lombardi collaborated to produce this project, presented by MTO Film & Television.

“We came up with The Legend of Two Pines, which is a really beautiful story,” said Nutcher of the movie penned by Lombardi. “We did all the casting here in Connecticut, we hired the crew in Connecticut. The lead cast is all teenagers, and they are a bunch of fantastic actors. We’re pretty proud of ourselves for putting together a fantastic film and crew.”

The 35-minute film was shot over two weeks in the summer in locations including Hamden, South Glastonbury and Cheshire. The film is set in fictional Two Pines National Forest, Oregon.

The movie press packet describes The Legend of Two Pines as “...a sci-fi adventure, family film that follows 15-year old Audrey Wilson and her friends as they embark on an adventure into the Two Pines National Forest in search of a local legend. Along the way, Audrey reconnects with her estranged grandfather and comes to realize the value of family.”

Without giving too much away, the story’s sci-fi adventure aspect is fueled by extra-terrestrials — as teased by the spaceship-topped, oversized movie poster and alien figure at the red carpet paparazzi stop on premiere night. Hundreds of supporters, fans, family, and friends stopped for a shot in front of the poster, ahead of stepping into the WIS auditorium.

The film’s next stop will be along indie film festival circuit, with the hope to garner accolades and awards on the way to releasing the film to the public or launching the story as a series, said Nutcher. A question and answer session following the Oct. 22 premiere was held help the team develop further next steps.

Nutcher said the movie premiere night was also meant to show appreciation, and shower a bit of stardust, on the film’s exceptional teenage ensemble cast.

“These teens are really interested in the arts, theater, and TV. I can’t tell you how many submissions we had, and we absolutely hit the jackpot with this cast. We really appreciate how much they did, and how much work they put into it,” said Nutcher. “We really wanted to make this event for them, and for it be a ‘Hollywood’ event -- with the red carpet, the posters, and dressing up.”

In addition, a portion of ticket sales from the movie premiere were earmarked to benefit Special Olympics CT.