Based on the unforgettable story "Jolene: A Life" by one of America's most celebrated writers, E.L. Doctorow ("Ragtime" and "Billy Bathgate"), a longtime Sag Harbor resident, "Jolene" is the provocative tale of a young girl's life (ages 15 through 25) who, after surviving a series of abusive foster homes, marries a less-than-adequate young man to escape her situation. Within months, her husband's uncle forces himself upon her physically, thus beginning her first affair. When the two lovers are exposed, catastrophic results ensue and Jolene is unfairly placed into an institution for young women.

The film follows her on a 10-year journey across America in her pursuit of love and independence, while engaging in four subsequent diverse and gripping relationships, including two additional marriages. Her plight takes her on adventures from South Carolina to Arizona to Las Vegas to Tulsa and finally to Hollywood.

From ages 15 to 25, Jolene overcomes a myriad of adversity, surviving five defining chapters and threading herself through the lives of others and then finally finding her own path in life.

The cast of "Jolene" includes Dermot Mulroney ("About Schmidt" and "My Best Friend's Wedding") as Uncle Phil; Jolene's first true love Brad Benton played by Michael Vartan ("Monster-In-Law" and "One Hour Photo"); Jolene's right wing, multi-millionaire husband #3 from Tulsa, Coco Lerger, played by Rupert Friend ("Pride and Prejudice," "Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont," and "Young Victoria"); Jolene's husband #2, a transplanted New Orleans tattoo artist now living in Phoenix, Chazz Palminteri, ("Bullets Over Broadway," "A Bronx Tale," and "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints") as Sal Fontaine, an aging mob boss from Las Vegas; Frances Fisher, ("Titanic," "Unforgiven," and "The Kingdom") as Cindy, Jolene's attendant in the Institution for Young Women who has designs on more than Jolene's art; Denise Richards ("Wild Things," "Starship Troopers") as Marin Leger, the unexpected ex-wife of Coco Lerger; Theresa Russell ("Wild Things" and "Black Widow") as Aunt Kay, Uncle Phil's domineering and possessive wife, and Jolene's worst enemy; and introducing Jessica Chastain as Jolene.

The director, Dan Ireland, stepped on the scene in 1996 with his critically acclaimed film "The Whole Wide World," which starred Vincent D'Onofrio and launched the career of actress Renee Zellweger. His following films included the award-winning "Mrs. Palfrey at The Claremont," which gave Dame Joan Plowright the crowning jewel in an already brilliant career, and launched the career of its bright young star, Rupert Friend. With "Jolene," Ireland has assembled a vibrant cast. His ability to elicit performances from his actors, combined with his keen eye for spotting talent and his ability to tell a story with both complexity and simplicity, made him the perfect candidate to direct "Jolene."

The producer, Riva Yares, is an art gallery owner. Her galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico are legendary. Her gallery represents the estate of Milton Avery. She was first introduced to E.L. Doctorow at a reading of his story "Jolene: A Life" while he was lecturing in Phoenix, Arizona. She closed her eyes and instantly imagined it as a cinematic work of art. Within the next few weeks, Yares had acquired the rights to turn "Jolene" into a motion picture. Her knowledge of art and artists and a keen eye for spotting talent led her to Dan Ireland, whom she employed as her director. This is Yares's first film.

The screenwriter Dennis Yares has been engaged in the spectrum of the arts for over 20 years. As a modern art gallery director, he has written numerous catalogs and books pertaining to major artists of the 20th century. As a screenwriter, he has written five screenplays including two adaptations. The adaptation of "Jolene: A life" by E. L. Doctorow is his first screenplay to be made into a motion picture.

Chastain was born and raised in Northern California, and she attended the Juilliard School in New York City. She landed the coveted title role in the Los Angeles Wadsworth Theatre production of "Salome" with Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons directing and Al Pacino starring. Pacino then went on to direct and star in the film version of the play, and Chastain continued her collaboration with Pacino, starring in the film, currently in post-production. She has also appeared in "The Cherry Orchard" at Massachusetts Williamstown Festival.

Mulroney can most recently be seen starring opposite Elisabeth Shue in the independent drama "Gracie" directed by Davis Guggenheim. He also appeared in David Fincher's "Zodiac," which also starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., and Mark Ruffalo, and he starred opposite Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, and Lindsey Lohan in the Garry Marshall drama "Georgia Rule." Additional credits include "The Family Stone" with Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, and Rachel McAdams; "Must Love Dogs" with Diane Lane and John Cusack; and "Lovely and Amazing" co-starring Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Mortimer.

Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri has four films awaiting release: "The Dukes," a heist movie set to 1950s rock and roll, written and directed by Robert Davi, co-starring with Davi and Peter Bogdanovich; "Push," a drama set in the world of drugs, sex, and the allure of fast money directed by Dave Rodriguez; "Body Armor," an action film directed by the appropriately named Gerry Lively, in which Palminteri plays an international assassin being protected by a burnt-out bodyguard who despises him and everything he stands for; as well as the animated adventure "Cat Tale," joining an ensemble cast that includes Sean Astin, Jerry O'Connell, Michael Richards, and Stanley Tucci.

Some of the publicity for "Jolene" refers to Theresa Russell as a "veteran screen star," which is hard for us who still think of her as a film sexpot. She began her film career the old-fashioned way - she was discovered by a famous director. Director Elia Kazan saw the teenage Russell in Lee Strasberg's acting class and promptly cast her as Robert Mitchum's daughter in "The Last Tycoon." In her first role, she starred opposite Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro.

Russell then landed the female lead opposite Dustin Hoffman in Ulu Grosbard's "Straight Time." She earned wide acclaim and recognition portraying Mo Dean in "Blind Ambition." Shortly thereafter she began her long collaboration with Nicolas Roeg, whom she subsequently married. Together they made many films including "Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession," "Eureka," "Track 29," and "Cold Heaven."

After moving to London to raise a family and make films with her husband, Russell continued to work in the States. She starred opposite Bill Murray in the re-make of "The Razor's Edge" and then went on to star in the hit film "Black Widow." She received wide acclaimed for her portrayal of the stylish serial killer, Catherine, chased down by Debra Winger's FBI Agent.

Over the course of her career, Russell has worked opposite some of the great stars of our time, including Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Gary Oldman, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Gene Hackman, and Jeremy Irons. She has also worked with the top directors Steven Soderbergh, Bob Rafelson, Ulu Grosbard, Elia Kazan, Ken Russell, and John McNaughton.

The real star of this film might be Doctorow because of his fascinating story. He is a writer who has been treated well by Hollywood. His first book, "Welcome to Hard Times," was adapted for the big screen and starred Henry Fonda, in 1967. The one that most people remember is "Ragtime," directed by Milos Foreman and, among other things, featuring the return to the movies of James Cagney. Sidney Lumet directed the film version of "Daniel." (Some of us remember the advance screening held at the Sag Harbor Cinema that summer of 1983.) Another terrific director, Robert Benton, made the film version of "Billy Bathgate" in 1991.

"Jolene" is a bit different in that it the source material is a short story rather than a novel, but with this strong cast, that won't matter.