In the forthcoming movie “Paddington Bear Goes to Peru,” the beloved children’s character takes a lickety-split ride on a llama, wearing his red bucket hat, before being tossed off, head over heels, onto ancient Peruvian ruins.
Creating computer animation like that is a lot more difficult than making one of Paddington’s marmalade sandwiches. Just ask Sean Hoessli, who supervised post-production visual effects for the film.
He and his wife, Lindie Kuzmich, bought Eveningstar Cinema in downtown Brunswick in mid-October and then moved to Harpswell.
Married for 31 years, the couple had been looking for a change to kick off the “third chapter” of their lives.
Early in their life together, Sean attended the American Film Institute and Lindie was a nursing student.
“Directing and producing films was our second chapter,” Lindie said. “And now owning and operating Eveningstar and becoming a part of the Harpswell and Brunswick communities is Chapter 3.”
They find Harpswell enchanting. Lindie cried the first time she walked to the water’s edge in Cundy’s Harbor. “We’ve been in a lot of big cities and we find Harpswell magical. It’s a truly special place that we would like to call our home after our May rental is complete.”
“It’s beautiful,” Sean added. “It’s fascinating to watch the fishing, and everyone is so nice. In California we didn’t know any of our neighbors. We want to be part of this community.”
After living in the Midwest, Los Angeles, and most recently in Montreal, the couple decided to plant roots on the East Coast. They began looking at opportunities to own a small business, maybe even a gift shop. That is, until they learned from a post on a small-business website that Eveningstar Cinema was for sale.
Eveningstar has been in business since 1979, specializing in independent films and providing an alternative to multiplex theaters — and the only option in town since Regal Cinemas closed its Cook’s Corner location in 2023.
Barry Norman bought Eveningstar in 2010 and nine years later sold it to Brunswick resident Shaun Boyle, who renovated the cinema with new seats, cutting-edge laser projection and surround sound. Lindie and Sean purchased the business from Boyle. Sean called Eveningstar “the most technically modern, state-of-the-art cinema in the area.”
So now the couple is back in show business — this time running a cinema with longtime Eveningstar staff hawking movie tickets and popcorn in the lobby. They opened their first film, “Lee,” the story of American war correspondent Lee Miller, in November.
Even though they’re working up to 15 hours a day, they’re as excited as little kids watching cartoons. Their eyes light up and they talk over each other, electrified about plans for their adventure at Eveningstar. They will have new releases, a “retro” night with classic films, family movies, experts who will speak about movies, and educational events.
“We want to bring people together,” Lindie said. “There’s a whole generation that streams (online) and doesn’t understand the communal experience of movies.”
Added Sean, “To laugh, cry, connect — one of our mantras is sharing those emotions (through film).”
“We love sharing the experience,” he said. Younger generations “don’t remember the same way of seeing (a movie) with other people or on a date night or getting excited about a new movie that’s coming out.”
On a Saturday in December, Lindie tenderly laid her hand on Sean’s during an interview at a restaurant next to Eveningstar and gushed about their plans.
“We want to bring the energy and the enthusiasm back to going to the movies,” she said, grinning. “Whenever you see a really good comedy, like ‘Elf,’ it’s fun to see where people (in the theater) laugh together or they don’t. A couple of generations have never experienced that. It’s tragic.”
Understanding the ins and outs of the film industry has been part of their careers for decades. Sean has been a movie producer and a director. He has spent much of his career in visual effects, working with filmmakers like George Lucas. He is a member of the American Film Academy. Lindie is a nurse and has worked on movie sets in that capacity.
While in Montreal for the past five years, Sean was a visual effects line producer at Framestore Montreal. Framestore is an Academy Award-winning visual effects company that works on films for all the major Hollywood studios. Sean managed computer artists in the post-production pipeline, creating visual effects for the final cut of a film.
“Visual effects artists create photorealistic computer graphic characters and environments, combining the elements with the footage from set to create final shots for the movie,” he explained. “It’s like a production line building a car for all these stages of animation.”
Sean worked on multiple films in Montreal, including nine months on “Paddington in Peru,” before moving to Maine.
When “Paddington” opens at Eveningstar, hopefully on Valentine’s Day, the couple will roll out the red carpet. “We’re hoping to do a special event here and talk to kids about special effects in films,” Sean said.
Also in the works are guests and talks about Paddington Bear. And, of course, there will be little stuffed Paddingtons wearing red hats and blue coats, and maybe even carrying briefcases.
Events are in the works throughout 2025, with a grand reopening in February to celebrate Eveningstar’s 45th anniversary.
Eveningstar Cinema is in the Tontine Mall, at 149 Maine St. in downtown Brunswick. For more information and showtimes, go to eveningstarcinema.com.
