The town of Edenton has always been known for its historical, cultural, and aesthetic values, but in the town's 296 years of existence, these stunning attributes have never gone so far as to inspire a movie, until recently.

Many Edenton residents may remember, or may have even been extras in the filming of a movie during the summer of 2005. Tonight, this film, "Dog Days of Summer," will premiere at Edenton's Taylor Twin Theatre at 7 p.m. Filmmakers will be present throughout the premiere and the following after party for questions and comments.

Submitted photo (ENLARGE)

Actor Will Patton stars in the newly released film, 'Dog Days of Summer,' shot in Edenton. The film premiers in Edenton tonight.

Submitted photo (ENLARGE)

Film director Mark Freiburger prepares for a scene on the streets of Edenton during the filming of 'Dog Days of Summer.'

The director and producer of the movie, Mark Freiburger, says that aside from the exciting fact that the movie was filmed in their area, people will also enjoy "Dog Days of Summer" because of the interesting story behind it.

"I love the film, and I think that it's a great story because it is a haunting yet beautiful tale," says Freiburger.

"Dog Days of Summer" is about a man's return home to the town he grew up in, and his retelling of the events that seemingly ruined the town when a stranger visited years ago. The movie tells of revealed secrets and hidden truths, forcing two young boys to face the unpleasant realities of their town.

While the story line of this movie is quite convincing, Freiburger warns the Edenton audience not to take the story too seriously. The movie captures modern day shots of historical Edenton including Hick's baseball field and the Chowan County Courthouse, but Freiburger says that the movie is in no way based upon a true story of Edenton.

"The movie is completely fictional. It could be a story about mankind as a whole, however. But I just thought that Edenton was the perfect setting because the town is so beautiful and well preserved," says Freiburger.

Many people from Edenton may be getting impatient with excitement about the idea of watching a great movie in the setting of their town, with big name actors such as Will Patton from "Remember the Titans," and Richard Herd from "Seinfeld," but Freiburger seems to match their excitement with this premiere. Although he has already had a red carpet premiere in Beverly Hills, he says that it was Edenton that inspired his first idea for a film just after graduating high school. It was the summer of 2001 when the North Carolina native traveled from his home in Charlotte to Edenton for a football game where his sister's boyfriend was playing, and says that he immediately fell in love with the town.

"I knew that I wanted to go there to make a movie some day, and over the next four years, I began working hard to make that a reality," says Freiburger.

Making his dream a reality indeed, Freiburger enrolled into the North Carolina School of the Arts, and upon his graduation in 2005, he immediately gathered his resources and fellow graduates from the arts school to begin his work on the film. Freiburger says that other than the bit of blood, sweat and tears that went into making his breakout film, it couldn't have gone smoother due to the help from Edenton residents.

"We absolutely wouldn't have been able to do it without the people of Edenton. They truly went way above and beyond to ensure that we had a good experience shooting, and this movie was made," says Freiburger.

It seems as though the premiere will fall nothing short of the Southern hospitality exhibited during the filming. Chowan County Tourism Director, Nancy Nicholls expects a big audience from all over the Albemarle for the premiere and after party.

Though the movie has not yet been rated, Freiburger expects it to be rated PG or perhaps PG-13 due to some minor language and the dramatic elements that make up the movie. After tonight's premiere, the movie will run in the Taylor Twin Theatre throughout the next two weeks, and will then continue on throughout theatres around the country. For more information about the film visit www.dogdaysfilm.com. For tickets and show times, contact the theatre at (252) 482-2676.