by Carrie Baker

LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2006 – Alan Cumming (Cabaret, The L Word,&  Spy Kids) is staring in and directing a new movie called Suffering Man’s Charity.  Cumming is no stranger to directing as Suffering Man’s Charity marks Cumming’s third directing effort. Other films Cumming has directed include the critically acclaimed The Anniversary Party and Burn your Phone.

Cumming stars in Suffering Man’s Charity alongside David Boreanaz (Bones & Angel), Carrie Fisher (Star Wars), Henry Thomas (E.T & Legends of the Fall), and Anne Heche (6 days 7 nights).

In this independent dark comedy Cumming stars as John Vandermark, an eccentric music teacher who takes in a younger student named Sebastian (Boreanaz) that he’s physically attracted to. When Vandermark discovers that Sebastian has started dating a woman and that the two are serious, he becomes jealous. The two begin to fight and as a result, Vandermark accidentally kills Sebastian.

Vandermark discovers Sebastian’s unpublished novel and decides to take credit for writing the novel himself. When the novel becomes a success, even crazier things begin. What follows is a supernatural romp into literary plagiarism, angry spirits, and a man’s creepy desire for the ghost haunting him.

Even though Suffering Man’s Charity is an independent feature, it’s sure to create a buzz around Hollywood. Cumming has had recent success as Billie Blaikie in Showtime Network’s The L Word, where he played a party promoter who manages Kit’s (Pam Grier) hangout, the Planet, and eventually left (Billie) due to drugs and differences of opinion on how the bar should be managed (oh and the romp with Moira/Max didn’t help). Boreanaz is also on a streak with the unexpected success of his Fox series Bones and past successes Angel & Buffy.

Cumming is also an executive producer on the film along with the writer, Thomas Gallagher. Charity is still in post production with no specific intended release date as of yet, however, indications are that it could be later this year or early next.