I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE MONTHLY
APRIL 2016
" Bondi ng" : Ch at w i th Di rector Ti m Young Fil m Review: "f at her Joseph" Spotl i gh t: Jenae A l t Gr ant s f or f il mmaker s A dam Sh el l i s " Pursui ng Happi ness"
PBI FF wr aps Fi l m Rev i ew : " Th e Weddi ng I nv i tati on"
2nd Annual Wide Scr een Fil m & Music Video Fest ival
" Toto" Tal k w i th cast/ crew www.independentstreakmagazine.com
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Apr i l 2016
People gathered at the many events surrounding the 2nd Annual Wide Screen Film & Music Video Festival, held March 24-27, in South Florida. Pictured: Guests showed off awards and had a great time.
WINNERS WSF Feat ure Fil m Judges' Awards: BEST DIRECTOR: The Beautiful Ones(Jesse Johnson)
BEST ACTRESS:Natalie Stavola (Love & Hostages)
ASSURED STORM PROTECTION BEST FEATURE: Love & Hostages
BEST MUSIC SCORE: The Beautiful Ones (Sean Murray)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dam999 (Ajayan Vincent) BEST EDITING: The Beautiful Ones (Ken Blackwell) BEST SCREENPLAY: Love and Hostages (Javier Mayol)
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BEST ACTOR: Ross McCall (The Beautiful Ones)
BEST SOUND DESIGN: MANIA (Aaron M. Lane) ************************ WSF Short Fil m Judges' Awards: BEST DIRECTOR: Tell (Ryan Connolly) BEST NARRATIVE SHORT: The Amazing SpiderDad
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BEST SOUND DESIGN: Scorpion vs. Jason BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Flying High BEST ANIMATION: Alone BEST DOCUMENTARY: Road to Hope BEST YOUTH IN ARTS: Aaron Johnson (Blackout)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Temes BEST EDITING: Spoon Rest ************************
WSF Music Video Audience Award: BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Spoon Rest ************************
Sout h Fl orida Communit y Awards: BEST CASTING DIRECTOR: Universal Casting BEST TALENT AGENCY: Talent Direct Agency
BEST TRAILER: Hardcore Henry BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Revolving Child BEST EDITING: Ronan Chronicles
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WSF Music Video Judges' Awards:
BEST SCREENPLAY: Americano
BEST RECORDING ARTIST: King Green (Reign)
BEST ACTOR: Carl Mergenthaler (Blind Date)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Make Some Noise
REV BEST ACTRESS: Madeleine Mfuru (Therapy)
BEST DIRECTOR: Empire Vampire (Roger Ingraham)
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Apr i l 2016
Let t er f rom t he Publ isher
Photo by Talina Adamo
Are you really following your dream or have you gotten lost along the way? Is it time to stop and think about whether or not this is where you intend to go? Just because you start going in one direction does not mean you have to continue on that path. If it doesn't feel right, maybe it's not. If challenges keep falling in your way, maybe it is time to take that fork in the road and go a different way for awhile. You may find it is actually a shortcut to where you
want to go. Break a leg!
--Rachel Gal vin I am currently seeking writers and advertisers. If you are interested, email me at ravenprods@yahoo.com
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Any times mentioned in the magazine are Eastern Standard Time (EST) unless noted otherwise. The publisher does not necessarily endorse any advertisements in the mag.
St ay i n -t h e-k n o w : - www.independent st reakmagazine.com
Want t o advert ise? Get an ad as l ow as $25! Cont act us at ravenprods@yahoo.com
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Apr i l 2016
Ft . Myers Beach Fil m Fest ival April 20-April 24 The Fort Myers Beach Film Festival is back for its 10th year, attracting independent film fans, filmmakers and distributors to spend five fabulous days and nights on the Gulf beaches of Fort Myers, Florida. Attendees come from all over the world to exchange ideas, make new contacts, and enjoy some compelling and interesting films encompassing a wide range of tastes. For more inf ormat ion, visit www.f mbf il mf est .com.
"GALOSHES" shown at L-Dub Michael Eldon Lobsinger and Catherine Windecker, pictured, attended L-Dub Film Fest to watch Catherine's film "GALOSHES: or The Waterproof Overshoe Projecting Your Walk of Life". She wrote and directed the film and Michael was the Assistant Director and Director of Photography. This was the entire crew for the film, which was filmed in only five hours in September. This is her debut film. It also showed at Voices of 4 Film at PBIFF.
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From April 6 to 14, the 21st Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival was held, this year with new management and 172 films -28 feature premieres, including 16 World, one International, eight North American and three U.S. Premieres. The lineup?s 88 features consisted of 20 documentaries, 58 narrative features and 10 films in its first-ever Horror Film Competition. The Palm Beaches Theatre in Manalapan served as PBIFF's new year-round home, with films will also showing in locations like G-Star near Lake Worth, Cinemark in Boca Raton and Muvico Parisian 20 in West Palm Beach. Opening night movie held April 6 was the world premier of the movie "Money!" an American thriller set in the Hamptons and produced by Atit Shah and directed by MartĂn Rosete. The party that followed included a presentation of the The first ?Flossy Award,? sponsored by Yaacov Heller of Gallery 22, presented to Yvonne Boice for her dedication, exemplary service and patronage for the Palm Beach International Film Festival. ?Silver Skies? was the closing night film on April 14 Cinemark with a wrap party at Bogart's Bar & 5 at Grille in Boca Raton. There were many other parties
Apr i l 2016
in between. For information on all PBIFF events, visit www.pbifilmfest.org.
Pictured: Top Left: Motivational speaker Tony Robbins with PBIFF CEO & President Jeff Davis. Robbins was here for film about him called "Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru"; Top right: Father Joseph (from movie of same name) and host Peter Wein; bottom left: Yvonne Boice wins Flossy Award; bottom right: actor Rex Lee (here for film he is in "Guys Reading Poems") with Adrienne Mazzone, president of TransMedia Group. Photos by Jake Mazzone.
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Apr i l 2016
Spotl i gh t: Jenae Al t Jenae Alt is a Michigan native who is quickly gaining recognition as a female producer on the rise in Hollywood. Her passion is to develop compelling projects that educate, enlighten, and entertain people. Her latest short film project "Fruit of t he Fungus" is currently touring the festival circuit and she is gearing up to shoot a gritty feature film called "Fight Like A Girl " -- which can be described as "Fight Club" for the ladies. Q. Pl ease t el l us about yoursel f ? A. I am an actress/ producer who enjoys collaborating with ambitious and talented filmmakers to create memorable and high-concept work.
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Q. How did you get your st art in t he indust ry?
A. Adam Sandler gave me my first speaking role in the movie "The Longest Yard". He played a major role in launching my career and gave me the courage and strength to go on and produce my own projects. I was initially only on set to do some background work but I was focused to secure bigger and better and I was blessed to elevate my status. Q. What do you l ove most about act ing? A. My favorite aspect is the notion of being able to become a character that somebody else imagined in their head. I love capturing the essence of a real person and adding creative layers so the role comes to life and has meaning. Q. Tel l us about your unique project ?The Ladies Room?? A. "The Ladies Room" takes you on a journey of self discovery and life lessons in a Twilight Zone fashion. When the cattiness between two women escalates, where do they go to settle their disputes? Three words: The Ladies Room. Why do you think girlfriends usually go in pairs to the ladies room? To gossip? To take drugs? To enable each other's bulimia? Well, maybe all of the above but they also go together to watch each other's back, because when 'cougars in training' get together in clusters, things can go south quickly. You can watch the trailer here - ht t ps:/ / vimeo.com/ 90088896 Q. Is t here anyt hing you regret as an act ress? A. I wish I would have been more selective of the roles I chose early on in my career. But every role is a learning curve and has got me to where I am today. I love producing and starring
in indie projects because I can dictate the theme and mood of the piece and have a lot more creative control. My latest short film "Fruit of the Fungus" is about a famous winemaker who leaves a mysterious map on his deathbed and his son and daughter must unite to find its true meaning. We are submitting to festivals and you can watch the trailer here -- www.vimeo.com/ picknrol l / t ruf f l es Q. Tel l us about your f ut ure project s? A. I'm developing a handful of TV pilots to shop to the networks and I'm working hard to secure a budget for my feature film project "Fight Like a Girl". I'm working hard to attach some elite MMA fighters like Holly Holm. Find out more about Jenae at www.JenaeAl t .com or f ind her on Facebook, Twit t er or Inst agram.
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M FDP Op en s Gr an t Ap p l i cat i on s f or Sou t h Fl or i d a Fi l m m ak er s The Miami Film Development Project opens applications for its various granting programs, including the South Florida Film Fund, the Women's Film Fund, the Afro-Diasporic Film Fund, the Filmmaker Fellowship Program and the AIR (Artist-In-Residence) Program.
Apr i l 2016
Af ro-Diasporic Fil m Fund The Afro-Diasporic Film Fund supports filmmakers and media artists based in S. Florida who are part of the global African Diaspora. This fund provides a single $1,500 grant, In-Kind Sponsorship equal to $25K of film/ video production equipment and Fiscal Sponsorship allowing projects to further seek tax-deductible donations, public and private grants and foundation dollars available exclusively to nonprofit organizations.
Sout h Fl orida Fil m Fund The South Florida Film Fund provides three $1,500 grants, as well as In-Kind Sponsorship equal to $25K worth of film production equipment. This program is designed to assist S. Florida filmmakers of every stripe with their short film productions.
Women's Fil m Fund The Women's Film Fund supports female screenwriters, producers, directors and cinematographers in an effort to create opportunities for female-driven storytelling in film and media arts. This fund provides for a single $1,500 grant, In-Kind Sponsorship equal to $25K of film/ video production equipment and Fiscal Sponsorship allowing projects to further seek tax-deductible donations, public and private grants and foundation dollars available exclusively to nonprofit organizations.
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Fil mmaker Fel l owship Program The crown jewel of MFDP, this Fellowship opportunity seeks to fully engage and support South Florida filmmakers in creating thoughtful, provoking works throughout the production process, from development to festival submission and exhibition. This program provides a single $3,000 grant, In-Kind Sponsorship equal to $25K of film/ video production equipment and Fiscal Sponsorship allowing the project to further seek tax-deductible donations, public and private grants, and foundation dollars available exclusively to nonprofit organizations.
For more inf ormat ion, visit www.f il miami.org under News.
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This film produced by Jeff Kaufman showed at the Palm Beaches Theatre April 8 and 12 as part of the Palm Beach Intl. Film Festival. Father Joseph was also among the attendees.
With everything that went on, you might think that Father Joseph would be despondent; yet, his attitude remains hopeful. "When you are doing good, the good you are doing protects you," he said. He is now seeking donations to help rebuild. Find out more by visit ing www.apf hait i.org.
Fi l m Rev i ew : "Fat h er Josep h " By Rachel Gal vin Father Joseph Philippe's amazing transformation of a small peasant run town in Haiti is documented in a film named after him called "Father Joseph" He helped the residents build a school, university, bank, radio station and more. The film watches the ups and downs that befall the community, from dictatorships in the country to the massive earthquake that tore through and destroyed everything he and his helpers had built.
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Apr i l 2016
Adam Shel l is "Pursuing Happiness" Americans spend billions of dollars a year trying to get happy ? but what is the secret to actually finding happiness? How do America?s most positive people actually fulfill the ?pursuit of happiness? that is promised to us as a right? Documentarian Adam Shell (?Put the Camera on Me? and ?Finding Kraftland?) wanted to find the answer ? so he asked. And the response is the compelling, joyous and provocative, documentary ?Pursuing Happiness.? Made over the course of two years ? with crowdfunding and social media as the source for both the production budget and the film?s content ? the film follows Shell and producer Nicholas Kraft across the country where they talk to remarkable people who radiate genuine happiness. Every story shows a different struggle and a different triumph as artists, public servants, parents and dreamers show the world what makes them happy ? and how that happiness has a remarkable impact on the people and communities that surround them. With testimony from experts in the field of mindfulness, psychology, art, sociology, religion and cultural studies, ?Pursuing Happiness? is a crash course in what makes us our best, and the film has brought Shell into contact with the growing worldwide ?happiness movement.? With successful screenings at several film festivals (which lead to an appearance for Shell at the United Nations and on ?The Today Show?), the film will be released in select theatres this spring and on demand and streaming services throughout 2016.
Find out more at ht t p:/ / pursuinghappiness.com.
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Apr i l 2016
Fil m Review: "The Wedding I nvit at ion "
By Rachel Gal vin
Writer/ director Rainy Kerwin attended the screening of her new film "The Wedding Invitation" at the Palm Beach Intl. Film Festival. After that, it won Best Romantic Comedy at the Manhattan Film Fest.
She stars in the film as the leading character, Lucy, whose love life gets turned upside down but she tries to look forward to something positive. She and her friends have been invited to what could be the wedding of the century. There is one catch -- they need to manifest "plus ones". Lucy and her gal pals try to find their Mr. Right, but one challenge after another falls in their path, leading to plenty of frustration. With comical situations, this film features relatable characters and is a fun watch. Kerwin's producing partner, Narmar Hanna, is from North Miami, as is one of the actors in the film, Chris Triana, who plays Hugo. They both attended here at the Palm Beach Film Fest as well. The film, made by all women, gives back 5 percent to 10 women's charities. Find out more at
ht t p:/ / t heweddinginvit at ionmovie.com.
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IS had a chance to talk to a few of actors and crew behind this award-winning production.
Tal k wit h Writ er/ Direct or/ Producer John Paul Su Q. Why did you choose t o do t he cart oon animat ion in t he beginning? How was t hat creat ed and how l ong did it t ake?
"Tot o" Beh i n d t h e scen es w i t h cast & cr ew By Rachel Gal vin At this year's Palm Beach Intl. Film Festival, some of the cast and crew of the comedy "Toto" flew in from as far as the Philippines to attend the screening of their film. "Toto" features Antonio "Toto" Estares and his goal to make it to the United States. Haunted by his father, who was an actor who drank and gambled away his money, and concerned about his mother, who has Cancer, he does everything he can to make his dream possible. His hope is to be a big star, like Tom Cruise, and send money home to his mother. Unfortunately, 13 getting a visa is not as easy as he thought and he goes overboard to make it happen with comical result.
A. The cartoon animation was inspired by the Filipino comics and graphic novels that are still popular among the working Joes in the Philippines. Most of the local comics usually depict the dreams and aspirations of every Filipino, be it in love, career, or simply friendship. Since Toto?s story is like a comic book fable, I decided to use it to set up the tone and visual aesthetic of the whole film. This decision also opened the opportunity for us to solve one key issue: How do we establish the U.S. embassy without having to resort to guerrilla filmmaking? As in most countries, shooting the facade of the U.S. Embassy (or any embassy at that) is prohibited, so my team and I had to find a creative way of introducing the location. To create those cartoon animations, I chose specific shots in the film that we captured as a still photo. Then our artist recreated it as a comic book artwork. It took around a week or two to make those cartoon animations. Q. How l ong did it t ake t o shoot and did you f ind it easier or more dif f icul t shoot ing in t he Phil ippines versus t he U.S? A. The principal photography took 17 days. In the Philippines, the lack of infrastructure and best practices in film production posed as a big challenge for me. Fortunately, I?ve had the
opportunity to work on an independent film in the Philippines prior to my directing debut. That experience definitely prepared me for the challenges ahead. In addition, I had a crew who was eager to learn new things. So my cinematographer (Clarissa Delos Reyes), as well as my sound recordist (Shiho Miyazawa) and I ? all U.S.-trained filmmakers ? took the opportunity to share our knowledge with them. Q. What drew you t o do t his f il m in t he f irst pl ace and what was your f avorit e part about f il ming it ? A. As an immigrant myself, I am deeply attracted to Toto?s story for the way it speaks to the tension between integrity and compromise in the journeys of all outsiders. In moments of self-doubt, ?do you give up or do you soldier forward in pursuit of the dream??is a question that, as a filmmaker in a new land where I was a complete unknown, I was constantly forced to ask myself time and time again. Q. How did you get your cast ? A. Except for Ms. Bibeth Orteza (Remedies) ? who I?ve worked with in one of my short films ? it was my first time to work with everyone else. For the lead actor (Sid Lucero), I saw him in one of his films that played in San Diego Asian Film Festival. His performance in that film struck me and I knew that I wanted to work with him sometime in the future. Then came "Toto". I was looking for an actor who would have the depth to make the character more three-dimensional. That?s when Sid?s name came into the picture. Most of the people I talked to found my choice to be quite odd (or ?interesting?, at best), due to the fact that Sid is known as a dramatic actor in the Philippines who has never done a dark comedy. The rest of the actors were recommended to me by my local producing team (Bibeth Orteza, Manet Dayrit, Ruth Racela, Tess Fuentes). I just had to audition them and decide if they fit the role or not. As for Blake Boyd, he was recommended to me by my co-writer/ co-producer Donald Martin.
Q. What awards has t he f il m won? A. The film received eight nominations in seven categories and won four in the recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) New Wave Section. The awards were: Special Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Thou Reyes as Yam) and Best Supporting Actress (Bibeth Orteza as Remedios). Q. Have you won awards as wel l personal l y? A. Aside from the MMFF Best Director and Special Jury Prize, I?ve also won the Directors Guild of America Best Asian American Filmmaker prize for my short film "Pagpag" (The Refuse). The same short also won the Silver Medal from the New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards, and the Best Dramatic Short from the NewFilmmakers Los Angeles. Currently, the short film is now airing in KQED and all PBS-affiliated stations across the US. Q. Anyt hing t hat was part icul arl y dif f icul t during f il ming? A. The opening scene was one of the more challenging scenes to shoot. Around 95 percent of the people in that scene were spot talents pulled from that neighborhood. From the students walking on that alley to the kids playing with soap bubbles and street games ? to the gamblers and the people passing by, they were all extras that needed to be blocked and choreographed. Coordinating and blocking them was quite a challenge because they were all non-actors who had never been in front of the camera. And because that wholesequence from the alley to the title credit was originally shot as a long moving master with nocuts, I had to rehearse them a couple of times so that every element, including the background talents (aka the non-actors), were in synch. Another scene that was quite a challenge to me was the love scene with Toto (Sid Lucero) and Eve Porter (Liza Di単o). Given the nature of the scene, it was very 14 important for me to make my actors feel comfortable
and safe. I didn?t want them to feel exploited. Fortunately, Sid and Liza were very professional and collaborative. I?d explain to them the blocking and my intention for every shot, and they would throw in their ideas to help execute my vision. One other challenge was shooting the scenes of the Jelson Bay, a.k.a. Fracisco ?The Toothless Hobbit?. Jelson was so funny in all his scenes that every time the camera is on him, everyone just finds it hard to control themselves from cracking up while the camera rolls.
Tal k wit h Screenwrit er Donal d Mart in
Q. What made you decide t o creat e t his f il m?
A. I first met Francisco Castelo [my husband] in the year 2000 in Los Angeles. He used to regale me with stories from Manila ? of his life there and his own experiences, as well as the lives and the experiences of other people that he knew, and stories that he had heard about how difficult it was to get a visa to go to the United States, and about the lengths that people would go to in order to get such a coveted ?tourist visa?. I remember thinking, all those years ago: Wow. There are the elements here for an amazing movie. And, so, eventually, Francisco and I collaborated on writing the story -- upon which this screenplay is based.
Q. What was it l ike working wit h a direct or and bringing it t o l if e? A. I have had over 45 films produced in my career so far, for the big and small screen. Working with director John Paul Su was a wonderful experience. We had a great sense of collaboration and creative give-and-take. I had written the original script on my own, but when John Paul entered the process, he brought a sense of magical realism to the story that I had not envisioned. He also brought to the table his own experiences as an immigrant, someone who had 15 a dream about coming to the U.S. I can say, without hesitation, that working with John Paul Su has been
one of the best creative collaborations that I have experienced thus far in my career. Q. What did your husband t hink? A. Francisco was truly touched to see that his own story and the stories of so many people he has known were brought to the screen in this film. After seeing the first cut, he realized just how universal this story was and how any immigrant to the U.S. would be able to identify with [it]. He believes that this country is a land of immigrants, and that the story of "Toto" is the story of all of us. To him, that is the American Dream. For me, it is the dream that people from all over the world can share: the aspiration to be a part of something bigger than all of us.
Tal k wit h Act or Bl ake Boyd Q.I know you have worked in Phil ippines bef ore ... What is t he experience l ike as an act or t o work t here? A. The experience of making a movie in The Philippines is quite different from making a movie in the U.S. Over there, the hours are longer, there are no unions, and the pace for the actor is much more hectic, since the local actors often race from one set to another. A Filipino actor can work on a TV series at the same that he's making an independent feature, so one must work around such a schedule. That said, the level of focus and commitment of everyone involved in making this film was most impressive. I?ve made three movies in The Philippines and I can say without hesitation that making "Toto" was the best experience of them all. We Americans could learn a thing or two from the intense focus and commitment of my fellow actors in The Philippines. Q. You have worked on more mainst ream f il ms ... What do you see t he dif f erence is working on an indie l ike t his versus a mainst ream product ion?
A. Whether a movie is ?mainstream? or ?indie?, for me, the most important thing is to find the truth in the story. Of course, when you make an indie film, you don?t have the luxury of trailers and all of that stuff, but let?s be honest ? none of those things are crucial to making a good movie. It all begins with the story, the screenplay. Then, when you add the director, the crew and the cast, the focus must be on telling the heart of the story, the truth, be it a big studio picture, films that I have made such as "First Kid" and "Rocketman", or a low budget indie film such as "Toto".
Tal k wit h Thou Reyes Q. Was pl aying Yam dif f erent t han ot her charact ers you have pl ayed in t he past ? A. Yes, I've done a lot of firsts in this film. The difference would be the approach they required from me in terms of the comedic part of Yam. It was the situation that made the scene funny. I needed to be open-minded and observant to deliver and yet keep the Filipino traits of Yam intact. Q. As an act or in f il m and TV, can you t al k about t he schedul e f or f il ming in t he Phil ipenes?
of such working condition of the entertainment people. Fortunately, JP [John Paul] is trained in the U.S. and his team fully studied the schedule, making this project one of the easiest films that I've done in respect to time. Q. I know you are debat ing coming here t o t he st at es. What draws you here and what is your ul t imat e goal ? A. I'm grateful that it is an option for me. It would be any actor's ultimate dream back home to be able to have an opportunity to make it outside the country. Filipinos have the mentality that you really made it if you've been recognized outside, particularly in the U.S., and here I am contemplating if I should try it out. My ultimate goal would be to penetrate the western entertainment industry and make good projects that will challenge, bring out the best in me and entertain any audience of any race and status. Q. Was t here anyt hing specif ical l y dif f icul t f or you during t he shoot ing of t his?
Thou Reyes and Bl ake Boyd wit h IS f ounder Rachel Gal vin
A. We used to joke that there are no other actors who can function longer than us Filipino actors because that's how we roll -- 24/ 7 back home. We start rolling in the morning until morning of the next day. It happens both in TV and film shoots. It is a current issue back home due to long-term health effects
A. Prior to filming, JP and I had a talk about the intimate scene that I have to do in this film, for it was something new to me and I've never done anything like it. I can't say it was difficult but more of a challenge to make the character of Yam very endearing to the viewers. To connect Yam's coming of age in a society that is heavily influenced by religion is somewhat I carefully constructed.
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Tal k wit h act or Carl o Cruz Q. What was t hat kiss scene l ike f or you wit h Thou? How may t akes did it t ake t o get it right ? A. The scene with Thou was actually my onscreen kissing debut, as well as my first time kissing another man. Thou and I had developed a rapport since pre-production and in the days leading up to our ?big? scene, we would often humour each other about how awkward it would be given our actual relationship as buddies. It was scheduled to be the last scene to be shot in the course of production, so one can only imagine how anxious I was. Given that, we both understood what the scene meant to the film and the audience members who could relate to the characters, and so we were eager to perform the scene with honesty and dignity. Thou and I had agreed that we would get the job done within four takes, but we ended up doing seven more, a total of 11 takes! Q. Tel l me a bit about your background and what you enjoyed most about being a part of "Tot o". A. I started acting six years ago and did mostly independent films and commercials back in the Philippines. I was fortunate enough to study Method Acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York in 2014 and 2015. I?m currently based in New York where I pursue acting and photography. Being a part of "Toto" was an incredible experience for me. Dreams such as being part of an international film festival, and working with actors whom I looked up to ever since I came true. I truly enjoyed working with every 17 began, member of the production team, which was filled with talented, kind and light-hearted individuals who shared
a common goal of telling a story about the beautiful side of humanity which is able to love, dream and persevere.
Tal k wit h producer Rey Cuerdo Q. How did you end up producing t his? A. Donald and I had just finished collaborating on another film, "Dim Sum Funeral" in 2008 when he showed me the script of "Toto". I was riveted, with a flood of memories of my own experience of moving to America overcoming me, I was taken. I asked Donald if I could have the honor and privilege of steering the project and trying to get the film made. Fortunately, he said yes. Q. Where wil l t his be dist ribut ed af t er f est ival s? A. The performance of the film in the festival circuit will help us determine how and where it will be distributed. "Toto's" journey is just beginning. Notably, the film already has a worldwide sales representative, who will help us find distributors for the domestic (U.S. and Canada) and international markets. Q. What made you want t o be a producer in t he f irst pl ace and what makes t his project st and out f or you? What has been t he best part of working on it ? A. I love cinema. My kind of cinema not only entertains but provides a voice for the improvement of the human condition. I've always been a big promoter of Filipino cinema, its filmmakers and talent here in the U.S. It's an exhilarating thrill for me to be able to help those who want to achieve the
"American dream" in any way I can. "Toto" gave me the opportunity to do it all, i.e. help in all three categories, and to fulfill my love for my kind of cinema. "Tot o" al so showed at t he Newport Beach Fil m Fest ival April 24 and wil l be at t he LA Comedy Fest ival May 12-22. The film was partially funded by The Independent Film Project (IFP) Fiscal Sponsorship in New York City and it receieved grants from The Jerome Foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota and New York, NY.
For more inf ormat ion, f ind t he f il m on f acebook or visit www.t ot ot hemovie.com.
Some of t he cast & crew at PBIFF.
1st Annual MENDE Int l . Fil m & Cul t ural Art s Fest ival April 29-30, Sunday, May 1 Cinema Paradiso 503 SE 6 St . Ft . Lauderdal e, FL The First Annual MENDE International Film & Cultural Arts Festival is coming to Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale for an exciting, educational, entertaining weekend for the entire family. A unique combination of on-screen and on-stage formats will showcase local, regional, national, international performing and visual artists, musicians, storytellers, and very unique movies submitted by independent filmmakers from eight countries and from right here in Florida. Vendor food and goods available for purchase onsite.
This Spring 2016 festival depicts the American Gullah Geechee descendants of enslaved peoples from various African nations, with proven lineage to the Sierra Leone ?Mende? people.
Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for children and students with I.D. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.FLiFF.com
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I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE VOL 3, #4
"Bonding" A Chat wit h Direct or Tim Young By Rachel Gal vin
The short film "Bonding" was just shown at the Palm Beach Intl. Film Festival here in Florida and is on its way to IFF Boston next on April 30 at 6:45 p.m. and May 1 at 2:45 p.m (For more information, visit www.iffboston.org). The film follows a father who goes to extreme measures to spend an afternoon of bonding with his son. IS Caught up with director Tim Young to ask him a few questions about the project.
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Apr i l 2016
Q. How did you come up wit h t he idea? A. I wrote the film after developing the story with my producer and lead actor, Jeff Ryan. Jeff and I met via the Improv comedy community in New York and found that we both had an interest in filmmaking. I have been making shorts and web videos for years (including an episode of the webseries that became Comedy Central's "Broad City") and Jeff had written and acted in a couple of festival shorts (as well as "Orange in the New Black", "The Way Way Back" and more). We thought it would be fun to collaborate on something and, over the course of months, developed an idea about a father and a son on an awkward canoe trip. It was initially intended to be much more grounded and realistic in tone, but we could never really get the script to pop until we came up with an absurd twist on the concept - the handcuffs. Raising the stakes and heightening the drama to a silly degree with the cuffs pushed all of the father-son "Cats in the Cradle" stuff to the subtext and gave Jeff and his costar Brian Haley something richer to work with. Q. Where did you shoot it ? It must have been a quick shoot . A. We shot for two days on the Passaic River in Summit, New Jersey and in the town of Summit. Though the film is only six minutes, it was a lot to do in two days. As you might imagine, everything on the boat was difficult. In addition to the canoe that the actors appear in, we had the
camera crew in another canoe and the sound recordist either following in a kayak or wading in the river. Myself and associate producer Elaine Strutz were waist-deep in the water pulling each of the canoes downriver (while I also watched the shot on the monitor) so we could get them both moving at the right pace and in sync. Also the producer was literally handcuffed to a canoe most of the time! Q. How did you get your cast ? A. Jeff was obviously involved from the start. Brian [Haley] had been a mentor to Jeff for years but they had never gotten the chance to work together so closely until this film. We're very thankful that someone with Brian's resume and experience working with Steven Spielberg, the Coen Brothers, Martin Scorcese and Clint Eastwood would be willing to act in our project. Q. Do you have anot her project in t he works? Tel l me about your background ... A. As I mentioned before, I'm a writer and director who has been making shorts and web projects for nearly a decade now. I graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 2007 and, since then, have been trying to work hands-on as a director as much as I can. In addition to the "Broad City" webseries episode, I have directed work that has been featured by Gawker, The Huffington Post and Funny or Die, including the short parody "# TEENS" and webseries" Sitting on ". You can see everything at timyoungwork.com. While I'm still directing whenever I can, my primary focus right now is screenwriting. Last year, I finished a horror comedy screenplay called "Magic Mothers", about a pregnant woman who, after reluctantly leaving her New York City life for the suburbs, begins to dabble in witchcraft. I am now writing another feature screenplay, a comedy set in the corporate espionage world, as well as a pilot for a historical mockumentary TV series.
Above: Diect or Tim Young on set . Lef t : Tim wit h producer El aine St rut z.
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