Tag Archives: film

Focusing on the Passion and Making It the Mission

passionOver this past week, I’ve been pondering what I would like to do with this site.  My friends assisted me with the items they would like to see, as well as identifying the items they already liked about the site.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…keeping up appearances for this site is very time consuming.  I plan on changing that.  My personal goal is to start posting on a daily basis.  That means planning what will go up on this site well in advance.

Planning leads to doing.  I started creating the content, cooking up recipes, taking the photographs, writing the posts and then began to feel overwhelmed.


As I was slicing up the pumpkins for the October recipes, I started to feel that pang in my gut.  It was that pain of feeling stressed and overwhelmed as I was trying to do something right for myself.  It’s that irony of the site’s name…wanting to be perfect.

I stopped what I was doing and re-evaluated why I was doing this.  What was my current mindset?  I realized I was stressing myself out and not enjoying the ride.  If I didn’t change my mindset then I was going to end up with a bunch of crap meals.  You see, I am of the belief that how you are feeling as you prepare your food is a direct correlation with how well your food will taste.

People who love to cook tend to make food taste incredible because you can taste their emotion in the food.  I used to watch one chef create meals for me on a whim.  I would watch him as he poured his love for food and cooking right into the meal.  A simple fried egg tastes so different when such care is taken than one created with no emotion or feeling.  It’s about passion and sharing that passion with someone else.

I didn’t want all of the food I was making to taste horrible, so I changed my mindset and focused on why I love to cook.  As a result, everything turned out so well, my friend was surprised at how flavorful everything tasted.

Changing my mindset was all about reminding myself what I am passionate about and why.

I met with filmmaker Edwin Walker today for lunch.  He is in town from LA filming a new movie.  We met last year (see link to our story).  There was something about the timing when we met last year.  He mentioned to me that when we met, it was like a turning point in our lives.  There was something about the direction our lives would take and the people we would become after our first meeting.


We became so inspired by each other to live life fully and passionately.  Since we met, I have been trying to find my passion in life again.  I only find that my passion comes when I write and when I am being myself and not focusing on what other people want from me.

You see, we live in a world filled with mediocrity and false lives.  We struggle every single day to be perfect in our Instagram photos, Twitter, and all forms of social media.  Reality TV makes people believe that these stories we see are real lives, when it’s just an act.  We become depressed when we don’t have over a thousand friends or followers.  We feel like we are failing at life when people are not following us or reading our work or we’re not getting hundreds of thousands of hits on our sites or Youtube videos.

Life for most people has become about the get rich quick schemes, becoming viral, and making a ton of money in the process.  It’s not about creating a passion project and putting your blood, sweat and tears into it.  It’s about the instant gratification, not the eternal happiness.

We have to constantly think of how to falsely entertain people to make you think that our lives are super glamorous, even when, for many people, it is not.  People become superstars for portraying a life on reality TV, even though there is nothing real about their lives on that TV show.

It is like a drug addiction.  It’s about that instant high that makes you feel happy for a moment, instead of working on what will make you happy for life.

People don’t watch real artistic movies or qualitative television programming anymore. They’re flocking to the latest ‘explosive’ blockbuster where it’s very little script, and more action with everything blowing up every other minute.  The shows that make you think are constantly being canceled.

Children don’t go home and watch cartoons for half an hour like I did when I was a kid.  They watch four-minute Youtube videos for entertainment, because they can’t sit through a half hour cartoon anymore.


People complain about the ‘long form’ on blogs.  They don’t want to read a long drawn out story.  They want glamorous photos with very little text…maybe one paragraph of text and that’s it.  They want to see people living these lives that are so far fetched.  It’s like watching a fairy tale or a soap opera.  They assume it’s real, when it is only a glamour.

It’s depressing isn’t it?  It’s like comparing ourselves to the Joneses.  We try to emulate these people on a daily basis, as if that is how we are supposed to act and live, even though what they are doing on that reality TV is an act.  It’s not real.  People assume it is real and follow suit, like this is how they are supposed to act, think, live and dress…no matter how outrageous it is.

We’re supposed to get plastic surgery to be pretty.  If you’re ugly, that means you’re too poor to look perfect.  As one friend said, it’s what separates the rich from the poor.  That is the culture we live in.

People sweat it out and diet, not for themselves, but to look and be thin and accepted.  I mean, Donald Trump talks about how horrible it is for women and girls to be fat or ugly.  If you are overweight or gain weight, you are called nasty names and meant to feel less than what you are.

When you look at street style photos, they never ever photograph fashionable women that are not thin.  I know because I’ve watched thin, beautiful women pulled out of line at fashion shows to be photographed for street style, while the fashionable curvy ladies are overlooked.  I have yet to see a single curvy blogger be selected in the slideshows for street style photos, even if they do have more followers than that thin, pretty girl that was pulled out of line to be photographed.

It is as if to say that X is the only thing acceptable in society, which then creates the unhealthy narrative of what it means to be a human being.  We see what is on the outside, the shell, and never what is on the inside that makes each and every single one of us great individuals.

The narrative in our society today is about the false perceptions of reality.  It’s the quick fix drug that makes you feel something for a moment, to make you forget what is real in your life, instead of focusing on how you can make your life better.


People don’t want the stories that help them self-reflect, connect and learn something.  They don’t go see movies that will inspire them to be better human beings.  They don’t want to see movies that will fix what is wrong with them on the inside.  They only want those things that will help them escape reality, instead of focusing on creating a better reality for themselves and the people around them.

People focus on how they need to be fit, thin, beautiful, well-dressed, rich and famous in order to be accepted in society.  You have to have thousands of followers before anyone takes you seriously.

I know there are publishing houses that have said that they are not interested in talking to you unless they see you have over 1,000 followers on Twitter (and yes, they do check to see if your followers are real or if you bought a bunch of dead accounts).  That puts you into the 5% of people that do.  That’s the 5% they are willing to talk to and work with.

Back in the day, when I was working with bands, each record company said they were only interested in talking to bands that had a following already.  The artist needed that following before they would even listen to their music.  This, of course, was before blogs and social media were in the picture.  It was a lot harder back then to create a following, because they didn’t have social media to help spread the word.

What I’m getting at is this…

I’m glad I started talking about re-branding with my friends.  What they were asking of me was to be raw and real on this site.  Even Edwin today stressed that being real is what made this site unique.  I was sharing the stories of people that needed to be told.  These are the people that are living their lives passionately.  They are living their dreams.

Edwin wanted me to focus on my passions in life.  For me, that is writing, books and movies.  In my universe, all of those things are interconnected.


Last year, I discovered that my main followers and readers of this site were the entertainment and film industry.  I was doing something they needed.  I wasn’t putting out stories or reviews like everyone else.  I was telling the narrative untouched by the big dogs of the entertainment industry.  I was sharing the art and the passion…the reason why people got into acting, directing, filmmaking, writing, art, etc.

No one ever talks about that anymore.

I noticed recently that a film short that is turning into a feature film soon has been publishing their poster with a quote from me from this site.  I didn’t even notice it until I started reading the film’s poster and was like, ‘Wait…that sounds like me…’ and then I saw my site’s name underneath it.

I kind of did a little leap for joy when I saw it, because that directs more people in the film industry to this site.  This site, of course, is not about entertainment news.  It is about living life passionately.  In a way, the site’s name is about me being that perfectionist in the same way all artists strive for perfection in their art.  They are just looking for people to understand that dynamic and passion that went into their art.

Unfortunately, the art is always 80% business, 20% art.  I learned that a long time ago.  I’ll be honest, it is that 80% I hate about writing, because that 80% is what stresses me out all of the time.  It prevents me from being me and writing more.

I believe that is the real reason why I don’t post as often as I would like to do on this site, because it becomes more about business than it does about the art.  I plan on changing that mindset.

The business side is going to need to be something I am passionate about so that I can create.  I need to ask myself if what I am doing is a true reflection of who I am, because truthfully, I am not going to share anything that is not true to who I am.  There is too little time in life to waste it sharing the things that have no meaning.  I am not going to participate in the mediocrity that has consumed the lives of the world around us.  This is about being raw and real about everything.


What I do not share on this site is in actuality the side of me my friends have asked that I start sharing.  They want me to share my journey in life.  It is the narrative I don’t share completely.

You may think, ‘oh, this is going to be a dull and drab journey,’ when in actuality, it is quite surreal.  Like the irony of sharing the Russell Crowe binge on the site is that 15 years ago, would you believe he actually serenaded me in Chicago, Illinois?

Or that when I started the Russell Crowe binge, Paul Haggis (“Crash,” “The Next Three Days”) had stalked my Instagram account and liked a bunch of photos on it?  I hadn’t even gotten to “The Next Three Days” yet, and here the director was on my Instagram liking a bunch of photos on it.  How is that for irony?

Or how about meeting fashion designer Malan Breton and just being so enamored with our conversation that I looked at him like, if I could talk to you for the rest of my life, I would be one happy woman?  He was the first person that ever looked at me and told me right off the bat what my ethnicity was.  No one has ever been so spot on.  I think what was even cooler was that he knew who I was before I even introduced myself.

This is the world my friends want me to talk about.  One friend said that I had always told her these stories about the life I lived.  She said that she never even imagined how real that world really was for me until she saw how famous people would walk right up to me and we would have these long, drawn out conversations that were so intriguing.

It amazed her even more when she realized these people knew who I was, even if we were just meeting for the first time.  This is the world she wants me to share, because it is so surreal.  She wants me to share the gowns I wore.  Others want me to share the fashion I wear on a daily basis.  They want me to talk about the events I go to, because not everyone has that kind of life.  It’s a dream life.

It’s about that VIP status.  It’s a status I’ve had since my days in Washington, DC, where I could hear other society women complaining that I had what they wanted…status.


When I first moved to NYC, my boss told me that he knew when I was hired that I was known in societal circles in DC.  He told me that if I wanted to enter NYC society, he would help me, but he warned me that it was pretty mean.

I remember thanking him for offering to introduce me, but I would rather go at it alone, choosing who I would like to surround myself with, rather than trying to be accepted by a group of people that seeks to destroy the people around them.  In NYC there are different forms of VIP.  The number one thing you need is money and being constantly seen in those VIP circles.  After a while, you stop paying for the VIP treatment, because it comes to you for free.

You get the invites.  You stop running around trying to be accepted by the in crowd or pursuing people for interviews by going through their publisher or agent.  After you’ve established yourself, they come to you.  You don’t have to pursue anything in life anymore because you are ‘in.’

That is the world my friends want me to share, because not everyone is allowed into that VIP world.  It’s not always about parties, getting into clubs, etc.  It’s about being in a room with incredible people like yourself and learning something from them.  It’s about experiencing life in a new way beyond just attending an event.  It’s about learning how the event came into being (like a film), meeting the people involved with creating this art, and letting yourself become inspired by these people and inspiring them by sharing your own journey.

It’s about the human aspect beyond the celebrity.  The celebrity part…that’s not real, you know that, right?  Celebrity is a false illusion.

I remember there was this guy who told me years ago he was famous.  I told him I didn’t believe him.  He spent the next year trying to prove to me that he was.  I still don’t believe that he is, but during that time, it created a friendship.  I never saw the celebrity.  I saw him.  I saw his passion in life and I wanted him to pursue it at all cost, so I helped him wherever I could.

You see, that is the true essence of who I am and what this site is about.  I am drawn to other people like me, the creative types and the people pursuing their dreams and living life passionately.  Why?  Because these are the people that inspire me to be the person I truly am inside.


We are always learning from each other and inspiring each other.  It’s about sharing our journeys together and helping each other in our own ways.  That is the life I’m talking about.  There’s the glamour on the outside, but the true essence at the core is what is more important.  This is the stuff that The PW is all about.  It’s not about just the glitz and glamour of life.  It’s about the things that make us self-reflect in order to be true to our very own being.

This is about finding the true reality that is life.  What’s on the outside is always just the shell of a being.  It is not the true essence of what a human being is.  It’s the glamour.  In other words, it is not real.

It is the drug that makes you feel something for a moment, but never truly changing who you are on the inside.  It’s the drug that gives you temporary happiness, instead of focusing on healing what is inside of you and finding what true happiness is, your eternal contentment in life.

The Goal of This Site 

In trying to develop content on a daily basis for this site, and remaining true to myself as a writer (i.e. to write the novel, as well), I will be incorporating a version of the KonMari practice in minimizing my life.  I am setting out to learn how to make things simpler so that I can post daily.

I am going to attempt to accomplish this goal beginning today.  Along the way, hopefully, I’ll discover new and easier ways to create content without feeling overwhelmed (don’t worry, I’ll share my discoveries, because I’m sure that can help many others out there looking to simplify life).  It’s that overwhelmed feeling that keeps me from being passionate about this site.  I seek to change that, because this is supposed to be my passion project.  I just need to focus on what makes me so passionate about it.

For now, I’ll be testing the water in new ways.  There will be movies, books, home, arts, fashion, This Is 40, and more on this site.  It’s not about what I think people want to read.  This is going to be about the passion in life.


World Premiere of Ryan Reynolds New Film “Mississippi Grind”

reynolds
Ryan Reynolds’ latest film “Mississippi Grind” premiered at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center Tuesday night.

In attendance at the world premiere was Ryan Reynolds and the directors of the film.

“Mississippi Grind” is about a gambler named Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) from Iowa, who, like most gambling addicts, finds himself in a bit of a pickle.  He’s broke.  He’s losing all of the time.  He owes a lot of people money.

Insert Curtis (played by Reynolds).  He walks into Gerry’s life like a beautiful leprechaun, bestowing incredible luck upon him.

Curtis is a bit of a drifter.  He has no set home.  He just travels all over the place.  Even though he’s a bit of a good luck charm for Gerry, he doesn’t care about winning…mostly because he wins all of the time.  He doesn’t really ever lose.

Curtis is drawn to people like Gerry, guys on self-destruct mode.  He’s tried to help other people like him in the past, people that need help seeing how they can become a better person.  Yet, all through this, you wonder if he is truly trying to save Gerry from himself?  The answer is: who knows.

After being threatened by some loan sharks, Gerry gets this idea that he should go to New Orleans to win enough money to pay off everyone.  He doesn’t have much money, so he asks Curtis for a $500 loan.  The buy-in to the poker tournament in New Orleans is $25,000.  Gerry proposes they stop in a few places on the way to New Orleans to win the money they need.  Curtis fronts him $2,000 and they head on an epic journey from Iowa to New Orleans to win it big.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooca5idaNSk]

mississippi grindHere is the audio from the talk with Reynolds, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (the directors) at The Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Of note, for Reynolds fans, he says that after Deadpool, it will be the last time he plays a superhero character.

Mississippi Grind hits theaters on Friday, September 25th.

Labyrinth of Lies

Movie Poster for "Labyrinth of Lies"
Movie Poster for “Labyrinth of Lies”

There are very few movies I have on my list of films that you have to see at least once in your lifetime.  These are the films that change you or open your mind in such a way that the movie becomes a part of you.  You become a very different person after seeing it.  These are the films that changed the way you saw reality and opened your mind to greater understanding.

Two of the films on that list for me are “American Beauty” and “Life is Beautiful.”  Both, of course, ended up winning an Academy Award for best picture (“Life is Beautiful” won for Best Foreign Film at the Academy).

This year, though, I’ve had the pleasure of viewing a few more films that need to be added to that list.  “Family on Board” (short film), “Winter” and now “Labyrinth of Lies.”  All three films are currently up for Oscar consideration.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jGxe6auuTg]

“Labyrinth of Lies” is a German film directed by Giulio Ricciarelli due to be released in the US in select theaters on September 25, 2015.  What makes this movie so unique is that it is an eye opener for the Baby Boomer generation and beyond of how the world came to know what happened in Auschwitz after World War II.

Many of us came to know the Holocaust as being a part of history.  We knew it happened.  But for the 20 years post WWII, the world did not know what happened at Auschwitz, especially the German people.  It wasn’t just denial, people believed in the propaganda put out by the Nazi party.  They believed the Jews were being relocated to either a new city or a summer camp.  They had no idea that thousands of people were murdered there.

That was what was so mind blowing about the film.  The people of Germany, especially the youth and the 20 somethings, had absolutely no idea what happened.  They hadn’t even heard of Auschwitz.  That is, until a young prosecutor decided to investigate a crazed reporter’s request to look into a teacher who was one of the soldiers at Auschwitz.  No one would take the request in his office, because many believed that it was just the normal course of the war.  People die in wars.  It wasn’t murder.

This leads the young prosecutor on a journey to discover what happened in Auschwitz and why the reporter believed what happened there was murder.  They had already missed the window for any criminal charges (if any) to be filed, that is, except murder.  Murder was the only charge that had no statute of limitations.  If they could find that an actual crime of murder took place, then they could proceed with their investigation.

They found the evidence they needed to begin and the attorney general, Fritz Bauer, allowed them to proceed, choosing this young prosecutor, who knew nothing of what happened at Auschwitz, to lead the investigation.  What unfolded for them was a labyrinth.  A labyrinth of lies, deceit, political barriers, international barriers, corruption, and the idea that everything is okay and nothing is wrong.

After the war, many of the Nazis returned to a civilized life. They were kind, normal people just like everyone else.  They did not believe they did anything wrong in Auschwitz, or at the least, they were protected by the Nazi Party members who were still in the bureaucracy.  To many of them, they were just doing their jobs.  It was a war.  But as the story unfolds, the question of whether this was the normal course of war or actual murder is answered.

One of the most powerful moments in this movie is when they interview the witnesses.  There are no words spoken.  It’s just music.  You see the shock and emotional expressions on their faces.  You have no idea what is being said, but for the audience, you can imagine what is being said.  This is the part of the movie where every story you’ve ever heard in your lifetime of what happened in Auschwitz comes forward.  It is as if each of these witnesses are telling the stories you read or heard about.  From the mass killings to the experiments to the shoes that are now sitting in the Holocaust Museum…these are the images you see flashing in your mind.  It all of a sudden becomes so real, that you can’t help but be on the verge of tears.

Yet, there are no words being said.  The music is what directs that story in your mind…and it is a powerful, yet horrible story.

This film is not another movie about the Holocaust.  It’s a movie about how justice was brought for the victims for the very first time after the war.  It wasn’t just about finding the murderers, it was about telling the victims’ stories instead of silencing them.  The difference between what happened in these trials vs. the Nuremberg trials is that Nuremberg was about the victors dictating to the losers after the war what was going to happen.  It wasn’t about bringing justice to the victims of the Holocaust.  They didn’t even know about the Holocaust during the Nuremberg trials.  It was the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials that brought the Holocaust to light and brought justice to its victims.  It was also the first time that Germany was holding themselves accountable to the shame they brought to Germany and humanity.

That is one of the most important characteristics of this film.  The director doesn’t want you to see or feel anything but the story.  He doesn’t want you to pick out the elements of the cinematography or the music, etc.  He wants the story to speak to you.  He wants every single element in the process of the movie to come together to create the story.  If you pick out any single element that goes beyond the story being told, it is as if he didn’t do his job correctly.  This was purely about the story.

Ricciarelli was at the private screening at The Roxy Hotel last night and spoke about his film.  Here’s the audio from the Q&A session with Hudson Union Society.

Labyrinth of Lies Q&A

One of the things I kept thinking about after this film is how our world is still like post-WWII Germany.  We become blind to the atrocities that we are still doing in the world.  Even in America, we target a certain group of people and call them the enemy.  The way this information is disseminated on why they should be our enemy is the same kind of propaganda the Nazis used during the war.  Propaganda is a way of keeping people blind to the reality of what is truly happening.

If anything, this movie is not just a historical drama, it is a way of reminding ourselves not to repeat the past.  Don’t be blind to what is happening in the world.  A government proclaiming any group of people (like Muslims, Arabs or Mexicans) as our enemy should be a red flag to the world.  No one should be persecuted for what they believe in, where they were born or the parents they were born to.  Everyone is human and they have a right to live as human beings.  Our willingness to remain blind silences those who have become the victims.  Their stories need to be heard.

Exclusive Interview with Filmmaker Edwin Walker aka E. Micheaux

Edwin Walker/E.Micheaux
Edwin Walker/E.Micheaux

One of my favorite songs is “Use Me” by Bill Withers.  The lyrics say, “You just keep on using me until you use me up, Until you use me up.”  I want to do as much work on this planet until I can not be used any longer.  So I say, ‘use me,’ to me, ‘to use me up earth!’  I use that as my mantra everyday while putting my best foot forward.

When you go on adventures in life, you never know who you will meet or the people that the universe will place in your path.  I met Edwin Walker (aka E. Micheaux) during the NYC Premiere of the movie “Dope” during the American Black Film Festival.  We ended up sitting next to each other during the film, chatting for some time before the movie started.

I told Edwin a little about myself and he told me his story.  His story is one that is worth sharing with the world because it is a remarkable story of how this young man (he’s only 26 years old) went out and pursued his dream to be a filmmaker at a very young age.  He has done more things and has experienced a lifetime worth of stories in his short life than most people do by the time they are 26 years old.

Edwin continued telling me his story the day after the movie when we caught up with each other again at a special ABFF dinner.  His story was so remarkable that an old gospel/jazz singer I met at the dinner was so amazed by the story, she pulled him over to remark on how inspiring he was to her!  A 65-year-old woman saying a 26-year-old was inspiring her!

Edwin and I carried our conversation on over to the HBO “Ballers” party after the dinner and talked well into the late night hours about life, business, and social media.  One thing I know for sure is that meeting Edwin was like meeting a new friend I know I will have for the rest of my life.

Edwin is a remarkable and amazing person that is very passionate about life and film.  He’s sharing his story today in order to help inspire others to live their dreams.

1. Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

I am Edwin Walker and I am a Creative Activist of Art & Storytelling.  I am from Chicago, IL.  I’m 26 years old, yet on some days I feel like I’m 66.  I’m such an old soul.  I am working day in and day out to bring fresh and authentic stories to audiences.  My ultimate goal is to have my own distribution company, a digital media network and entity.  With that, I want to target Generation X and Millennials audiences, giving them content that they want.  Innovative, yet fun and refreshing.  In today’s media, many companies are owned by conglomerates that are feeding audiences the same content.  I want to be at the forefront of giving audiences the content and projects that they want through a Direct to Fan strategy, cutting the middle man out, and letting the content curators and audiences do all the decision making.  So that is my quest, it’s a big part of who I am at this point in my life and career.

2. How did you end up in LA?

How did I end up in Los Angeles aka LaLa Land?  Well…the ambition and passion that I had for the Arts & Entertainment, I knew that it would take me to LA or NYC, and this was at a young age.  My Grandmother always tells me, when I was five I would call NBC and ABC in my hometown and want to speak to the person who could get me on TV, on shows like The Cosby Show and Family Matters.  This was at five.  So I knew this would be something that I loved, and I felt the passion growing quickly, watching TV shows and movies wanting to be in their world.   So when I was 12, I moved to Pasadena, CA, a city outside of Los Angeles to live with my Grandfather, and I began acting.  I started doing commercials and got the opportunity to be on the Disney Channel Show, “The Famous Jett Jackson.”  Other opportunities were starting to build when I got homesick.

I was miles away from all of my family in Chicago.  Living with just my grandfather and no other family was tough.  I was away from my Mother and Grandmother, living with this man who was strict and everything was so different from the life I knew in Chicago.  So I moved back to Chicago after only a year and a half.  I felt like I was failure at 13, like I started something that I couldn’t finish.  So that caused me to give up on my visions and myself.

For about 3 years, I wanted to do nothing associated with entertainment.  I tried Football, Science club, the debate team…anything to try to ignore my true passions.  I just couldn’t escape it.  I then started writing more at 16.  I wrote songs, which led to me joining a singing group.  That didn’t last for long.  That soon turned into me writing scripts and short stories.  My passion was reborn.

I got an agent in Chicago and started back acting.  I took media classes and fell in love with directing and the camera.  Soon after that I got a role in the movie “The Promotion,” starring John C. Reilly and Sean William Scott, written and directed by Steven Conrad (this is the man who wrote the script for the amazing film “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith).

This experience was the game changer for me.  At 17, I was working with A-list actors and top producers and directors.  The week that I worked with everyone on set, I was a sponge soaking up as much information as I possibly could. They all gave me such great advice on what I should do in my career.  John gave me a list of agents, Sean gave me a list of managers in LA, and Steven took all my scripts I had written and read them and told me about screenwriting programs in LA.

So I prayed hard about whether I should forego college and leave for LA.  All signs pointed to this move.  So at 18, with $1,700 to my name and knowing a handful of people in LA, four suitcases in hand, I did my homework.  I found a few studio apartments to check out to move into.  I packed up and moved there.  I didn’t even finish High School.  I enrolled in a program where I would get my last credits through mail.  The program was called “American School.”  It was like a home school program.

I can still remember getting on the plane at 18, literally a few months as an adult.  I just turned 18 in November and I was sitting on this plane to LA on January 26th, 2007.  Fear did not come over me at all.  I was rather anxious and excited for the unknown.  Once I got off that plane and returned back to LA, I was ready for the struggle, disappointment, “No’s,” doubt.  Everything that could possibly happen to me in my 8 years living in LA has happened to me.  From evictions, car repossessions, car accidents, bad managers stealing your money, being robbed, having to pawn camera equipment to pay rent, losing friends, losing money and losing things in fires.

Everything has happened to me, and I have had my days where I want to quit.  I can’t lie, but I revert back to that 18 year old that was on that plane who had no fear.  I could of turned around then, but I knew I was ready for the challenge ahead.  That has kept me going thus far…along with a lot of prayer and trust in God.

3. Why did you choose being a filmmaker as a career?  Were there certain influences that made you realize this is who you are?

I don’t think I chose being a filmmaker, it chose me.  I’m an only child, and I always had to entertain myself.  I was also a latch key kid.  My Mother worked two jobs at one point in time.  I’m a child of a single parent, so I would escape into different worlds.  Creating scenarios of what my life could be, or how other lives were, how would it be if something was this way, or imagining life in space or life in the ocean.  Creating stories and using my imagination was always thrilling to me.

I always got into trouble in school, because I felt like the teachers wouldn’t let me use my imagination and create more.  I felt stifled.  Once I started acting and studying my craft, I saw how much of a responsibility it is as an actor to make people believe you are another person rather than yourself.

Through studying filmmaking, I realized that the responsibility is now greater than the actor, because as a filmmaker you have to create a world and living things that people have to interpret.  Growing up – I truly believe was my film school.  I didn’t go to NYU or USC’s prestigious film programs.  I went to 7 different schools in my life from Kindergarten till 11th Grade.  In my entire life, I have lived in five different states.  I’ve had all of these experiences with different people in my life that made me view people and places from a broader scope.  Those experiences made me want to tell real slice of life stories, and start writing those stories. Filmmaking honestly chose me.

I think other filmmakers would agree that it’s bigger than passion when you have to spend a large amount of your time in your day giving brain power to stories that are sticking with you.  You have to make that come alive through words and fonts that could take months, through scripts– sometimes even years.  Then you have to find the money and the team to bring the vision to life and that could take years.  Being a filmmaker is an emotional, yet invigorating, journey.  You have to really be in it, knowing that it’s your calling.  It called me and kept calling me and I couldn’t get away from being a filmmaker.  It chose me.

4. What projects is your company Edclusive Entertainment creating now?  

I have to keep myself productive, so in between gearing up for my feature film directorial debut, I have created mini pieces that are under 5 mins that are conversation pieces.  My first one up is Lyfe + Def: A Reckless Love Story.  It’s the tale of two young lost hearts.  I’m really excited about this project because we live in a society that so many young people want to be loved, but they don’t know how to love.  This project will explore that in a unique way.

The project that I will make my feature film directorial debut on is “Hometown Hero.”  We are in the early stages of development.  This story is one that I have to tell.  It’s …

The gripping story of the demise of a young promising professional football player’s struggles with mental illness resulting from untreated trauma.  Mental Illness advocacy is something that I am involved with by getting more narratives out there about cases in order to create awareness.

5. Can you talk a little about the social impact of the films you are creating?

The social impact that I intend to create is awareness and displaying slice of life stories that audiences don’t normally get to see.  I want to do it from a new approach that the audience can understand and relate to.  We are accustomed to seeing movies that are violent, but we don’t see many films that explore what makes a person violent.  Through creating those images, I hope to create conversations that will translate into change, or new ideals of how we view one another, our communities, industries and the world we live in.

6. What is your favorite film and why?  Were there any films that influenced you to become a filmmaker?

My favorite film is tough to say because I have so many, but if I could choose two that equally influenced me to be a filmmaker, I would have to say “Bicycle Thieves” directed by Vittorio De Sica (an amazing Italian film), and “The Defiant Ones” directed by Stanley Krammer.  Both of these films show humanity among men and their quest for a better life.  They are both authentic and intriguing.  After seeing these two films, it made me make the conscious decision to be a filmmaker that makes films that tells stories with social issues from real people in real life that leaves a residue with audiences.

I want to tell stories about people who are real and have purpose in what they are seeking or know that they have.  In those two films, not only are the characters memorable, but they are people who we all know, no matter if you’re black,white, green or blue.  They are depictions of what we face in the world we live in.  I could watch those two films everyday.

Once a week for 6 months, I actually did before.  It was reassurance that I’m doing the right thing with the films I intend to make.

7. What’s upcoming for you and Edclusive Entertainment?

lyfe and defI mentioned a little bit above, Lyfe +Def: A Reckless Love Story, the short mini piece [Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram].

I have a short film that we produced titled “Perfect Love” directed by Simon Slavoj, which we associate produced.  It’s the story of a woman seeking an answer that she’s not ready to really know.

I am also in production of directing and producing a documentary titled, “A Refugee’s Heart” where we follow the journey of a 47-year-old Cuban woman retracing her journey to Cuba for the first time since she left the country at the age of two.  She returns back to Cuba to help other young women who are in need.

The-Psychiatrist-Poster-ds-692x1024I am also producing “The Psychiatrist” directed by Bahiyjaui Allen.  It’s a suspense thriller short about a twisted relationship between a patient and their psychiatrist.

We’re still developing and raising capital for the “Hometown Hero” movie.  It moves slow on some days and fast on others, but meetings and interests are happening.

Extra:  Why E. Micheaux?  What is that name from?

When I direct, I use the moniker E. Micheaux.  It’s homage to Oscar Micheaux who was the first black man to produce, write, direct and distribute his films and books in the 1920’s.  I stand on his shoulders, and he is one of my greatest inspirations.

 

You can find Edwin and his company Edclusive Entertainment at the following places:

Instagram
Twitter
Google+

DOPE Makes You Think Twice

dopeIt’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie quite like DOPE.  The last time I saw something similar, about the plight of a young black man, was Clockers and Boyz N The Hood.

This story gives you a different perspective on how a group of friends overcome the obstacles of their poor neighborhood in Inglewood, California {Tyra Banks grew up in Inglewood}.  This coming-of-age story about three geeks who are obsessed with 90s Hip Hop, 90s clothing, and the 90s lifestyle, have their own band, are at the top of their class, and are kids that just can’t do any wrong.

Sure, they either lose their shoes or get beat up, but they also work together to defy the odds set against them.

Writer/director Rick Famuyiwa throws every single stereotype of a young black person in the inner city at you.  But it also makes you think twice about the story if you take color out of it.  What if this was just a regular honor roll student defying the odds of his situation?  Would Harvard immediately put his application at the top of the pile if he, a high school senior, managed to make a company $100,000 in three weeks?  Isn’t that what Ivy League schools want?

So what if he made that $100,000 by selling drugs?  He wasn’t out on the street corner dealing.  He was just a kid that got stuck in a very, very bad situation and had to do something about it.  He used his smarts.  He used technology.  He beat each and every system placed before him.  He refused to be another statistic.  He and his friends set out to beat a system that was always working against them.  He used his brains to beat every single thing working against him and his friends.

At the end of the movie you question what would happen if you took this inner city kid out of the neighborhood, stripped him of his skin color, his socio-economic status, his lack of heritage, and take away all of the stereotypes, and made him just human on paper.  Are the things he was able to do with the tools he was given enough to get into a school like Harvard?

There are two ways you can tell the story.  You can tell the story from the perspective of a group of poor black kids from the inner city, or the story about three young human beings that were defying the odds placed against them since day one.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ViVPRWRRmk]

If you want to know who the next big up and coming actors are, watch this film.  Shameik Moore (Malcolm) does a phenomenal job in this role.  [On a side note, after watching this film, I walked out into the hallway of the screening theater and Moore was standing right outside the door.  It was a definite pleasant surprise.]

Zoë Kravitz (daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz) also stars.  Tony Revolori (Jib) and Kiersey Clemons (Diggy) also star in the film.  There are guest appearances by Rick Fox and Chanel Iman (the model, this is her first film).  Forest Whitaker also has his hand in this film as well.

For those who want a modern take to the old classic of Boyz N The Hood, you have to see this.  It’s a movie that will make you think twice about the story.  It will even make you think twice about how you viewed the movie up until the end.

My favorite part of this movie was the choice of songs.  I knew every single song because they were songs that were popular when hip hop first started to gain rise in the 90s.  The way a drug dealer on the street could brilliantly talk about music, it made you realize that Famuyiwa was breaking down another stereotype that all drug dealers are uneducated and unintelligent, that they lack heart or are always trying to pull people down with them.  In other words, he is preaching again and again: never judge a book by its cover.

The film is due out in theaters Friday, June 19, 2015.  This is one of the most important films you need to see this summer.  It will make you think twice…and then still leave you thinking long after you’ve walked away from the film.

Applause all around.

This review from The Verge is spot-on and a must read supplemental.

On Twitter:

Shameik Moore: @meaksworld
Rick Famuyiwa: @RickFamuyiwa
DOPE: @DopeMovie

Kevin Bacon and Michael Bacon – The Bacon Brothers

New York – It’s not so often that you find out that one of the most popular actors for the last 30+ years is not just an actor but a musician, too.  Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael Bacon (The Bacon Brothers) stopped by the Cornell Club on Monday night for a talk and performance.

bacon11

There was a rather huge attendance for the event at the Cornell Club.  Between Cornell alumni and Hudson Union Society members, you had to get there early if you wanted a good seat.

You can hear the half hour conversation with Michael and Kevin Bacon in the audio clip below.  For those who ever wondered what Kevin Bacon thought of the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon, he talks about it in the audio clip.  Unfortunately, you will not hear the actual music performance.  I wanted to leave that for the Youtube video (i.e. something that they put out themselves).

Bacon Brothers Audio from Cornell Club

The Bacon Brothers are currently on tour.  You can find their tour schedule HERE.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0hFR2vc85A]

Here are a few photos from the event:


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This photo below is my favorite of the bunch.  It’s also a photo I plan on adding to the Rockstar Collection of photos I’ve been taking over the last few years.

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This is another favorite (below) that will go into the Rockstar collection.bacon4 bacon3 bacon2

[All photos by Michelle Kenneth]

You can find the Bacon Brothers on their website, Twitter: @baconbros and @kevinbacon, and on Youtube.

Oscar Watch: Family On Board Heads to TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood

Official poster for Family on Board
Official poster for Family on Board

{Courtesy of George Pogatsia}

After the New York City International Film Festival, the award winning short “Family On Board” made a trip to Cannes, France for the Cannes Film Festival.  Now, the film is heading to Hollywood!  The film short is headlining the HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series on June 25th at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Tickets to the series are currently on sale.  You can purchase them for $15 HERE.  If you share the event with your friends at checkout, you can get $2 off your order.

For those actors in Hollywood looking for work, you may get a chance to be in the upcoming full feature film.  Here’s how you can be considered:

Pogatsia is sticking to his motto that actors and filmmakers should champion each other. All LA actors who come out to support Family On Board at HollyShorts will be given special consideration when casting begins for the feature (in development). Hashtag #FamilyOnBoardmovie to any of Family On Board’s social media accounts with a photo of yourself with your ticket stub at the event. Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen (Rocky) is interested in directing.

Here’s the full press release:

Download (PDF, 131KB)

If you’re in LA, I highly recommend going to see this film.  It is a film you will never forget.  If you’re in the business, this is definitely a film you want to be a part of.




Testament of Youth

testamentWhile I would normally do a general review of a film, “Testament of Youth” will be a little different because this film hit very close to home for me.

Synopsis – This film is based on the memoir written by Vera Brittain (played by Alicia Vikander from “A Royal Affair”).  This young woman’s sole desire was to go to Oxford, just like her brother.  Her father wanted her to remain home.  As a consolation, while they were out swimming with a friend, her father purchased a piano for her.  It was enough money to pay for one year at Oxford.

When she arrived home to discover this, she was angry.  As she’s telling her father that she will never marry, not ever in this lifetime, the man she would fall in love with walked into the house.  Roland Leighton (played by Kit Harington from “Game of Thrones”).

This was right before World War I began.

Her brother managed to talk their father into letting her take the entry exams at Oxford.  SPOILER ALERT: She got in.

As she prepared to go to Oxford with her brother, Roland and friends, the Great War began.  All of the boys decided to sign up.

During the summer before the war, Roland and Vera started to fall deeper and deeper in love with each other.  When Roland broke the news to her that he had enlisted, it was on the day they should have been heading to Oxford to begin school together.

As more time went on, she decided she had to do something, so she took leave from Oxford to work as a nurse.  She started in the hospitals in Britain before later heading to the front.

War changes people.  Roland was no exception.  He tried to put the walls between them, but she refused to allow him to do it.  That was when he proposed to her, promising to marry during his next leave.

SPOILER ALERT: He died.  On the day they were to wed, his mother called the hotel to inform her that he had died.

He wasn’t the only one that died in the war.  Her brother died, as well as their friend, Victor.  She lost all of the people she grew up with and loved to the Great War.

After the war had ended, she became one of the greatest female pacifists in history and a writer.

Close to Home

If I’m going to be honest, I almost got up and left several times.  It wasn’t because the film was bad.  Quite the contrary.  It just hit a little too close to home for me.

Before Roland died, I knew it was coming, because like Vera, those moments of reflection reminded me of having those moments.  You remember their skin jutting out from their shirt sleeves, the way their hair tossed in the wind, the way they looked at you, the way they smelled, or the way their heart beat against their chest.  You remember how it felt when they touched your skin.  You remember that pure, untainted love.

These are the memories that stay with you forever.  These are the memories you create with your soulmate.  Roland and Vera were soulmates.

There were so many elements to what happened in this story that was just like my life story: the need to know exactly what happened when he died, the writings he left for her, being separated due to choices, being taken away at such a young age.  All of these elements to Roland and Vera’s story gave me goosebumps.  It made me remember my own soulmate.  He killed himself just two weeks before my high school graduation.

You have to learn how to live after your soulmate dies.  There was a quote in the movie that stuck with me: “We are all surrounded by ghosts.  We just have to learn how to live with them.”

The director really communicated what that loss felt like.  There were even moments where Kit Harington (with his clean cut) reminded me of those memories I had made with my soulmate.

For those who have felt that great loss of losing your soulmate, you can begin to understand why she took the stand for humanity…to say no to war.  War was what took the people she loved deeply away from her.

Her stand against war was about those who have lost loved ones due to war.  It wasn’t about politics.  It was about humanity.  Each side is sending their fathers, brothers, fiancés and husbands to fight in a war.  Each side is losing those very people.  Each side feels that loss just as deeply as the other side.  Her pacifism was about protecting human lives, not about where those lives came from or whose side they were fighting on.

As each person approaches the end of their life, they’re not talking about killing the enemy.  They’re calling out to the people they loved.

I’ve been in Vera’s shoes.  I’ve been in them for 20 years now…the part where I’m learning how to live with those ghosts.  The end of this movie was very important.  It was about remembering and honoring those men she lost.  When you lose your soulmate and people you were very close to, you can sometimes be on the brink of insanity.  You try to forget them in order to survive another day.  There were times where Vera almost completely lost herself in her grief.

Vera’s choice in the end was not to forget them.  What she did was take that pain and suffering and turn it into something better.  The truth is, the reason why people try so hard to make others happy, or advocate for peace like Vera did, is so that others will not experience the same loss they have gone through.  They know what it feels like to be destroyed by that loss.  They don’t want other people to experience what they’ve experienced.  Even if they put a smile on their face to distract others from seeing their own unhappiness, it’s only in an effort to make sure others never go through what they went through.  Some pain and suffering need not be repeated.  People will do anything to protect others from experiencing that same suffering.  Vera spent her life trying to do just that as a pacifist.

Quotes from Kit Harington (Roland) and James Kent (Director)

Kit Harington speaks to the audience about his new film "Testament of Youth."
Kit Harington speaks to the audience about his new film “Testament of Youth.”

Tribeca – Kit Harington and James Kent stopped by after this special screening to talk about the film on Wednesday night.

Here are a couple of audio clips from the event:

Testament of Youth 1

Testament of Youth 2

Here are a few select quotes from the evening.

James Kent:

“She spoke for a generation, because they were the survivors and they needed that time to have the courage to go, ‘No, no more.’  Hitler was beginning to come to power at that time and there was a real fear that Europe could be sliding into something unsavory.  I think [Vera] does speak for the lost generation.”

The reason why Harington worked on “Testament of Youth” was because he had read about it in school and knew the story well.

Kit Harington:

“I knew this text quite well, actually…I studied it at school, both the history and for English literature, studying the war parts.  I knew the formidable person Vera Brittain was from her books, from her memoirs.  I think that sounds a little bit wishy washy and wanky… Sorry.  What I really learned was through Alicia [Vikander’s] depiction of her, I felt it was so accurate, so beautifully done by her that I thought I was talking to that person.  In the movie, I thought I was talking to that person, the Brittain I knew very well and loved.  That was kind of amazing to experience.”

James Kent:

“I would hope if [Vera Brittain] came back and saw this film, and watched this film in this day and age, in this audience, that she would see a huge difference in who she was.”

Kit Harington:

“One thing that really scares me about my generation is that we are not as active as [Vera] was.  Our discussion is a hard one.  In some ways, you can argue that we, with social media, have a greater voice.  In some ways, it’s completely dumb’ed down.  I think, to me, it’s a very important discussion that has to be had.  To my shame, I have never been in a political march in my life.  I should have done it.”

Kit Harington:

“When I first read [Testament of Youth] in school, it actually triggered a real interest in this period for me.  I had already been taken to the the Northern War graves, the French War graves, by my father, kind of a right of passage.  I think he thought it was important that me and my brother go and see the consequence of war.  There’s no better visual consequence than seeing those graves, those names on the wall.  I read it at school and it kicked off a far greater interest about that period, about the literature surrounding that period.  So when this came through the door, it was important to me that it was done well.  Juliette (Towhidi) actually wrote it.  I instantly knew when it was halfway through, it was doing it great justice.  She had imagined the scenes around the ones that were in the books.  They were written and respectfully done.”

On deciding on Kit to play the role of Roland, James Kent:

“What he has is the X-factor, the extra thing, which is a sort of soulful kind of intelligence, intellectual curiosity…a really soulful practical side.  It was so important to get Roland right.  If you got him wrong, it diminishes Vera as well.  That she chose him and fell in love.  She wore those dried flowers that you see that he sent her from the front, around her neck in a locket for the rest of her life.  She married and she still had these flowers around her neck.”

James Kent:

“It’s very important to me that at the end of the film, she goes out into that pool of water again, because she’s trying to regain the conversation that she had with Roland in the woods where she says she wants to be a writer.  He said that you need some experience first.  She goes back to that lake with all that experience and finally by going into the water, it’s a baptism.  It’s a renewal.  It’s a purging.  She can make that promise to the boys.  I now got what Roland advised me to get.  I can now enshrine your story for generations to come.  And that’s exactly what you’ve experienced [with this film].”

The film is due out in US theaters on Friday, June 5th.

Exclusive Interview with “Winter” Director Heidi Greensmith

Winter film premiere at NYCIFF. (Picture Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)
Winter film premiere at NYCIFF. (Picture Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)

Closing out the New York City International Film Festival was the amazing premiere of the film Winter starring Tommy Flanagan, Tom Payne, Judith Godrèche, Jessica Hynes, Bill Milner and Kate Magowan.  The film was written and directed by Heidi Greensmith.

The film picked up four awards at NYCIFF, including Best Drama Film, Best International Director (Greensmith) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tommy Flanagan).


Heidi Greensmith was kind enough to do an exclusive interview for PerfectionistWannabe.com on her film “Winter.”

1. First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up the second youngest of seven children in the south east of England countryside. I have been making films since I was a teenager. I went to the London Film school and studied cinematography. My first job was as an undercover reporter at a documentary production company. I went on to make music videos and commercials at a London production company. I started writing when I had my first baby. I met my husband drummer Dominic Greensmith shooting a music video for the British rock band Reef. We have been together for 15 years and have 4 children. We live in the Somerset countryside.

2. “Winter” is your first feature film, and the writing is absolutely incredible. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for this story, as well as the characters? Where did you take inspiration from?

Thank you. I was drawn to explore male grief as I believe men process grief in a different way to women. As they find it harder to talk about how they feel it can lead to feelings of depression and anger. I lost my mother when I was quite young and my father coped very badly which had a lasting affect on all us kids. I have three sons and I believe that this generation of boys should be taught and encouraged to be more open with their feelings. They need to learn that it is entirely acceptable to talk and feel and cry and I hope that Winter will help to shine a spotlight on this.

3. Diving into what was happening in the mind of Woods, can you explain how you were able to dive so deeply into a complete mental breakdown and then bring that character out of that darkness?

I have had personal experience to draw upon so I always knew that Woods would be a broken man that would break my heart. Woods comes out of the darkness with the love of his family and his passion for painting which I can relate to also as I think most artists can.

4. Throughout the movie, you break down a lot of stereotypes where people would easily place judgment on someone. For instance, at the beginning, Woods looks like just a regular homeless man. Yet, he’s not homeless. Then we start to believe that Tom is the child of an abusive, alcoholic father. Yet again, that’s not the real story. Then we start to believe that Woods is a neglectful, abusive parent that can’t take care of himself or his children. Yet, once again, that is not what the story is about. Was there a greater lesson you were trying to teach the viewer (as in, don’t judge a book by its cover)?

Yes I suppose so. Every addict, every homeless person they have all been broken in some way. They are trying to avoid life or numb the pain of their memories. People that find themselves in these unfortunate circumstances need help not judgement.

5. Tommy Flanagan did a phenomenal job as Woods. What made you decide that he was the right person to bring Woods to life?

Casting director Des Hamilton suggested Tommy for the role of Woods. I met with Tommy and within five minutes I knew he was Woods. Tommy had already decided he was playing Woods before we met so it was lucky I felt the same.

(Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)
(Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)

6. Flanagan’s scene that sticks out most is when he crouches on the stool in front of the canvas. The camera capturing the different expressions going through Woods’s mind was intriguing, frightening, and ultimately beautiful all at the same time. Can you take us through what you were looking for in that moment?

I think I was after that feeling you get as an artist when you are so involved in what you are doing that you step out of reality, like you are in dream. It can be quite scary. Sometimes when I read a script back I can’t remember writing some bits of it.

7. How did you decide which pieces of artwork would be used? What were the meanings behind the different paintings featured? Who was the artist(s) behind each of the paintings? What happened to the paintings afterward?

I went to a Paul Benney exhibition in London by pure chance. I was blown away because I had already written the script and described some of the paintings that I was looking at in that exhibition! I found Paul there and explained to him. He then read the script, called me up and told me he felt a strong affinity with Woods. So, he allowed me to use his Night Paintings exhibition. The art department got all the paintings replicated so that there was no chance of damaging the originals. You can find all the images on Paul’s website.

[Paul Benney’s Website]

8. Tom is the hero of this story. The sacrifices he made to help his father went far above and beyond anything anyone could ask (or not ask) of their child. His understanding of his father’s ‘genius waiting to be unleashed’ and the ‘broken heart’ is something most people would not understand if they were in his shoes, especially at that age. That is what makes his role in this movie so powerful…that love he has for his father. Tom’s story is multi-faceted. Can you describe your development of his character through the writing process? What were the elements you were focused on when you created his part of the story?

I have always found it incredibly heartbreaking, that moment when out of necessity a child becomes the adult in the relationship with his parent. Two of my favourite films are Paris Texas and Paper Moon because of the way the kids have to grow up so fast and develop a whole new relationship dynamic in being the responsible one. I originally wrote Tom and Max much younger but due to our very low budget we couldn’t afford chaperones and reduced working hours minors would require.

9. What are your favorite moments in the film? Do you have any favorite characters?

Obviously I love Woods. Tommy and I have become very good friends since we made the film and we talk about that character with such affection. Old Woodsie. But I love all the other characters too. My favourite scenes are the ice skating scene with Tom and Stacy because you feel so much for Tom right then, just wanting him finally to have a nice time, but at the same time knowing that his dad has gone awol again so it’s super charged, and I love the flashback of Woods walking to the park and finding his dead wife, because you finally get to see the exact moment that his heart broke. Both scenes have the most beautiful score by Dominic too.

10. Can you take us through the timeline of developing “Winter” from start to finish (i.e. how long it took to write the script, create the film, bring it to the screen)?

I wrote the film when I had just had my fourth child. I would write while I was breast feeding at night. It’s really hard making an independent film, working all hours for no money and at the same time trying to dodge the sharks and remain focused and true. We shot Winter all on location in 24 days, edited it in 9 weeks but then it all stopped and lost momentum when the post budget ran out. Thankfully Winter was selected to be the closing night gala film of NYCIFF so everything happened very quickly from then.

11. It is never easy being a working mom, but to be a working mom, wife, writer and a director working on making a dream come true, how were you able to balance everything in order to create Winter?

It’s amazing what I can fit into 24 hours. I have a lot of energy, mental and physical. My husband is always telling me to sit down but I find it impossible. I am so passionate about everything I do that I have to do it full time all the time. I know it can drive the people I work with mad. Sometimes I’ll be writing at midnight or recording music for the score with my husband at 3am. I left home at 16 and have had to work since then, even through film school I had two jobs. I hope I am helping to install a good work ethic in my kids. I think they probably think I’m crazy but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Official Winter poster.
Official Winter poster.

12. There are very few women directors in the industry. NYCIFF showcased several women directors during the festival, including yourself. Can you describe what adversity women are going through in this business? What adversity have you faced to bring your film into being?

I think things have just started to change but for a long time it was very difficult to be taken seriously as a female director and funnily enough I don’t think men were entirely to blame. The most important thing is that things have started to change and I hope that the broadcasters, studios and financiers continue to address the imbalance. The cinema has been dominated by the male voice for too long. I hope that Winter also proves that female writer/director’s can tackle any subject not just subjects relating to women.

13. This site is about people that are out there making their dreams come true. In your own words, can you tell us what bringing this incredible story to the screen means to you?

It means everything to me. All I have ever wanted professionally is to be able to tell a story that moves people. The incredible response the film has had so far is overwhelming, and we’ve only just started!

14. What is coming up in the film’s future? Is there a release date, yet? Is it traveling to any more festivals? Any talks of Oscar considerations? Are there any other projects you are working on that you would like to share?

Winter is at the start of it’s festival run. We are looking at a UK release in the autumn. My next film ‘Bloody Mary’ is in development right now and we have just started casting. It’s a totally different film, dark and very funny with two female protagonists. Very exciting.

If you get the opportunity to see “Winter,” it is a must see film.  It is a film that will move your soul.  You’ll walk out in complete amazement of Tommy Flanagan’s acting, and with a new perspective on life.  What Heidi has created here is something phenomenal.  This is the kind of film you will never forget, because of how you grew as a human being during those moments you spent absorbing the film.

You can read our review of Winter HERE.

Oscar Watch: Winter, The Most Important Film of 2015 You Must See

Official Winter poster.
Official Winter poster.

There are very few films that come into existence that becomes one of the most important films you need to see in your lifetime.  “Winter” from Heidi Greensmith is one of those movies that should be on your list of things to see before you die.

This film premiered as the finale at the New York City International Film Festival.  It was adequately placed at the end of the festival because it would have blown all of the other feature films out of the water.

Tommy Flanagan (“Gladiator” and “Sons of Anarchy”) stars in this heart-wrenching tale of a man who has lost his way.  The film begins with a drunken man that could easily be mistaken as a homeless man.  He’s not homeless, he has a home.  It’s his son, who deferred a fellowship with Columbia University for two years, who tries to bring his father out from underneath this gloom that has consumed him.




At first, you may think this film is about an alcoholic father who is abusing his kids and has lost the rights to see his youngest son (who is in foster care).  No.  That is another mistaken assumption.

This story is about a family who lost a wife and a mother to a very violent crime.  It’s the story of a man who is broken and blaming himself for his wife’s death.  As a result, he falls into an abyss of mental illness.  This artist is trying to get his kid back, and his eldest son is just waiting for his dad to return to normal.  He sacrifices so much trying to help his father get back on his feet again.

Heidi Greensmith and Tommy Flanagan win for "Winter."
Heidi Greensmith and Tommy Flanagan win for “Winter.”

The amazing thing about this story is that it teaches you not to judge a book by its cover.  This man’s mental illness came about because of grief and regret.  His son put it perfectly.  His dad was not crazy.  His heart was just broken.

It is in this man’s healing that he returns to painting again, but in a whole new light.  He’s a different man working out his demons and creates complete and utter genius.  His eldest son saw this from the beginning.  He saw the man his father truly was.  To him, this story is not about an abusive alcoholic father that has fucked everything up for their family.  This story is truly about a man that had a broken heart and lost all sense of himself the day his wife died.  He just needed time (and help) to find a way out of that grief.

I believe this quote from Lisa See’s “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” adequately describes the journey this man takes out of sorrow.

Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you find peace.

This incredible tale makes you re-evaluate how you look at life and at people who are going through a difficult time in their life.  On the surface, we instantly stereotype them as drunks, alcoholics, abusive/neglectful parents, homeless, mentally ill, etc.  All of those labels are incorrect.  This man is an artist who is waiting for his next inspiration.  He’s waiting to discover his own genius that is inside of himself.

Sometimes it takes a life-changing event to discover the genius within.  That is the journey this artist was on.

Tommy Flanagan’s role was phenomenal.  The way his various emotions were captured on his face…it is a moment of beauty and brilliance.  This role opens your eyes to see how incredible of an actor he is.  I would say, one of the best in the business after seeing him in this film.  He brought his A+ game to this film and his performance is Oscarworthy.

In the story, the eldest son tried his best to keep the family together and help his father at the same time.  He is the real hero of the story.  The way he saw who his father was deep down inside, most children are not that perceptive.  They would have cowered in fear, be mortally wounded with each derogatory word yelled at them.  Not this kid.  He was just waiting for the genius he saw within his father to emerge.  What he was willing to sacrifice for his father to discover that, shows just how much he loved him.

Heidi Greensmith, Director of "Winter."
Heidi Greensmith, Director of “Winter.”

Heidi Greensmith has brought this thought-provoking tale to the screen.  Most importantly, you need to note that she is a female director.  There are very few in the business.  She’s also a mother and a wife and despite her other duties, she was able to make something this brilliant.

The film picked up an award for Best Drama Film at NYCIFF.  Tommy Flanagan picked up the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.  Heidi Greensmith picked up the Best International Director award.

Congratulations to everyone from “Winter.”  This film was brilliance.




Oscar Watch: “Family on Board” Given Oscar Consideration

(Courtesy of George Pogatsia, Director, Writer and Star of “Family On Board”)

Gino Cafarelli and George Pogatsia of "Family on Board."
Gino Cafarelli and George Pogatsia of “Family on Board.”

The big news coming out of the New York City International Film Festival (“NYCIFF”) is that “Family on Board” and “Malan Breton: A Journey to Taiwan” were submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a 2016 Oscar consideration.

“Family on Board” won in every category the short film was nominated in.  It picked up three NYCIFF awards for Best Narrative Short Film USA, Best Director in a Narrative Short, and Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Short Narrative Film.

Here is the official press release…
IMG_9576 (1)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCOjkLUqos]

You can read more about the short film Here and Here.

Congratulations to everyone that was a part of “Family on Board.”  If you get an opportunity to see it, it is a must see.  This short is the type of production that sticks with you long after you have seen it.  You will constantly be wondering about the fate of Mike Petito.  It will leave you with questions on whether a hero trying to save someone deserves to be thrown in prison.  It will also teach you a life lesson about staying true to yourself no matter what the circumstances are.

Kudos to George Pogatsia.  He created a masterpiece which (hopefully) is the beginning of a much bigger masterpiece down the line.

We’ll keep you updated on the film’s journey to Oscar night.

 

NYCIFF Short: Family On Board

Official poster for Family on Board
Official poster for Family on Board

Opening up the NYCIFF gala on Thursday night was a heartbreaking film short from George Pogatsia called “Family on Board,” a story of a man who attempts to help save his neighbor who is being abducted after a burglary in their home.  What could be seen as being a heroic moment, he gets the book thrown at him by the justice system as he is portrayed as a violent vigilante and is sentenced to five years in prison.

Being a family man, he is forced to leave his wife and two children.  Because of the honorable circumstances surrounding the events of that night, the judge allows him to have a month with his family to get his affairs in order before he is ordered to report to prison.

The events that follow on that morning he reports to prison are the few short minutes that will leave you heartbroken.

Here is the official trailer for the film:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCOjkLUqos]

Mr. Pogatsia was kind enough to do a short email interview for PerfectionistWannabe.com.

1. What was the inspiration behind the story? Was it based on a true story?

I read a story a while back about a man in Texas who called 911 about 2 guys burglarizing his neighbor’s home. He ended up shooting and killing both. He never recieved any jail time. It made me think, what if this happened in New York City? Also, I was living in downtown Manhattan on 9/11. The towers falling actually woke me from bed and I had a friend who was scheduled to report to prison downtown on 9/11 … I threw those stories into a pot, I sprinkled in my imagination and mixed it up. I came out with Family on Board.

2. While we take a look at the conflict between hero vs. vigilante, the main part of this story is about a man who has to leave his family. We see an outstanding citizen who was trying to do the right thing, but the court has decided differently and he has to leave his family. The irony of this story is that even though he was turning himself in, you have to wonder just what would have happened if he was asked to turn himself in on 9/12/2001 rather than 9/11/2001. He wasn’t just leaving his family for 5 years. He was saying goodbye to them forever. He was able to get those last moments with them that morning, something not too many people were able to do. Why did you choose to write the story this way?

On 9/12 Mike Petito would have reported to prison to serve out his jail sentence. I chose to tell the story this way because I enjoy having the audience participate. I like developing characters they can relate to and care about. I try get them invested in their lives then have them theorize on what happened in the end. Did he leave forever? I hope to provoke thought and discussion. Almost like thinking about an old love and what may have become of them.

3. Will this eventually be turned into a full feature film?

I’m developing a feature version of Family on Board. Tony Sirico (“The Sopranos”) is a big supporter of the project, his role will be considerably larger in the feature. Oscar winner John Avildsen (“Rocky”) wants to direct.

If you get a chance to see this film, I highly suggest seeing it. I contemplated leaving when I realized the day…9/11/01. I didn’t know how far he would take the actual events occurring in that moment.  9/11/01 was a real nightmare that many of us had to live through and haven’t quite healed from.  But luckily, the story quickly changed to post-9/11 and I was glued to my seat in those next couple of minutes.  It left you questioning just what happened to Mike Petito that day.

I would love to see this as a full feature film, especially with the same cast of characters.  It’s a story that will keep you wondering long after you’ve stepped out of the theater.

NYCIFF will host their Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 7, 2015.

Highlights from NYCIFF

NYCIFFNew York – The New York City International Film Festival is in New York until May 7, 2015.

During its opening night gala, with actors and directors out on the red carpet for the launch of the festival, the two main features were a film short called “Family on Board” directed by George Pogatsia and the feature film “Phantom Halo” directed by Antonia Bogdanovich.

On the second night of the festival, William Shatner graced himself on the red carpet to showcase his new documentary “Chaos on the Bridge,” the chaotic tale of what it took to bring “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to a television screen.

Fashion designer Malan Breton was also in attendance both nights.  He’s at NYCIFF to present his new film “A Journey to Taiwan.”

Family On Board

Tony Sirico (“Sopranos”) stars in “Family on Board.”  He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Matthew Cowles, who also stars, received the award posthumously.

George Pogatsia not only directed, but also starred in this sad tale about a misjudged hero. He was in attendance at the gala on Thursday night.

Here is a clip from the film:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/xOCOjkLUqos]

The film leaves you with a lot of questions about more than just what happened.  It makes you question whether it’s right for a hero the court has deemed as a vigilante to end up in prison just for saving someone’s life.  It’s also about a hero staying true to who he is no matter what the circumstances are.

This short film is a must see.

Phantom Halo

Cast and crew of Phantom Halo.
Cast and crew of Phantom Halo.

Phantom Halo stars Sebastian Roché (“The Originals,” “Supernatural,” “Once Upon a Time”), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“Love Actually,” “The Maze Runner”) and Rebecca Romijn (“X-Men”).

Sebastian attended the gala with his wife Alicia Hannah.  Clare Grant (who also stars), Antonia Bogdanovich (co-writer, director) and Anne Heffron (co-writer) also attended.

[youtube=https://youtu.be/XHRFzHJiEsw]

Here are a few takes from the Q&A:

  • The story is very reflective of the co-writers childhoods and upbringing.
  • There is a reference to a ‘pound of flesh,’ but don’t mistake it for a “Merchant of Venice” reference, even though Shakespeare quotes appear throughout the movie, it is purely Anne Heffron’s take on people calling her Asian daughter ‘Chinese,’ when she’s actually Korean.
  • Heffron is a master of writing male lines.
  • At the end, Roché and the panel discussed what acting means in an independent film.  You’re not doing it for the money in an indie film.  You are doing it for the pure passion of what you love, so you bring your A-game to every scene.  It’s about the passion of the art.
  • Gbenga Akinnagbe is not African (like his name would suggest).  He is an American, born in Washington, DC. He spent some time living in Mexico.  He was not originally cast in the role of Roman.  There was another actor cast, but he did not work out.
  • Roman uses an English accent (like Roché does), but this was a fluke.  Roman was not originally a British character.  It came about after they were messing around on set.
  • Even though Thomas Brodie-Sangster speaks in an American accent, it was very important to Bogdanovich that they cast a British actor.

Chaos On The Bridge

William Shatner arrives on the red carpet.
William Shatner arrives on the red carpet.

William Shatner’s newest documentary is “Chaos on the Bridge.”  A movie about the chaos that went into bringing “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to life and into the homes of every American.

If you are a Star Trek fan or even a TNG fan, this is a must see.  It will give you a whole brand new perspective of what it meant to create TNG…the chaos that went into it is just unbelievable.  Not only is it visually stimulating, but it is absolutely hilarious as well.

Shatner was in attendance both on the red carpet and after the feature to do a Q&A.

Here’s a glimpse at his new film:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/t4UAInrMiT4]

Shatner’s next project includes taking a little road trip on his new motorcycle and filming it.  NOTE: This isn’t just any kind of motorcycle.  You really need to see it.

 

Malan Breton

Fashion Designer Malan Breton.
Fashion Designer Malan Breton.

Fashion designer Malan Breton was in attendance for both the opening night gala and Shatner’s film on Friday night.  The designer was at NYCIFF to showcase his new film “Malan Breton a Journey to Taiwan.”

He showcased many of his beautiful designs prior to the film, which was shown prior to the gala on Thursday night.

As you can see in the pictures here (from William Shatner’s night), he wears one of his designs.

Here’s a glimpse of his moment at NYCIFF:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/3TfMFw63IEQ]

Other glimpses from NYCIFF

Here are a few pictures from the first two days at NYCIFF.

Alicia Hannah
Alicia Hannah
Fashion Designer Malan Breton.
Fashion Designer Malan Breton.
Sebastian Roche and Alicia Hannah.
Sebastian Roche and Alicia Hannah.
Sebastian Roche and Michelle Kenneth (Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe).
Sebastian Roche and Michelle Kenneth (Perfectionist Wannabe “PW”).
William Shatner presented his film "Chaos on the Bridge" at NYCIFF.
William Shatner presented his film “Chaos on the Bridge” at NYCIFF.
Sebastian Roche with his wife Alicia Hannah.
Sebastian Roche with his wife Alicia Hannah.
PW dress by Ralph Lauren, J Crew cardigan, Blue by Betsey Johnson shoes.
PW dress by Ralph Lauren, J Crew cardigan, Blue by Betsey Johnson shoes.
PW on the red carpet.
PW on the red carpet.
Tony Sirico receives a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tony Sirico receives a Lifetime Achievement Award.