FILM
Screenplays
Strong female roles, unique character-driven stories, comedies with dramatic pivot points. I have several scripts ready for development and production.
Vegas- Based on a True Story
Eminent filmmaker, Amir Naderi brought me aboard to co-author his script. While he cooked and fed me àsh-e jo soup, we hashed out character and plot developments. I also ventured to Las Vegas to research the gritty underworld and outskirts of the Strip. Amir shot the film in Los Vegas. It premiered to an adoring Italian audience in competition at the Venice Film Festival, 2008, and premiered in the US at Tribeca Film Festival, 2009.
Film Festivals: Venice Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, Pusan International Film Festival, Mar del Plata Film Festival, Tokyo FILMeX, Bratislava International Film Festival, Febio Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, CineVegas International Film Festival, Paris Cinéma, Vancouver International Film Festival, Warsaw Film Festival & Vienna International Film Festival
One Day Home
With the extraordinary writer/actress/producer, Rebecca L. Miller, I co-produced the short comedic film, One Day Home, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival, was nationally featured at film festivals, and is now homed at Omeleto, a YouTube channel that promotes award-wining short films. The film showcases fantastic women in front of and behind the camera, including members from the cast, Orange is the New Black, passionate director Drew Denny, and superpower cinematographer Autumn Eakin. After some creative fund raising that included a pole-dancing poetry party, we filmed overnight at NYC’s oldest mattress company, Charles P. Rogers.
Starring: Catherine Curtin, Frank Harts, Michelle Hurst, Rebecca Louise Miller, Alfredo Narciso, and Larry Pine.
Doggy Bags
Thrilled to have my movie pitch chosen as winner of the My Movie Pitch Tribeca/American Express short contest (2011) - and then made into a short film, Doggy Bags, by Edward Burns! Premiered at Tribeca Film Festival (2012). It was an amazing experience to watch Ed direct - so in touch with his actors and all the moving parts of making a film. On set, I held my breath as someone sailed a tray of glassware over the unruffle-able Ed.
https://tribecafilm.com/news/512c17eb1c7d76d9a9000a14-super-shorts-doggy-bags
Verse - A Murder Mystery
Ram Devineni and I cooked up a story about a young poet bike messenger who discovers a lost manuscript. He is soon drawn into the New York City literary world with the only key to an unsolved, 30-year-old murder. Winner of the LA Webfest best dramatic script (2011) with over one-million hits on YouTube, this documentary style web series features seasoned actors and fresh performances from young poets, Jon Sands and Angel Nafis, peppered with cameos by quintessential New York poetry voices Bob Holman, Taylor Mead, and John Giorno. Our poetry murder mystery puzzle came together while shooting on the streets of NYC without a permit on a 5D and GoPro, then sewn together with a swooping melodic score by Shira E.
Watch: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwnXWaad1J26Spdf1e6wNVzxBvnJAoQpH
Hal & Minter
World renowned filmmaker/producer, Ram Devineni filmed this short, funny, and inspiring documentary, Hal & Minter, about Hal Sirowitz, acclaimed poet and Parkinson’s patient, and his wife, witty and charming writer, Minter Krotzer. The film premiered at ReelAbilities Film Festival (2021) and was featured at the Barcelona World Parkinson’s Coalition (2023). I lent a hand with production and co-edited the joint on-line, double anthology of Parkinson’s poems, Walking the Line - An Anthology of Parkinson's Writing (2021).