2013 Great Lakes International Film Festival
Film Selections
Screening Live at PACA
The Insomniac {World Premiere}
Director Monty Miranda
Narrative Feature
1hr 43mins
Starring: Eddy Salazar, Clare Grant, Danny Trejo, John Heard, Keith Szarabajka, Spencer Berger, Brett DelBuono
John Figg seems to have it all – a beautiful soon-to-be fiancé, a loving dog, a new promotion, and loyal friends – until the house he inherits gets viciously robbed. Convinced a robbery will happen again and by someone he knows, John develops a severe case of insomnia.
John goes through a downward spiral, choosing to stay awake until he catches his culprit. Are his neighbors to blame? His friends? His girlfriend? His clients? He has reasons to accuse all and a ton of note pads to write out all his irrational – and sometimes rational – convictions.
Eddy Salazar is a bilingual American actor/producer from Miami, Florida. By December 2005, Salazar was performing with the Miami affiliation of Shakespeare in the Park as Gregory in “Romeo and Juliet,” Demetrius in “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Sebastian in “Twelfth Night,” and Benvolio in the first full-length, literally translated Spanish production of “Romeo and Juliet” (‘Romeo y Julieta’) in Florida. He has since studied and graduated from the Stella Adler Studio in Los Angeles, where actors such as Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Benicio del Toro, Harvey Keitel, and Mark Ruffalo studied in the past. Salazar has landed several independent film roles and stars in the upcoming films “All I Want for Christmas” and “Mansion of Blood.”
Clare Grant is a Memphis born actress who grew up heavily involved in the local theater scene. While in Memphis, Clare met local director, Craig Brewer, who cast her in several independent films before casting her in his first studio film “Black Snake Moan” & then later in his MTV series $5 Cover. Since then, Clare has found luck in LA, booking leading roles in “Walk the Line”, the Emmy award winning Showtime series “Masters of Horror” as well as several other films and television shows, including voicing characters on “Robot Chicken”.
As a producer, Clare created & starred in the short film “Saber,” which won two awards in the LucasFilm Star Wars Fan Film Awards. With her creative partners, Team Unicorn, she has helped to create and produce viral sensations such as “G33K & G4M3R Girls”, “A Very Zombie Holiday” and “Super Harmony”.
Danny Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in “tough guy” roles as a villain or an anti-hero. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the character Machete Cortez in the Robert Rodriguez films “Machete” and “Machete Kills”. (credit: Wikipedia.org)
An actor with an illustrious career, John Heard is well known for his recurring role as Peter McCallister (the father of Kevin McMallister) in the Home Alone series. He also starred in Cat People, The Pelican Brief, Awakenings, One Eight Seven, and Big. Recurring roles on TV shows include CSI: Miami, Prison Break, and The Chicago Code.
Keith Szarabajka is an established actor and celebrated voice artist with an extensive resume, appearing as a recurring character in numerous television programs including The Equalizer, Golden Years, Law & Order, Profit, Angel, and Cold Case, among many others.
Voice over credits include recurring roles in Aaahh!! Real Monsters and The Wild Thonrberrys, and some video games such as X-Men: Destiny, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Fallout: New Vegas, Transformers: War for Cybertron, Mass Effect 1 and 2, Dead Space, and LA Noire. He was recently seen in The Dark Knight and the upcoming Argo.
Spencer Berger is best known for writing and starring in director Monty Miranda’s debut film, Skills Like This, which won “Best Narrative Feature Audience Award” at the prestigious film festival South By Southwest.
Brett DelBuono is an accomplished child (now young adult) actor with roles such as Randy in Balls of Fury, Ben Banks in The Cleaner, Dylan in Miss Behave, and Kenny’s Brother in Let Me In, among others.
Raid of the Rainbow Lounge
Director Robert L Camina
GLBT
1hr 43mins
Starring: Meredith Baxter
A full length documentary film recounting the events surrounding the widely publicized and controversial raid of a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar in 2009. Following a sordid aftermath, Fort Worth would become a leader in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) equality. However, that journey was not smooth and without controversies. Witness history unfold as this film documents that journey from the perspective of eyewitnesses, activists and politicians who helped change the city. Narrated by television icon and Emmy nominated actress, Meredith Baxter.
Little Red
Director Tate Bunker
Narrative Feature
83mins
Starring: Mark Metcalf
In a contemporary retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood,” a wolfish creep named Lou, played by Mark Metcalf (Animal House, Seinfield, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), stalks preteen Milwaukeean “Red” on her whimsical, runaway trip to Florida. Lou follows Red as she clumsily, yet happily, pushes towards the wild horses of Cumberland Island. To Lou’s distress, her plight also attracts the attention of a worldlier girl, a Floridian named Kayla. Happily ever after does not come easily, or without a price, in this hauntingly beautiful adventure film.
Troubadour Blues
Director Tom Weber
Documentary Feature
93mins
Starring: Peter Case – Soundtrack Credit: True Blood, Speed, Valley Girl
Follow the paths of modern-day troubadours as they travel the lost highways of America, singing songs of love, longing, hope and redemption.
Made in Cleveland
Directors:
Jamie Babbit Fucking Cleveland
Robert C. Banks Book of Love
Tony Hartman Friday Night, Wingmen
Sage O’Bryant Domestic Disputes, Love Interrupted
Cigdem Slankard Forbidden Love
Eric Swinderman Corned Beef and Mamie O’Rourke, Love Thy Neighbor
Amy Tankersley Swinderman Love of Country
Narrative Feature
1hr 53 mins
Starring: Busy Philipps, Gillian Jacobs, Victor Kuehn
Tale of life, love and the pursuit of happiness… in Cleveland. Nine vignettes about love: an old war hero defends the honor and memory of a long-lost love; a man’s past comes to light in the midst of a perfect date; a recently separated paramedic gets more than he bargains for when he is thrust in the middle of a domestic dispute; a desperate man employs his friends in an elaborate scheme to meet the girl of his dreams, a recovering sex addict returns home to start a new life. There are thousands of stories of love, lust, loss and despair all over Cleveland-these are just a few of them.
Gillian Jacobs is an American actress, known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC comedy series Community.
Elizabeth Philipps, known professionally as Busy Philipps, is an American actress, known for her supporting roles on the television series Freaks and Geeks and Dawson’s Creek.
Victor Kuehn Starred in local films House of Bedlam, Fist of the Vampire, Dead@17, Virgin Pockets, Stranger Places, Curse of the Wolf, Missed Cues, Dualife
Corned Beef and Mamie O’Rourke
Synopsis: An old war hero defends the honor and memory of a long-lost love.
Fucking Cleveland
Synopsis: A recovering addict gets a fresh start in Cleveland.
Bulletproof
Synopsis: A young boy summons superheroic courage in the face of tragedy.
Friday Night
Synopsis: In Cleveland, what you do for a living is not always what you love …
Love of Country
Synopsis: The greatest gift one man can give his country comes at great cost.
Book of Love
Synopsis: For a young couple in a library, love cannot be silenced.
Forbidden Love
Synopsis: A culture clash makes love off-limits.
Domestic Disputes
Synopsis: A recently separated paramedic is thrust into the middle of a late night domestic disturbance call.
Wingmen
Synopsis: Love is a game, and three Lakewood guys make the rules.
Love Interrupted
Synopsis: A man’s past comes to light in the middle of a perfect date.
Love Thy Neighbor
Synopsis: A lonely man doesn’t have to look far to meet an unlikely new friend.
Meet Anna
Director Robert L Goodman
GLBT
2mins
Comedy short. Anna Phylaxis comes to America and dances to the music of the streets.
Adults Only
Director Michael J Saul
GLBT
26mins 17secs
Matthew is haunted by recurring memories of a lost love. Like an old black and white film on an endless loop, scenes from the past make sleep impossible.
Visions of a past relationship leave Matthew broken and isolated until an intimate encounter at a porn arcade opens a peephole to unexpected possibilities.
Water to Wine
Director Cody Cannon
Music Video
4mins 14secs
A spiritual journey through the eyes of a man who appears to be losing it all, but discovers that sometimes it is easier to let go and let God.
Oxygen
Director Alex Olsen
Music Video
3mins 48secs
This is a music video to We Are Leo’s song Oxygen. The story is based in a past-social degression world. People fight against the elements and “government” in order to survive.
Pulling Me Under
Director Matthew R Miller
Music Video
3mins 18secs
A young man wrestles with the secrets of his youth as he confronts the past to rediscover who he is, and what he was truly meant for.
Fear
Director Philip Kuttikkattu-Mathew
Music Video
3mins 14secs
Fear portrays the stories of fears relationships and fears that one goes through when trying to befriend a group when in a new place. The song is inspired by the writers past fear of singing. This is his first single release, leading to his next single called #DareToDream, where one pursues their dreams after overcoming fear.
Once Again
Director Sanjay Arora
Religious/Spiritual/Christian
47mins 16secs
Story inspired from teachings of Buddha. Raj Malhotra, a self centered company executive, takes life for granted and uses situations and people around him to his advantage. But life takes an unexpected turn, forcing him to accept the reality and this paves the way to a journey of transformation.
Eidola
Director Lauren Merage
Experimental
30mins
Eidola is a surrealist short film that explores the relationship of art and humanity as they intertwine to create a rich fabric of color, humor, sadness and absurdity–art as the everlasting existence, humanity as a mere passing experience.
Life in Stills
Director Tamar Tal
Documentary Feature
58mins
A photo shop owner and her grandson join forces to save the shop and the nearly one million negatives that document Israel’s defining moments.
Blood of Bishop
Director Phil Moniz
Narrative Short
8mins 9secs
After spending his teen years away from home, Sean McCauley returns to his small town in northern Ontario to face the horrific actions of his recently deceased father and the scars of shame and regret they left behind.