Film Work
2012: Time For Change
“2012: Time for Change” presents an optimistic alternative to apocalyptic doom and gloom. Directed by Emmy Award nominee João Amorim, the film follows journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the bestselling 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, on a quest for a new paradigm that integrates the archaic wisdom of tribal cultures with the scientific method. As conscious agents of evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological principles to make a world that works for all. Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 heralds the birth of a regenerative planetary culture where collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile materialism that has pushed our world to the brink.
A Whisper to a Roar
A Whisper to a Roar tells the heroic stories of courageous democracy activists in five countries around the world – Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. From student leaders to prime ministers and heads of state, these activists share their compelling personal stories of struggle, past and present, with their countries’ oppressive regimes. Shot over three years and completed in February 2012 by award-winning filmmaker, Ben Moses, the film was inspired by the work of Stanford University’s Larry Diamond, author of “The Spirit of Democracy” and Director of Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. It was funded by The Moulay Hicham Foundation, whose benefactor, Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco, is a renowned public intellectual and democracy advocate, particularly in regards to the Middle East.
Easier With Practice
(Nominated for two Spirit Awards, Winner of the Someone to Watch Spirit Award)
In an effort to promote his unpublished novel, Davy Mitchell sets out on a road trip with his younger brother. However, the idealism of being on the road wears off and it quickly proves to be a lonely and unfulfilling experience for Davy. One night in a motel room he gets a random phone call from a mysterious woman named Nicole. They start a funny and intimate long distance relationship that leaves Davy happier than he has been in years. Hoping there is more to the relationship then a voice and a phone bill, Davy decides he wants to meet Nicole. Ultimately, he will have to face not only the truth about their relationship but also about himself.
"For Spacious Sky"
On November 4th, 2008, our country chose a new hope, not only in one man, but in the possibility of change for every man, every family…for America. FOR SPACIOUS SKY is the inspiring story, based on actual events, of three lost brothers finding their way back to each other – one from hate, one from addiction and one from discrimination. Eli, an ex-con white supremacist struggling to start his life over, and Clay, a gay novelist, must set aside their differences for the day to bring their drug-addicted younger brother, Kevin, to rehab. On this day of our nation’s most important decision, these three estranged brothers find themselves at a similar crossroad and must choose to remain broken or change. Set against the sweeping landscape of rural America, FOR SPACIOUS SKY is a story of renewal, redemption and hope defying all odds.
"Fruit of Labor"
(Official Selection Newport Beach Film Festival 2013)
Alfred, a demented, low level associate editor who believes society lacks passion, desires to be taken seriously as a fashion photographer. With the assistance of his homicidal wife, Eva, Alfred pushes his would-be-models to the brink of hysteria in order to capture the perfect photo. Alfred's rage and jealousy sends us on a roller coaster ride of emotions, ending at a sobering finale. "Fruit of Labor" is a short film starring Vincent Kartheiser ("Mad Men") and produced by "Mad Men" producer Marcy Patterson.
FUEL
(Winner of Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary, short-listed for an Oscar nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary)
Director Josh Tickell takes us along for his 11 year journey around the world to find solutions to America's addiction to oil. A shrinking economy, a failing auto industry, rampant unemployment, an out-of-control national debt, and an insatiable demand for energy weigh heavily on all of us. Fuel shows us the way out of the mess we're in by explaining how to replace every drop of oil we now use, while creating green jobs and keeping our money here at home. The film never dwells on the negative, but instead shows us the easy solutions already within our reach.
GhettoPhysics
An in-your-face wake-up call, GhettoPhysics shows how the game of life is played—and it’s all the same game! From the corner offices of Wall Street to the inner sanctums of world governments, from the red light districts in the ghettos to the living rooms behind the white-picket fences on Main Street, game is happening. African American philosopher/filmmaker E Raymond Brown plays the cocky “Professor,” explaining the life game to a class of clueless and initially indifferent students who have no idea that the modern world is “all about makin’ you think a certain way.” Through a series of interviews, animation and dramatic sequences he reveals not only how the life game works in politics, global economics, technology, media and entertainment, he points the finger at the global power brokers pulling the strings, making world populations dance to their tune.
The film includes interviews with notable entertainers and modern thinkers, such as Dr. Cornel West, Ice-T, KRS-One, Too Short, John Perkins, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, transformational consultant Byron Katie and Norman Lear. Of course, it also includes a colorful contingent of street characters with names like Filmore Slim, Hook da Crook, Mac Breed and Lo Da Show.
Gun Hill Road
(Sundance Film Festival Jury Award Nominee; nominated for Best Female in a Supporting Role Spirit Award)
After three years in prison, Enrique (Esai Morales) returns home to the Bronx to find the world he knew has changed. His wife, Angela (Judy Reyes), struggles to hide an emotional affair, and his teenage son, Michael (Harmony Santana), explores a sexual transformation well beyond Enrique's grasp and understanding.
Unable to accept his child, Enrique clings to his masculine ideals while Angela attempts to hold the family together by protecting Michael. Still under the watchful eye of his parole officer (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), Enrique must become the father he needs to be or, once again, risk losing his family and freedom.
Can a father's fierce love for his family overcome his street-hardened ideas about manhood and end the vicious cycle controlling his life? Writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green's first feature film is an intricate portrait of a family divided told with sensitivity, gentle humor, and a deep understanding of the environment that shapes its people.
The Living Wake
“The Living Wake” is a dark comedy set in a timeless storybook universe. Self-proclaimed artist and genius, K. Roth Binew, has one day to live. He has enlisted his best and only friend, Mills Joquin, to take him around on a bicycle powered rickshaw. In a final attempt to probe life’s deepest mysteries, Binew endures one ridiculous trial after the next. He concludes his day with a final performance, his living wake. On a makeshift stage in an open field, Binew’s friends and enemies gather to witness his madness one final time.
Operation Belvis Bash
In a time of delicate political and religious conflict, a struggling rock and roll musician, Belvis Bash (Alexander Loy) is recruited by Major Emile Hickory (Mark Metcalf) of the United States Army to fly to Afghanistan and win the hearts and minds of the Afghani people. Joined by the outrageous "Jewtastic" comedian, Samuel Stilman (Corey Feldman), an impassioned Afghan drummer, Samir (Walid Amini) and an overworked musical theater actress May (Noelle Locke), he embarks upon his futile quest.
To make matters worse, as danger emanates all around at the hands of the infamous terrorist Abdul (The Iron Sheik), Belvis is being upstaged by a musical theater heavy-weight - Alfons Logoluso (Frank Stallone), starring in Major's original production, "Les Miserables: Episode One."
Trusting that his agent Namco Douglas (Daniel Baldwin) will come through for him and with the help of his only fan in Afghanistan, Hamid (Larry Thomas), Belvis must reach the people before it is too late.
SKIN
(Winner Audience Award, Pan-African Film Festival 2009)
SKIN is one of the most moving stories to emerge from apartheid South Africa: Sandra Laing is a black child born in the 1950s to two white Afrikaners, unaware of their black ancestry. Her parents are rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, who lovingly bring her up as their ‘white’ little girl. But at the age of ten, Sandra is driven out of white society. The film follows Sandra’s thirty-year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her place in a changing world - and triumphs against all odds. Sandra currently resides with her family in South Africa.
Winnebago Man
Type "The Angriest Man in the World" into any search engine, and one name appears—Jack Rebney, a.k.a. "The Winnebago Man”—an ‘80s RV salesman whose hilarious, profanity-strewn, on-the-job meltdown was captured on video and passed around on VHS tapes, before exploding into an Internet phenomenon seen by millions. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of the infamous viral video star and discovers him living a hermit-like existence on top of a mountain, unaware of his fame. Rebney turns out to be as sharp-tongued as ever, but more intelligent and lovable than anyone could have imagined. An outrageously funny and unexpectedly redemptive tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity, and proof that the truth is both stranger and funnier than fiction.
WINNEBAGO MAN was theatrically released nationwide by Kino International (U.S.) and by Kinosmith (Canada). The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2009. The documentary has been broadcast in more than a dozen countries internationally, including EPIX HD (US), The Movie Network (Canada), and BBC Storyville (UK).
“2012: Time for Change” presents an optimistic alternative to apocalyptic doom and gloom. Directed by Emmy Award nominee João Amorim, the film follows journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the bestselling 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, on a quest for a new paradigm that integrates the archaic wisdom of tribal cultures with the scientific method. As conscious agents of evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological principles to make a world that works for all. Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 heralds the birth of a regenerative planetary culture where collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile materialism that has pushed our world to the brink.
A Whisper to a Roar
A Whisper to a Roar tells the heroic stories of courageous democracy activists in five countries around the world – Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. From student leaders to prime ministers and heads of state, these activists share their compelling personal stories of struggle, past and present, with their countries’ oppressive regimes. Shot over three years and completed in February 2012 by award-winning filmmaker, Ben Moses, the film was inspired by the work of Stanford University’s Larry Diamond, author of “The Spirit of Democracy” and Director of Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. It was funded by The Moulay Hicham Foundation, whose benefactor, Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco, is a renowned public intellectual and democracy advocate, particularly in regards to the Middle East.
Easier With Practice
(Nominated for two Spirit Awards, Winner of the Someone to Watch Spirit Award)
In an effort to promote his unpublished novel, Davy Mitchell sets out on a road trip with his younger brother. However, the idealism of being on the road wears off and it quickly proves to be a lonely and unfulfilling experience for Davy. One night in a motel room he gets a random phone call from a mysterious woman named Nicole. They start a funny and intimate long distance relationship that leaves Davy happier than he has been in years. Hoping there is more to the relationship then a voice and a phone bill, Davy decides he wants to meet Nicole. Ultimately, he will have to face not only the truth about their relationship but also about himself.
"For Spacious Sky"
On November 4th, 2008, our country chose a new hope, not only in one man, but in the possibility of change for every man, every family…for America. FOR SPACIOUS SKY is the inspiring story, based on actual events, of three lost brothers finding their way back to each other – one from hate, one from addiction and one from discrimination. Eli, an ex-con white supremacist struggling to start his life over, and Clay, a gay novelist, must set aside their differences for the day to bring their drug-addicted younger brother, Kevin, to rehab. On this day of our nation’s most important decision, these three estranged brothers find themselves at a similar crossroad and must choose to remain broken or change. Set against the sweeping landscape of rural America, FOR SPACIOUS SKY is a story of renewal, redemption and hope defying all odds.
"Fruit of Labor"
(Official Selection Newport Beach Film Festival 2013)
Alfred, a demented, low level associate editor who believes society lacks passion, desires to be taken seriously as a fashion photographer. With the assistance of his homicidal wife, Eva, Alfred pushes his would-be-models to the brink of hysteria in order to capture the perfect photo. Alfred's rage and jealousy sends us on a roller coaster ride of emotions, ending at a sobering finale. "Fruit of Labor" is a short film starring Vincent Kartheiser ("Mad Men") and produced by "Mad Men" producer Marcy Patterson.
FUEL
(Winner of Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary, short-listed for an Oscar nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary)
Director Josh Tickell takes us along for his 11 year journey around the world to find solutions to America's addiction to oil. A shrinking economy, a failing auto industry, rampant unemployment, an out-of-control national debt, and an insatiable demand for energy weigh heavily on all of us. Fuel shows us the way out of the mess we're in by explaining how to replace every drop of oil we now use, while creating green jobs and keeping our money here at home. The film never dwells on the negative, but instead shows us the easy solutions already within our reach.
GhettoPhysics
An in-your-face wake-up call, GhettoPhysics shows how the game of life is played—and it’s all the same game! From the corner offices of Wall Street to the inner sanctums of world governments, from the red light districts in the ghettos to the living rooms behind the white-picket fences on Main Street, game is happening. African American philosopher/filmmaker E Raymond Brown plays the cocky “Professor,” explaining the life game to a class of clueless and initially indifferent students who have no idea that the modern world is “all about makin’ you think a certain way.” Through a series of interviews, animation and dramatic sequences he reveals not only how the life game works in politics, global economics, technology, media and entertainment, he points the finger at the global power brokers pulling the strings, making world populations dance to their tune.
The film includes interviews with notable entertainers and modern thinkers, such as Dr. Cornel West, Ice-T, KRS-One, Too Short, John Perkins, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, transformational consultant Byron Katie and Norman Lear. Of course, it also includes a colorful contingent of street characters with names like Filmore Slim, Hook da Crook, Mac Breed and Lo Da Show.
Gun Hill Road
(Sundance Film Festival Jury Award Nominee; nominated for Best Female in a Supporting Role Spirit Award)
After three years in prison, Enrique (Esai Morales) returns home to the Bronx to find the world he knew has changed. His wife, Angela (Judy Reyes), struggles to hide an emotional affair, and his teenage son, Michael (Harmony Santana), explores a sexual transformation well beyond Enrique's grasp and understanding.
Unable to accept his child, Enrique clings to his masculine ideals while Angela attempts to hold the family together by protecting Michael. Still under the watchful eye of his parole officer (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), Enrique must become the father he needs to be or, once again, risk losing his family and freedom.
Can a father's fierce love for his family overcome his street-hardened ideas about manhood and end the vicious cycle controlling his life? Writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green's first feature film is an intricate portrait of a family divided told with sensitivity, gentle humor, and a deep understanding of the environment that shapes its people.
The Living Wake
“The Living Wake” is a dark comedy set in a timeless storybook universe. Self-proclaimed artist and genius, K. Roth Binew, has one day to live. He has enlisted his best and only friend, Mills Joquin, to take him around on a bicycle powered rickshaw. In a final attempt to probe life’s deepest mysteries, Binew endures one ridiculous trial after the next. He concludes his day with a final performance, his living wake. On a makeshift stage in an open field, Binew’s friends and enemies gather to witness his madness one final time.
Operation Belvis Bash
In a time of delicate political and religious conflict, a struggling rock and roll musician, Belvis Bash (Alexander Loy) is recruited by Major Emile Hickory (Mark Metcalf) of the United States Army to fly to Afghanistan and win the hearts and minds of the Afghani people. Joined by the outrageous "Jewtastic" comedian, Samuel Stilman (Corey Feldman), an impassioned Afghan drummer, Samir (Walid Amini) and an overworked musical theater actress May (Noelle Locke), he embarks upon his futile quest.
To make matters worse, as danger emanates all around at the hands of the infamous terrorist Abdul (The Iron Sheik), Belvis is being upstaged by a musical theater heavy-weight - Alfons Logoluso (Frank Stallone), starring in Major's original production, "Les Miserables: Episode One."
Trusting that his agent Namco Douglas (Daniel Baldwin) will come through for him and with the help of his only fan in Afghanistan, Hamid (Larry Thomas), Belvis must reach the people before it is too late.
SKIN
(Winner Audience Award, Pan-African Film Festival 2009)
SKIN is one of the most moving stories to emerge from apartheid South Africa: Sandra Laing is a black child born in the 1950s to two white Afrikaners, unaware of their black ancestry. Her parents are rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, who lovingly bring her up as their ‘white’ little girl. But at the age of ten, Sandra is driven out of white society. The film follows Sandra’s thirty-year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her place in a changing world - and triumphs against all odds. Sandra currently resides with her family in South Africa.
Winnebago Man
Type "The Angriest Man in the World" into any search engine, and one name appears—Jack Rebney, a.k.a. "The Winnebago Man”—an ‘80s RV salesman whose hilarious, profanity-strewn, on-the-job meltdown was captured on video and passed around on VHS tapes, before exploding into an Internet phenomenon seen by millions. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of the infamous viral video star and discovers him living a hermit-like existence on top of a mountain, unaware of his fame. Rebney turns out to be as sharp-tongued as ever, but more intelligent and lovable than anyone could have imagined. An outrageously funny and unexpectedly redemptive tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity, and proof that the truth is both stranger and funnier than fiction.
WINNEBAGO MAN was theatrically released nationwide by Kino International (U.S.) and by Kinosmith (Canada). The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2009. The documentary has been broadcast in more than a dozen countries internationally, including EPIX HD (US), The Movie Network (Canada), and BBC Storyville (UK).
Personal Representation
Matt Alber - Musician
LaMonde Byrd - "Mad Men", Sundance filmmaker
Carla Collins - "Carlawood", Author Angels, Vampires & Douche Bags
Corey Feldman - Lost Boys (I, II, and III), Stand by Me, Goonies, Operation Belvis Bash, Truth Movement (band)
Tyrone Power, Jr. - Cocoon, The Extra, "The Bold & The Beautiful"
LaMonde Byrd - "Mad Men", Sundance filmmaker
Carla Collins - "Carlawood", Author Angels, Vampires & Douche Bags
Corey Feldman - Lost Boys (I, II, and III), Stand by Me, Goonies, Operation Belvis Bash, Truth Movement (band)
Tyrone Power, Jr. - Cocoon, The Extra, "The Bold & The Beautiful"