Post-apocalyptic
sci-fi short film and series pitch
ODESSA premieres
at the Gasparilla International Film Festival
and
wins the Grand Jury Prize.
Odessa, by American and
Canadian award-winning teamSean Michael Turrell (director), Doug
Johnson (writer) and producers Grace Santos & David Moscow, premiered
at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Florida in the
presence of the cast and crew. The team brought home the Grand Jury Award
for Best Short Film.
“Aside from its crisp production value, Odessa – a short film mind you -
accomplished what the majority of today’s features lack: It made me think,
feel, and most importantly, want to explore more of the world the filmmakers
and actors created”, says Joe Belcastro of the Florida Film Critics Circle and
the Southeastern Film Critics Association, a member of the Gasparilla
International Film Festival 2015 Grand Jury.
The
Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) was listed by Moviemaker Magazine
as one of the “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” for both 2013 and
2014. GIFF is part of Gasparilla Arts Month (Music, Art, Film) in
Tampa/St.Petersburg Florida where over 100,000 arts patrons are expected each
year for all the events over the month of March. In 2015, 60
features and 70 short films were screened. The 2015 Grand Jury consisted of
Leslie Cohen (HBO’s Vice President of Film Programming), Stacey Schroader
(editor of FOX’s “The Last Man On Earth” and HBO’s “Eastbound and Down”), and
others.
Odessa is a quiet and powerful dystopian drama that
slowly gives up its secrets. A mother makes a strangely familiar and
lethally dangerous border crossing in order to save her ailing daughter’s life.
But she turns out to be crossing OUT of the US and into the Sovereign State of
Texas, which has seceded from the union and controls most of the deeply
impoverished USA’s petroleum supply.
“The
goal of Odessa is neither to vilify nor sanctify Texas, simply to challenge our
own identity and the far-reaching effects that seismic shifts and partisanship
can have in a new gilded age”,explains the writer Doug Johnson.
Apart
from being a stand-alone short, Odessa also serves as a
pitch-episode for a serial drama consisting of more characters than are in the
film.
“I’m
excited about the various characters Doug is creating. The unique
post-apocalyptic world is cool and is one of the reasons I purchased the
screenplay and have persuaded Doug to write a series treatment, but the
characters are what will draw audiences into the story”, adds
actor/producer Grace Santos.
Odessa will have a market screening at
the Cannes’ Short Film Corner this May 2015, along with two other of
Grace Santos’ productions: A Tricky Treat (directed
by Patricia Chica) andElection Night (directed
by Tessa Blake).
Odessa’s
Credits:
Cast
members are Ricky Wayne (The Walking Dead), Grace Santos (Dhoom
3), Will
Haze(Banshee),
and Anthony Escobar (Prison Break).
Directed
by Sean Michael Turrell of Toronto Canada (www.SeanMichaelTurrell.com)
Written
by Doug Johnson of New York (www.DoJoWrite.com)
Produced
by Grace Santos and David Moscow (who plays the young Tom
Hanks in Bigand
stars in Newsies opposite Christian Bale) of Los Angeles, Doug
Johnson of New York, and Andrew Shebay of Austin
Co-Produced
by Marisa Mojica & Lorena Mojica of Mexico
Associate
Produced by Patricia Chica of Montreal and El Salvador (www.PatriciaChica.com)
Cinematography
by Stephen Chung of Toronto Canada (www.stephenchungphotography.com)
Edited by J Deschamps of Toronto Canada (www.JDeschamps.com)
Odessa Trailer:
Official
Website:
Social
Media:
No comments:
Post a Comment