Private Project

Rock and a Hard Place

Jack lands his dream gig after the guitarist of one of his favorite bands gets sick and he is called in to replace him, with merely a few hours to prep - BUT tonight also happens to be his girlfriend's birthday. In a pure psycho moment of anger, she sabotage his guitar. Now, Jack must convince his hungover roommate to let him borrow his precious guitar. The clock is ticking… will Jack manage to make his dream come true?

  • Félix Burgan
    Director
  • Félix Burgan
    Writer
  • Esra
    Producer
  • Guillaume Marbeck
    Producer
  • Félix Burgan
    Producer
  • Panita Chanrasmi Lefebvre
    Producer
  • William Hochman
    Key Cast
  • Isabella Conrad
    Key Cast
  • Michael Levinson
    Key Cast
  • Rachel Pirard
    Key Cast
  • Robert Siverls
    Key Cast
  • Alex Chao
    Key Cast
  • Guillaume Marbeck
    Director of photography / Cameraman
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Dark Comedy, Humor, Rock, Musical, Music, Fiction, Farcical, Action
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Country of Filming:
    France, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Cannes Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    May 14, 2016
    France Premiere
  • Chelsea Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    October 14, 2016
    North America Premiere
  • Big Apple Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    November 4, 2016
  • Milan Vod Distribution Film Fest
    Milan
    Italy
    April 21, 2017
  • Roma Cinema Doc
    Roma
    Italy
    December 1, 2016
    Italian Premiere
  • Sunshine Cinema Screening
    New York
    United States
    June 1, 2016
    Best Editing / Best Screenplay
  • Hollywood Screening
    Los Angeles
    United States
    January 12, 2017
    West Coast Premere
Director Biography - Félix Burgan

Felix Burgan (Director) studied film at E.S.R.A., the cinema school in Paris, where he wrote and directed two short films: “Intrusion” a thriller in 16mm film; and “Le Tigre” a drama with a Sony F5 camera.

At “Idem”, a fine art printing studio located in Paris, he met and work with David Lynch for a documentary project about Lynch’s painting using lithography.

After been working on few features film and production companies in France, Felix Burgan came to New York City where he wrote and directed a dark comedy “Rock and a Hard Place” using an Arri Alexa XT camera. The movie got a private screening in the Cannes Film Festival 2016, screened at a lot of different festivals in NYC, Los Angeles, Paris, New Delhi, etc., and won a few Awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Editing.

Now living in Los Angeles, Felix Burgan is currently writing a dark comedy feature film and has a thriller with a social message set to shoot soon.

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Director Statement

« Rock and a Hard Place tells the story of Jack, who faces a tough decision to make, torn between his love for his girlfriend Sara and his passion for rock and roll, over the course of one surreal night.

Through the use of humor and by setting up an absurd, ridiculous situation, the spine of the film is essentially to show how difficult it is for young people to make their dreams come true without having to make choices that end up hurting those they care about.

My past experience as a professional musician allowed me to make this story as authentic as possible. To me, New York City has its own personality and produces its own kind of music. Its unique audiovisual landscape plays a huge role in the look and the tone of the mad universe in which the film takes place.

Rock and a Hard Place is playful and fun, something between a hilarious farce and a black comedy. At the same time, the relationships between the characters are so deeply rooted in something concrete, that it breathes real life into them and this acid trip of an adventure, in a very natural manner. »

Felix Burgan