In Real Life: Wounds Heal, Sweat Dries...Suck It Princess
The action begins when Jack, an overwrought yet earnest teenager, learns he failed an assignment. His bitter, wannabe-novelist English teacher gives him a chance to redeem himself under one condition: he must go out "into the real world" and listen to conversations. What unfolds is the hilarious outing of two teenage girls’ vapid superficiality revealed through the unforgiving lens of technology. The lesson learned is more important than any grade. Inspired by actual conversations.
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Ben TogutWriterBen has been writing creatively since he was able to hold a pencil. His poetry has been published in several anthologies, and he has won national awards for both poetry and fiction. Ben recently attended The Iowa Young Writers Studio and The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop. He is currently a high school student in New York City.
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Jes DavisKey CastJes Davis (Kelly) Past work includes: starring role came at age 19 in a film called, 'The Virgin of The Candles'(2009). From there she went on to film such projects as 'Jefftown' (2017), 'Taste' (2016) and most recently 'Léa' (2017). She is working on "The Gridlock Theory" a film where she plays a criminally insane assassin. She has also filmed seasons 2-5 of 'Orange is the New Black,' as one of the inmates. Recently stared as title role in NORTHBOUND an off-off B'way production by Marvalee Peart at TNC.
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Kristin NemecekKey CastKristin Nemecek (Leah) is a graduate of the Hofstra University Department of Drama and Dance. NYC credits: Rock and Roll Refugee (Royal Family Productions), Cheesecake Girl (Royal Family Productions), The Associate Producers (Symphony Space), A Chorus Line (The Actors Fund Arts Center), The Storytellers (FringeNYC). www.kristinnemecek.com
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Spencer ScottKey CastSpencer Scott (Jack) is a working actor in New York. He currently studies acting at HB Studio. Some recent film credits include: Girl Don't Change a Thing, An Interrogation, and The Boyfriend Trials. Recent stage credits include: The Ultimate Battle, La Tempestad, and Petey Bear.
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David QuatemanDirector of PhotographyErgophobia (Short), Central Park Dark (post-production), 2016 Strictly Business (TV Series) (director of photography - 1 episode), Welcome to LoveBug (2016) ... (director of photography), 2016 Jefftown (director of photography)
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Eamon RedpathSound and EditingMug Life (TV Series - sound editor - 3 episodes)
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Paolina WeberDirector / Chief Editor / Executive Producer / Key Cast(See bio below)
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Project Type:Experimental, Short
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Genres:Dramatic Comedy
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Runtime:19 minutes 11 seconds
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Completion Date:July 1, 2017
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Production Budget:3,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Lovecraft Film Screenings: Women In Film IVNEW YORK
United States
July 17, 2017
N/A -
Big Apple Film Festival 2017New York
United States
November 1, 2017
North American Premiere -
Big Mini Media Festival 2017Brooklyn
United States
November 10, 2017 -
International New York Film Festival 2018New York
United States
June 15, 2018 -
New Filmmaker New York 2018 Summer Screening SeriesNew York
United States
June 27, 2018 -
2018 Lower East Side Festival of the ArtsNew York
United States
May 26, 2018
Paolina Weber started acting as the title role in Wendy Kesselman's musical Becca. After college, she appeared in several plays around New York City and a few independent films. Her roles are as diverse as ANYA in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard to an adaptation of The Tempest with the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. Then Paolina took a hiatus from performing to have children. Since coming back, she started a production company, X-OUT, has directed two plays and most recently acted in the play Northbound at TNC. Her feature film credits include: Somewhere In The City, On The Run, and Mambo Cafe.
This isn't just a teen comedy of errors; it's a collaborative film spoken directly to the public, as the characters enlist support — ‘hey, we are not such bad guys, be on our side.' That is the function of these experimental soliloquies. The story itself is very straightforward: a writer transcribes his secret recording of two mean girls’ conversation and uses it for his writing project. The funny thing is that the actual writer, Ben Togut, really did record the conversation in Washington Square Park. He’s in high school himself! That is why I made edits with graphic novel-Andy Warhol inspired special effects, to show the breaks when the story switches into the inner thoughts, written as rhyming poems. So I was inspired by contemporary art as well as plays where dialogue overlaps, and when I directed this piece as a play, I used overlap as a rhythm to the text. In the film, the way vapid mean girls just talk incessantly became a split screen. Then I used Ben and Michelle’s original music to heighten it.