Brute Sanity
An FBI-trained neuropsychologist teams up with a thief to find a reality-altering device while her insane ex-boss unleashes bizarre traps to stop her.
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Sam VanivrayDirector
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Sam VanivrayWriter"Enough to be Dangerous"
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Sam VanivrayProducer"Enough to be Dangerous"
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Adjovi KoeneKey Cast"Aster and Sidney", "Unraveled" (TV Series), Thirsty (stage)
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Steven Lawlor-JonesKey CastThe Ungovernable Force, "Idioms Origins Another Tale", "Transsexuals from Space"
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Ara WolandKey Cast"12 Kilometers", Pinsky, Welcome Home
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Daniel BaekKey CastStronger, "Enough to be Dangerous"
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Mai DelapaKey CastDJ Stan Da Man, Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
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Mike WeinerKey CastSpace People, Space People 2, Paragods (TV Series)
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Amy StahlKey CastW.U.M.E.., ETN Weekly Entertainment Wrap-Up
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Sam VanivrayKey Cast"Enough to be Dangerous", Live by Night
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Mikaela HappasKey CastDisposable, Central Intelligence
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Joshua RajmanKey CastHair (stage), Rent (stage), "Enough to be Dangerous"
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Tejas PatelKey CastWhitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger
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Project Type:Feature
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Genres:Sci-Fi, Thriller
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Runtime:1 hour 21 minutes 23 seconds
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Completion Date:January 9, 2017
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Production Budget:25,000 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:2.35:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Chemical Film FestivalRowlett TX
United States
February 26, 2017
Winner: Best Production -
Leah’s Indie Film Series @ Soundstage 909Portsmouth NH
United States
April 13, 2017 -
Motor City Nightmares International Film FestivalNovi, MI
United States
April 29, 2017
Michigan premiere
Finalist Sci-Fi Feature -
International Horror HotelHudson, Ohio
United States
June 17, 2017
Winner: 2nd Place Sci-Fi Feature -
DonQuestDoncaster
United Kingdom
May 27, 2017
UK Premiere
Winner: Special Recognition Award. Finalist: Best Feature Film, Best Director -
Crypticon Kansas CitySt Joseph, MO
United States
July 15, 2017
Kansas City Premiere
Winner: Best Sci-Fi Masterpiece Feature -
Westercon 70Tempe, AZ
United States
July 1, 2017
Arizona Premiere
Winner: Jury Award for Feature Film -
Something Wicked Film FestivalAtlanta
United States
August 5, 2017
Georgia Premiere
Winner: Best Feature Film, Best Female Actor in a Feature Film -
Escape VelocityWashington, DC
United States
September 1, 2017
Washington, DC Premiere -
Cinema New YorkNew York City
United States
September 4, 2017
New York Premiere
Winner: Best Thriller Film -
Newark International Film FestivalNewark, NJ
United States
September 8, 2017
New Jersey Premiere
Nominated for Best Feature Film -
Buffalo Niagara Film FestivalBuffalo, NY
United States
September 20, 2017 -
Unreal Film FestivalMemphis, TN
United States
September 22, 2017
Tennessee Premiere -
Boston Sci-Fi Film FestivalSomerville, MA
United States
February 12, 2018
Boston Premiere
Distribution Information
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Summer Hill EntertainmentCountry: Worldwide
As a child Sam Vanivray possessed a few innocent dreams, such as creating robots and making films. After establishing a career in robotics, Sam restarted the filmmaking part of his life. He wrote and starred in the short film "Enough to be Dangerous," which screened in 2015 at Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival and the Hot Springs Horror Festival. BRUTE SANITY is his directorial debut.
The hero of BRUTE SANITY is Keradin, a kick-ass woman as good at neuropsychology as she is at gunfighting. The former skill is related to her academic career, the latter to her FBI career. Adjovi Koene really nailed the character with depth and intensity.
The story is about perception of reality and scientific progress. Amidst those themes, the film is intended to be weird, but fun, with crackling dialogue. There's another issue with "perception" as well: Keradin struggling with commitment to careers, education, relationships, etc. Knowing when to finish and when to quit is something I have had to deal with (this film would not be finished if I hadn't!) and I've observed many others who struggle with it.
Steven Lawlor-Jones plays the villain, Maskin, an FBI Special Agent in Charge, representing the oppression of science. Keradin wants to research the otherwordly artifact that causes manifestations and hallucinations, but Maskin wants to keep it for himself to control others.
I've been reading cognitive science and philosophy of mind for many years, and what I used in this film is a scientific theory that perception is an interface* by the cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman. The character Donald—played brilliantly by Ara Woland—is named after him. This layer of the film is somewhat like Flatland—the famous 1884 story about a 2D square discovering 3D "Spaceland." My fictional other world is called Superreality since our known reality is a subset. So, please join me, fellow "squares," and let Brute Sanity entertain you with its magic.
* http://cogsci.uci.edu/~ddhoff/interface.pdf