Private Project

Regina Doyle Silent Film Starlet: The Untold, Tragic, But True Story.

A joyride through silent-film era Hollywood, whose center of gravity is a rising, 24 year-old starlet whose violent death clips the rose of her silver-screen dream. Discovered by Carl Laemmle in Chicago as a teenager while performing at the Gold Room of the Chicago Congress Hotel, he said “ if you move to Hollywood, I will be sure that you get your chance to be the next Mary Pickford, Pola Negra or Norma Shearer”. Regina Doyle was on a trajectory of Hollywood film success, when tragedy struck, highlighted by a Premonition of Evil by her mother and the circumstances of how she died. One hundred years later her grandsons embark on a 20-year journey! We all know about the famous Silent Film actresses' and stars, the Clara Bow's, Fay Wray, Janet Gaynor and many others. But what about the other lesser unknown actresses of that galaxy of stars, such as the Untold Story of a Silent Film actress our Grandmother, Regina Doyle!

  • Carla Roda
    Director
    We have created a very talented team headed by Award-winning editor Carla Roda born in Granollers, a city in central Catalonia 19 miles northeast of Barcelona, Spain. Carla is a Producer, Editor, Writing and Directing, her first short film Camila and getting critical acclaim on festivals made people aware of the kind of cinema she produced and the kind of sensibility she has for storytelling. Editing wise, she edited the documentary series “Menudo: Forever Young” for HBO Max, and the british documentary feature “KICKBACK” (Campfire Studios) about corruption within FIFA. She is currently working on a NBC feature documentary about a famous golf player. Vote Neil - Carla Roda is an award winning editor, director and producer from Barcelona, Spain who has been based in Los Angeles since 2014. Since 2018 Carla has focus a lot Additional credits include the docuseries "Phenoms" (Fox Searchlight), official selection at Tribeca Film Festival, 2018, “The Green Wave” (Screen Media) which won Best Feature Documentary at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, "Our Quinceañera,” a two-time winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, “Vote Neil,” an Official Selection at Tribeca Film Festival, 2020, , WINNER: Best Shout and the feature documentary "Invented Before You Were Born", Orson Wells Award Winner at the TIFF, 2022. In 2019, Carla was selected for The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, a program designed to cultivate the careers of editors from diverse backgrounds.
  • Stephen Brown
    Writer
  • David Brown
    Producer
  • Spencer Bakalar
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 30, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Carla Roda

We have created a very talented team headed by Award-winning editor Carla Roda born in Granollers, a city in central Catalonia 19 miles northeast of Barcelona, Spain. Carla is a Producer, Editor, Writing and Directing, her first short film Camila and getting critical acclaim on festivals made people aware of the kind of cinema she produced and the kind of sensibility she has for storytelling. Editing wise, she edited the documentary series “Menudo: Forever Young” for HBO Max, and the british documentary feature “KICKBACK” (Campfire Studios) about corruption within FIFA. She is currently working on a NBC feature documentary about a famous golf player.
Vote Neil - Carla Roda is an award winning editor, director and producer from Barcelona, Spain who has been based in Los Angeles since 2014. Since 2018 Carla has focus a lot
Additional credits include the docuseries "Phenoms" (Fox Searchlight), official selection at Tribeca Film Festival, 2018, “The Green Wave” (Screen Media) which won Best Feature Documentary at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, "Our Quinceañera,” a two-time winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, “Vote Neil,” an Official Selection at Tribeca Film Festival, 2020, , WINNER: Best Shout and the feature documentary "Invented Before You Were Born", Orson Wells Award Winner at the TIFF, 2022. In 2019, Carla was selected for The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, a program designed to cultivate the careers of editors from diverse backgrounds.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When Dave and Stephen shared Regina's story with me, I felt an immediate and profound connection. Despite the fact that she was born decades before me, I saw parallels between her journey and my own experiences as a young artist pursuing my dreams. Like Regina, I also left my home country and moved to Los Angeles striving to make a name for myself in the industry. Her determination, particularly given that she was only 18 years old and a single mother, was truly inspiring.

Dave and Stephen spoke of Regina with such deep admiration that it became clear to me that I wanted to be actively involved in bringing her story to light. Additionally, I felt a strong commitment to advocating for justice on her behalf, particularly after many years of being misled about the circumstances of her death. It was crucial for me to ensure that her story was told accurately and respectfully.

Although Regina's life was tragically cut short, I am convinced that she had the potential to become an extraordinary actress. Thanks to Dave and Stephen, I had the privilege of learning about her, and I hope that the audience will come to know and appreciate her as well.