Private Project

Roulette Girl

Greta (Ally Jo Williams) is a performance artist living in Waterloo, Iowa. To pay her bills, she works as a barista in a coffee shop owned by a family friend. But when her shift ends, she dons a theatrical costume and becomes Roulette Girl, a "living statue" who acts out miniature scenes dictated by the spin of a wheel. But there's more to Greta's life than espresso and face-paint. A recent tragedy has left its mark on her, and Greta is struggling to cope with the reality of what she's experienced. The ghosts of her past, both figurative and not, lurk in the shadows of her empty apartment. Can Greta find peace, fulfillment, and maybe even love? Or is she doomed to spin forever, weighed down by the horrors of her recent past? This is a story of guilt, trauma, creativity, hope, love, and passion. This is "Roulette Girl."

"Roulette Girl" was nominated for a stunning six awards at the 31st Iowa Motion Picture Awards Ceremony: Best Actress (Ally Jo Williams), Best Actor (Orion Risk), Best Supporting Actor (Joe Frenna), Best Cinematography, Best Graphic Art Design, and Best Feature Film (Budget Under 50K). It went on to win the Award of Excellence–Top Prize–for Graphic Art Design and Feature Film. It has so far also been selected to screen at the 2022 Iowa Independent Film Festival.

  • Carrsan T. Morrissey
    Writer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor
  • Ally Jo Williams
    Key Cast
    "Greta"
  • Kate Robertson Pryor
    Key Cast
    "Zoey"
  • Orion Risk
    Key Cast
    "Levi"
  • Andrea Morris
    Key Cast
    "Eleanor"
  • Joe Frenna
    Key Cast
    "Greta's Father"
  • Dakota James
    Key Cast
    "Ryan"
  • Tristan Bennett
    Audio Technician
  • Michael Duede
    Original Score
  • Stephanie Schneider
    Intimacy Coordinator
  • Finch Moore
    Special Makeup Effects
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Coming of Age, Romance
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 12 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 28, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Blackmagic Raw
  • Aspect Ratio:
    512 : 215
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Local Premiere–Waterloo Center for the Arts
    Waterloo, Iowa
    United States
    October 9, 2021
    Local Premiere
  • Screening–Hawkeye Community College Humanities Conference
    Waterloo, Iowa
    United States
    March 7, 2022
    Special Selection for Conference
  • Offical Selection: Iowa Independent Film Festival 2022
    Mason City, Iowa
    United States
  • WINNER: Award of Excellence (Top Award)–Feature Film (Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards)
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Nominee: Best Feature Film
  • WINNER: Award of Excellence (Top Award)–Best Graphic Art Direction/Design (Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards)
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Nominee: Best Graphic Art Direction/Design
  • NOMINEE: Best Cinematography (Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards)
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Nominee: Best Cinematography
  • NOMINEE: Best Actress–Ally Jo Williams (Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards)
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Nominee: Best Actress–Ally Jo Williams
  • NOMINEE: Best Actor–Orion Risk (Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards)
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Nominee: Best Actor–Orion Risk
  • NOMINEE: Best Supporting Actor–Joe Frenna (Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards)
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    May 14, 2022
    Nominee: Best Supporting Actor–Joe Frenna
Director Biography

Carrsan T. Morrissey is an award-winning filmmaker, self-published author, and playwright from Cedar Falls, Iowa, known for horror films, thrillers, and powerful dramas with a distinctly independent feel.

Raw, uncompromising, and often heavy in tone, Morrissey's films are also known for their diverse casts and characters, especially in regards to the LGBTQIA+ Community.

Her films have been viewed over 2.4 million times online, and her novel "Old Wounds" debuted as one of the Top 25 best-selling new LGBT Horror Novels on Amazon, remaining on the Top 100 list for several weeks afterwards.

In the last 9 years she has written, directed, and edited over a dozen film projects, 7 of which are feature-length. Her newest work can be found at vimeo.com/matriarchfilms.

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Director Statement

"My dreams are to highlight the cinematic beauty of Iowa, to create opportunities for artistic collaboration in the Cedar Valley, and most importantly to tell stories that defy and classification or expectation.

I want to break the rules, and have fun doing it."

–Carrsan T. Morrissey