Sergey's Fortune
A hitman for the Ukrainian mafia gets in trouble with the boss after his mission is compromised by a pair of obnoxious YouTube stars.
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Peter MackieDirectorPanofsky's Complaint, For Annabelle, Cineastes
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Nick VitaleWriter
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Peter MackieProducerPanofsky's Complaint, For Annabelle, Cineastes
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Kseniya YorshProducer
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Dorothea PaschalidouProducerWorlds Apart, Swedish Dicks
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Yorgos KaramihosKey Cast"Sergey"The Durrells, Ben Hur, Genius
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Ravil IsyanovKey Cast"Oleksiy"Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Defiance, The Americans, Glow
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Anthony HowesKey Cast"Kyle Dunhoffer"
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Hudson LongKey Cast"Kris Dunhoffer"
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Jami AlixKey Cast"Kelsey"85k Instagram followers
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Nick MutumaKey Cast"Kasey"206k Instagram followers
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Dark Comedy, Crime, Thriller
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Runtime:16 minutes 20 seconds
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Completion Date:September 27, 2018
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Production Budget:45,000 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:Arri Alexa 2.8K (digital)
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Aspect Ratio:2.39:1
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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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Wisconsin Film FestivalMadison, WI
United States
April 5, 2019
Wisconsin Premiere
Official Selection -
Minneapolis Saint Paul International Film FestivalMinneapolis, MN
United States
April 10, 2019
Minnesota Premiere
Official Selection -
Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film FestivalLos Angeles, CA
United States
April 20, 2019
Official Selection -
2019 Short Film Slam: Round IIIBaltimore, MD
United States
July 27, 2019
Voted #1: Movie of the Month -
Montana Int'l Film FestivalBillings, MT
United States
September 22, 2019
Montana Premiere
Official Selection -
Hamilton Film FestivalHamilton, Ontario
Canada
November 4, 2019
Canada Premiere
Official Selection -
2019 Short Film Slam: ChampionshipsBaltimore, MD
United States
December 7, 2019
Short of the Year ($1,000 Cash Prize)
PETER MACKIE is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer based in Los Angeles. His films have screened at the LA Shorts Fest, HollyShorts, Cannes Court Métrage, Minneapolis-St Paul Int'l Film Festival, Montana Int'l Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, Hamilton Film Festival, Brooklyn Shorts, Athens Int'l Film Festival in Greece, and Cine Gear Expo, among others. His latest film, "Sergey's Fortune," won the Grand Prize at the 2019 Short Film Slam in Baltimore, in addition to winning the Movie of the Month Award at the Philadelphia and Baltimore Short Film Slams. His films have been featured on Film Shortage, Ain't It Cool News, and Reel-13 Shorts (PBS-NYC).
"Sergey's Fortune" was a formidable beast to tackle and at the same time, so much fun to make. Cinematically, it offered so much potential in terms of suspense, humor, and style. I've always wanted to work in the crime genre and also channel my inner 70's director (hence all the zoom shots, the classic film score, and the "film" look to the color grade), but I was just as interested in portraying this unfamiliar world of the YouTube vloggers, a world that is especially popular among millennials yet has not been explored much in a narrative way. In a time when films are lamentably referred to as "content" in the industry, this movie boldly draws a line between what is cinema and what is actual content.
On a personal level, this film offered an opportunity to work with my closest friends and collaborators. "Sergey" marks my first collaboration with longtime friend Nick Vitale to hit the silver screen, although we have penned several scripts together. It is the second short film that I have made with actor Yorgos Karamihos (Sergey) and the third short film featuring my brother Jack (Rinat). The cinematographer, Ernesto Pletsch, has gaffed for me in the past - we are also photography buddies in our spare time - Sergey marks our first collaboration as director/cinematographer. The two young gentlemen who play The D.G.A.F. Bros (Anthony Howes and Hudson Long) are two of my closest friends in Los Angeles and this whole project came about because they wanted me to direct them in something to become SAG-Eligible. This was also the first time working with my wife, Ina Rose Farestad, in a professional capacity; she was First Assistant Director. Finally, the composer, Vincent Oppido, and I were classmates at USC long ago and he has scored all of my films to date.
All in, this movie is a culmination of lots of love for each other and lots of love for the cinematic medium; all of us united for the common cause of telling a great story.