Private Project

Freedom Gate

A movie set in a dystopic world run by kids with no way out... or is there?

  • Mark Baird
    Director
    Born Dead: A Zombie Parable, Mother's Day
  • Mark Baird
    Writer
    Born Dead: A Zombie Parable, Mother's Day
  • Susan Shearer
    Producer
    The Last Laugh, He's 13!, Bearers of the Promise
  • Chase E. Horton (David)
    Key Cast
    Urban Shakedown (Teen Punk Kid)
  • Grace Powell (Angel)
    Key Cast
    The Christmas Letters (TV Movie) (Tabitha), Hell of a Night (Shaine)
  • Avery Clynes (Angelique)
    Key Cast
    Girly Girls (Mindy Smith), Born Dead: A Zombie Parable (Bree)
  • Mackenzie Clynes (Angelica)
    Key Cast
    Girly Girls (Cindy Smith), Born Dead: A Zombie Parable (Bree's Inner Voice)
  • Samuel Irving (Drake)
    Key Cast
    In Black and White (TheGrandson, The Maskman, and The Narrator)
  • Matthew Carter (The Voice)
    Key Cast
    Patriot Act (Carter), Urban Shakedown (James Pfieffer)
  • Gabby Brooks (Delle)
    Key Cast
    Flesh of my Flesh (Zombie), The Asphalt Race (Race Car Driver/Ballerina)
  • Gareth Bell (Dale)
    Key Cast
    Scrambled (Travis), G.I. Faux (Sargent Scott)
  • Ciaradh Twomey (Jewel)
    Key Cast
    Scrambled (Claire B. Deluxe)
  • Cade Eller (Jay)
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 5, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 168 Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    August 29, 2015
    World Wide Premier
    Nominated: Best Kid Vid and Evangelista Award
Director Biography - Mark Baird

Born in Dallas, Texas and raised in the rural west Texas town of Coleman, Mark's passion for film making did not ignite until mid way through his college career. After trying his hand at electrical engineering, computer science, and even religious studies, he found his passion in the Radio/TV department of Howard Payne University. After completing his undergraduate work he moved on to graduate film studies at Baylor University in Waco where he earned a master of arts degree in film.
During his graduate school years, Mark worked on five feature films under the mentoring of Alan Stewart, and alongside classmate Frank Patterson acquiring experience as a writer, editor, and 1st AC.
After graduation he briefly taught at Howard Payne, Shot commercials for KJTV Productions in Lubbock, and worked as a broadcast manager for DeWall, Pollei and Cowley advertising in Waco. Through all of this time, Mark also maintained a freelance career shooting 16mm film for commercial and industrial clients.
In 1997 Mark made the move to Houston after accepting a position at NASA's Johnson Space center as a television producer. Within a few years at NASA, Mark moved over to the television engineering side of the house and earned his Avid ACSR certifications in Editor, Unity, and Interplay. At the end of the shuttle program in 2011, Mark left NASA to pursue his passion for narrative film.
Since leaving NASA Marks work has centered around faith based short films, many of which have premiered at the 168 Film Project's annual festival in Los Angeles. He founded the Houston based "Films for Actors" project which strives to help young actors realize their dreams by providing parts in 'festival quality' films to actors needing experience and demo reel material. In 2014, his short film "Gift of Grace" AKA Born Dead: A Zombie Parable won the "KidVid" category of the 168 festival and went on to be picked up for international distribution and translation into multiple languages.
Mark has three children, Daya, Emma, and Dara. He still lives in Houston and produces most of his films there and in the surrounding area.

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