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Matt Aaron Krinsky

Matt Aaron Krinsky

MOGUL PRODUCTIONS in association with CACCAVALE/KRINSKY PRODUCTIONS Presents

An Eye for an Eye

Directed by Matt Aaron Krinsky

Produced by Carlo Caccavale, Matt Aaron Krinsky &

Contact Information

Matt Aaron Krinsky Telephone #: 323.819.6188 Fax #: 323.851.0151 Email: [email protected] www.AnEyeForAnEyeFilm.com

© 2004 Mogul Productions total running time 17:35 All Rights Reserved

An Eye for an Eye Directed by Matt Aaron Krinsky

Produced by Carlo Caccavale, Matt Aaron Krinsky & Sally Kirkland

SYNOPSIS

Joseph, a young gay male, finds himself the random target of a hate crime and is severely beaten. Joseph retreats into his own world and loses all faith upon hearing that he has permanently lost sight in one eye. In a loving, albeit misguided attempt to help Joseph reclaim his life, Joseph’s mother Rachel and best friend Derrick present him with a very unexpected present for his birthday, a face-to-face encounter with his attacker and a chance for revenge. Realizing that he is not filled with the same hate, Joseph spares the life of his attacker, but justice is served when, in an ironic final twist of fate, the attacker becomes the victim of his own senseless act of hatred and violence.

PRODUCTION NOTES

I conceived the story for An Eye for an Eye after hearing about a string of hate-related crimes being committed in and around West Hollywood. I also had this subject matter on my radar as a result of working for Lawrence Bender in 2001 as he was executive producing Anatomy of a Hate Crime, the first of several made about the Matthew Shepard tragedy.

While the subject matter of the is undeniably serious, the experience of making the film was entertaining in and of itself! Initial meetings began at a Starbucks on Santa Monica Boulevard. From there, the script began to evolve but alas the project was still producer-less. As I pitched the idea to various producers I knew, I was also encouraged to search for a potential producer on the phenomenon that is Craig’s List. Extremely hesitant, I posted a listing and much to my surprise, I actually found the one diamond in the ruff producer! Somehow I managed to convince Carlo to come on board and his friendship, talent, dedication and guidance helped elevate the entire project to a level beyond what I could have imagined.

Once Carlo joined the team, we had to move into a production office more suitable to our needs, so we moved a few blocks west to an internet lounge called Hybrid. Nearly all of our meetings were held at this location and as innocent bystanders tried to work and check their email, we were strategizing, interviewing and holding auditions right outside the bathroom! As for auditions, we ultimately ended up casting the roles of Joseph and Derrick with the first two we met. We auditioned many other actors but there was no contest and Juri and Aaron quickly signed on. Casting the attacker role was a real challenge - how do you ask an to audition for a significant role in the film when most of his “dialogue” consists of nothing more than moans and groans? Paul came in and exuded everything we needed through his eyes. He is the best thug and the nicest guy. Then there was the role of the mother. We were not expecting to see such a high demand for strong motherly roles. An abundance of actresses auditioned for the part, many of whom were seasoned professionals. However, we had Sally Kirkland in mind for the role from the outset. Carlo tracked down her direct contact information and after several calls during which he pitched the whole script to a voice message, she called back and agreed to read the script. As several weeks passed and production loomed closer, we were convinced that Sally just wasn’t interested. Then, about a week before the camera was to start rolling, both Carlo and I received late night calls from Sally saying that she wanted to chat with us. A few phone conversations and an in-person meeting later, we were exceedingly fortunate to attract an Academy Award-caliber actress to our project.

The rest of the crew came together quite easily. Shooting a low budget film always presents plenty of challenging situations that later become anecdotes to tell your friends. Our production was no different and despite all the fun and chaos of low budget independent , we did pull together an amazingly talented group of cast and crew to bring to life a story that needed telling. With the love and support of countless friends and family, by calling in lots of favors and through a year of intense work, all of us involved in making this film are extremely proud of the final product.

What began as a simple idea about hate crimes and the loving relationship between a mother and son has transformed and surpassed any of my expectations. This has become more than just a short film project. As a result of making this film, people have shared their stories with me, people I never knew were themselves the victims of hate crimes. This film is not about sexuality but about the atrocity and senselessness of hate and violence. It is not about revenge, but about empowerment, inspiration, and ultimately, love. I feel fortunate that this film has facilitated my being able to speak with different people and have them open up about things that most would probably rather not talk about. If you leave this film with your heart a little more open and accepting of others, then we have accomplished far more than just making a film. -Matt

ABOUT THE CAST

JURI HENLEY-COHN (Joseph), a relatively new arrival to , hails originally from New Haven, Connecticut. After graduating near the top of his class from Choate Rosemary Hall, Juri moved on to Harvard University where he majored in social anthropology. Juri’s time at Harvard was divided equally between the classroom and the stage where he appeared in such shows as Richard III, The Stranger, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Romeo & Juliet. He spent one summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival in the Berkshires learning the ins and outs of a fully functioning theatrical production company. While there, he also performed in such shows as The Cenci, Lovelace and The Blue Demon; and studied with the talented likes of Darko Tresnjak, Phil Saltanoff, Lewis Black and Richard Kind. Juri spent another summer working on the Warner Bros. feature, The Perfect Storm, while simultaneously pursuing his acting studies at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and at UCLA with Michael Hackett.

After graduating from Harvard with honors, Juri moved to Los Angeles to pursue his professional acting and writing career. Soon after arriving in L.A., Juri produced and starred in Frank McGuinness’ Tony® nominated play, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me. For his performance in that play as the feisty Irishman, Edward Sheridan, Juri received rave reviews and an honorable mention at the 2003 Backstage West Garland Awards. He has also starred in several short and independent films including his recent work in An Eye For An Eye opposite Sally Kirkland.

As a writer, Juri is the author of the , Dreams in the Dust, a biopic which chronicles the life and death of Manuel “Manolete” Rodriguez—the world’s greatest bullfighter. He is also the co-author (along with writer/producer Michael Din) of Relative Insanity, a contemporary adaptation of Chekhov’s classic play, The Seagull. Relative Insanity is being packaged by ICM and is currently in pre-production. While Juri and Michael begin work on their next writing project, Juri continues to hone his acting skills at the esteemed Larry Moss Studio in Santa Monica where he studies with Larry Moss in his professional class.

SALLY KIRKLAND (Rachel), stage, screen and television star, is probably best known for her performance in Anna - for which she garnered the 1987 Oscar® Nomination for Best Actress. For the same performance, she won both the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Actress and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress. She was also recognized by L.A. Times' critics Kevin Thomas and Sheila Benson as having delivered one of the Five Best Acting Performances by a Woman in the '80's.

Ms. Kirkland is a veteran of 91 films, over 100 TV shows and 80 plays. Most recently, she starred with in the 2003 hit Bruce Almighty and currently has two independent films in post-production in which she stars: Neo Ned with & Gabrielle Union and A-List with Daphne Zuniga, which Kirkland also co-produced. Kirkland won her first producing award as co-producer of Audit, a short satirical film about the IRS and she has directed Women: Stories of Passion for Showtime TV.

Some of her most memorable roles include playing Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s mother in Ron Howard's Edtv, appearing in George Roy Hill's opposite Robert Redford and Paul Newman, Sydney Pollack’s starring and Robert Redford and Coming Apart with Rip Torn. Kirkland co-starred as Rose Cheramie in Oliver Stone's acclaimed JFK and is praised highly in Stone's biography. Kirkland, along with dear friend, , is also included in a chapter in 's biography. Additionally, she has starred with Keith Carradine, Tom Waits and Bill Pullman in Cold Feet, with Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones in Best of the Best and opposite Kevin Costner, Madeleine Stowe and Anthony Quinn in Tony Scott's Revenge. She both starred in and executive produced Cheatin’ Hearts with James Brolin and Kris Kristofferson. Additional credits include High Stakes with , Paint It Black with Martin Landau and Two Evil Eyes with Harvey Keitel.

On TV, Kirkland has had recurring roles on series such as Days of Our Lives, and Felicity and she co-starred with Peter Gallagher and Leonard Nimoy in NBC's world premiere movie Brave New World, based on futurist Aldous Huxley's classic book of the same title. She also starred in the Ace Award winning Heat Wave about the Watts Riots and in Peter Bogdanovich’s Cable Ace Award Nominated Song of Songs with George Segal. Kirkland received her second Golden Globe Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini- Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for her work in The Haunted.

Ms. Kirkland trained as an actress with Lee Strasberg himself and studied alongside the likes of Robert De Niro, and . She has taught acting at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute on and off since the '70's and has coached talent such as , , Barbra Streisand and Dwight Yoakum. Kirkland is also an ordained minister in the church of The Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness. A true humanitarian, she teaches ongoing work for her church and counsels people spiritually and about alternative health. She can currently be seen hosting her own local cable TV show in the L.A. area, Sally Kirkland & Friends. Additionally, she hosts the weekly Reverend Sally Kirkland, an internet radio show focusing on motivation, practical spirituality and alternative health on www.healthylife.net. A resident of West Hollywood in the late '70's and again from 1988 through the present, Ms. Kirkland feels passionately about the tragedy of gay bashing and hate crimes in general.

AARON MACPHERSON (Derrick) received his M.F.A from California Institute of the Arts. He has also studied at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, The Manhattan Playhouse and currently with Larry Moss. His film credits include Dead by Dawn and West for HBO. His TV credits include Almost Perfect, Fired Up, and Brandon’s Way. Some of his many theatre credits include Fool for Love, Tartuffe, As you Like It, Brave New World and the Kentucky Cycle. Mr. McPherson was asked back to Cal Arts as a guest artist to perform in the new play Three Cakes by Jessie Miller. He has taught acting at California Institute of the Arts and he recently directed and produced Act’s of Love, a collection of Joe Pintauro’s plays.

Aaron is a member of Alpha Psi Omega Honorary Theatre Fraternity. He is a recipient of an Ahmanson Scholarship in Theatre and the Beatrice Rice Theater Scholarship. He is currently working on his screen play, Son of a Gun.

PAUL LONGO (Attacker) graduated from New York’s Oswego State University with a concentration in theatrical acting and directing. In his four-and-a-half years there, Paul experienced great success through starring in over 11 productions and was nominated twice for the Irene Ryan Acting Award. After graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles in search of better weather! Immediately, Paul nabbed the lead role as Benton Conway, a boy struggling with his sexuality, in the Telly Award winning movie Heresy: Sinners or Saints. He has also appeared as a magnitude of short lived characters on The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives and Port Charles. Other TV credits include the role of N.C.I.S. Agent John Hogan on The Learning Channel series Scene of the Crime: Stand in for Murder. Most Recently, Paul costarred in the upcoming short film Slightly Off.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

MATT AARON KRINSKY (Director, Producer, Co-) grew up in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts where he began putting on shows for any receptive audience from a young age. While attending Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, he produced and directed his first two stage shows for a local community organization. Matt entered Brandeis University as a pre-med student, but a family vacation to Los Angeles, and specifically a tour of the Universal Studios backlot, quickly changed his career path.

While at Brandeis, Matt received a filmmaking grant and directed his first documentary. In addition to graduating from Brandeis with a degree in psychology, film studies and art history, he has studied directing, cinema history and at numerous schools around the globe,

namely, New York University’s acclaimed Tisch School of the Arts, the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England and the University of California Los Angeles. One of Matt’s comedic short films gained cult status at Brandeis and received special recognition from the Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation.

Matt moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue his career as a director, producer, actor and writer. He had the privilege to work as an assistant to Lawrence Bender at his and Quentin Tarantino’s production company, A Band Apart. Matt trained as an actor/director at the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio in Santa Monica, California and since then has directed and appeared in numerous short films and stage plays.

Always actively involved with the local community, Matt serves on alumni boards for his alma mater and helps AIDS Project Los Angeles fund HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs by participating in both AIDS Walk Los Angeles and the AIDS Marathon.

Matt formed Mogul Productions in 2003 and is currently writing a feature interracial romantic comedy script and developing numerous other film, television and documentary projects.

CARLO CACCAVALE (Producer) - born in Rome, Italy – grew up on films and dreams, a combination that turned him into a huge movie buff.

After receiving his Master’s Degree in Communication at the University of Rome, Carlo moved to New York where he graduated from The Center for the Media Arts with a concentration in Television Production. Upon his return to Rome, Carlo worked in development for noted director Dario Argento. Two years later he moved to Milan to work in TV development and production at Mediaset as a writer and associate producer for several prime-time shows.

In Los Angeles, Carlo has written feature-length scripts, completed a series of short films for the Internet, including Angelyne: the Hollywood Tour, and directed 2 short films from his original screenplays, Chatroom and Best Actress.

JOHN MILITELLO (Co-Screenwriter) wrote and starred in the award winning short film Rock Bottom and created The Dairy Fairies, a comedy set in an ice cream parlor in New York's West Village, which premiered on stage in Los Angeles last year. He also wrote and starred in the one-man off-Broadway show Life is a Bowl of Pork in New York. John's work as an actor can be seen in such films as Teaneck, Barstow 2008 and the 2003 Sundance Film Festival selection Struggle. Stage work includes roles in The Lower Depths, Maddogs and Other Rabble, and the title role in Marty. He is currently finishing his first book The Dickie Stories.

ADAM SAMPSON (Director of Photography) first became interested in at the age of 5 when he visited a television studio. He received a B.A. from Montana State University. Adam worked at PBS in Denver, Colorado for five years on the series Spirit of Colorado. In those five years he won seven Emmy’s for his camerawork. He earned his Master’s of Fine Arts in Cinematography from the American Film Institute in Hollywood. For the past five years, Adam has been working as a Director of Photography in the Los Angeles area focusing mainly on HD and film feature projects.

WILLIAM Z. WAXMAN () was born and raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where he continues to reside and operate a successful insurance and real estate business. Mr. Waxman is well known and respected in his community, where he has been very active in civic, religious and recreational programs. Mr. Waxman has also been very involved in the political atmosphere in his native city, maintaining an impeccable reputation in the process. Mr. Waxman, a true entrepreneur, has been successful in a variety of business venues. Executive producing this film marks Mr. Waxman’s first venture in the .

MATT BARBER (Film Editor) is a man. A man with a penchant for spiky hair; a man who denies the continual loss of said hair. And like most men, he has a dream. A dream to make movies. Never being one to give up (but never stopping to ask for directions) he has stumbled upon such shows as Law & Order: Crime and Punishment and The O.C. where he was put to work as an assistant editor -- and loved every moment of it! Occasionally, he finds a willing participant in his peculiar experiments in filmmaking. These experiments have led to such films as The Rule and Proverbial They (which he wrote and directed, thank you very much!). In his spare time he likes to take on the roll of an editor. Most recently, he cut the short Cracker Ingenuity which debuted at the 2003 AFI Filmfest.

MALICE (Composer) (Mary Alice Corton, professionally known as "Malice") is a composer for all media. Malice scores music for film, television and corporate projects in between her touring dates for her singer-songwriter career. She is currently working on a musical based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and touring solo on the east coast.

“ACADEMY AWARD®” and “OSCAR®” are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

All photos courtesy of James Frank Dean

MOGUL PRODUCTIONS Presents

a CACCAVALE/KRINSKY Production

a film by MATT AARON KRINSKY

An Eye for an Eye

JURI HENLEY-COHN SALLY KIRKLAND AARON MACPHERSON PAUL LONGO

Directed by MATT AARON KRINSKY

Screenplay by JOHN MILITELLO, MATT AARON KRINSKY

Produced by CARLO CACCAVALE

Produced by MATT AARON KRINSKY, SALLY KIRKLAND

Executive Producer WILLIAM Z. WAXMAN

Director of Photography ADAM SAMPSON

Production Designer LEE BERG

Film Editor MATT BARBER

Original Score Composed by MALICE

Assistant Director JOSHUA FOGEL

Associate Producer JIMMY PATTERSON

Joseph...... JURI HENLEY-COHN Rachel...... SALLY KIRKLAND Derrick...... AARON MACPHERSON Attacker...... PAUL LONGO Voice of 2nd Basher...... DON BARNETT

Fight Choreographer ROSIE SHARKEY

Script Supervisor CAROLYN CHESLER

1st Assistant Cameraman AARON T. BOWEN

Production Sound Mixer KARL LOHNINGER

Boom Operator MARIEL LOHNINGER

Key Makeup & Special Effects Makeup SYLVIA PERKINS

Makeup Artist & Hair Design ADA STEPIEN

Costume Supervisor ANNE ROCCHIO

Gaffer ERIC CURTIS

Key JEFFREY MOLYNEAUX

Grips TINA GOODWIN CHRIS WILTON

Set Decorator MICHAEL ANDREWS

Set Dresser SHONTA ODOM

Still Photographers JAMES FRANK DEAN CHARLOTTE DEAN

Productions Assistants JEFFREY MOLYNEAUX JENNIFER MCLEAN

Location Manager DARREN MILLS

Craft Services JENNIFER MCLEAN

Additional Editing MATT SCHAFFER

Sound Editors MATT BARBER MATT SCHAFFER

Sound Effects Editor MATT BARBER

Voiceover Recordist MATT SCHAFFER

Sound Mixer MATT BARBER

“Stranger Here At Home” Written by MALICE Produced by JIMMY HUNTER and MALICE Performed by MALICE Published by CORTON MUSIC Courtesy of CORTON MUSIC

“My Eyes” Written by MALICE and JOE HINNEBUSCH Produced by BRIAN STECKLER Performed by MALICE Published by CORTON MUSIC Courtesy of CORTON MUSIC

Telecine Colorist KEN SCHWARTZ

Legal Services Provided by ELISHA FARA LANDMAN of SCOTT, KRELL, ARDEN, SALTER, HICKS & LANDMAN LLP

Production Accountant SUSAN M. LEWIS, E.A.

Banking Services & Assistance TADEH GRIGORIAN of BANK OF AMERICA

Production Insurance ARNIE A. APOSTOL of TRUMAN VAN DYKE CO.

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