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 & Sally Kirkland 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 films made about the Matthew Shepard tragedy. While the subject matter of the film 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 actors 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 actor 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 filmmaking, 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 Los Angeles, 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 screenplay, 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 Jim Carrey in the 2003 hit Bruce Almighty and currently has two independent films in post-production in which she stars: Neo Ned with Jeremy Renner & 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 The Sting opposite Robert Redford and Paul Newman, Sydney Pollack’s The Way We Were starring Barbra Streisand 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, Shelley Winters, is also included in a chapter in Robert De Niro'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.