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Home , Arrested (Modern Family), Brad Grey, David Carradine, Dermot Mulroney, Evan Ross, Harold Perrineau

WINNER Narrative Feature Audience Award LAFF 2014

THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI Written and Directed by Kerem Sanga TRT: 94 min

Publicity Contact: Sales Contact: Sales Contact: Mickey Cottrell Will Lowery Jay Cohen inclusive pr APA The Gersh Agency (323) 460-4111 405 South Beverly Drive (310) 205-5815 c: (323) 855-6538 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 c: (818) 746-6932 [email protected] (310) 888-4253 [email protected] [email protected] CAST Brian Kieslowski Ryan Malgarini Leslie Mallard Haley Lu Richardson Robert Kieslowski Barbara Kieslowski Melora Walters Walter Mallard James Le Gros Hi Jing Jessica Lu Cho

CREW Writer/Director Kerem Sanga Producers Danny Leiner, Seth Caplan, Ross Putman, David Hunter Composer John Swihart Cinematographer Ricardo Diaz Editor Ryan Brown Production Designer Susannah Lowber Costume Designer Dandi Dewey Sound Mixer Darryl Williams Music Supervisor Jay MacLeay Executive Producers Ben Ross, Chris Colbert Co-Executive Producer Ross Christiansen

ABOUT THE FILM

LOGLINE

Two brainy yet awkward virgins hook up (drunk), fall in love (maybe), and get pregnant (twins). SYNOPSIS

Brian Kieslowski (19), a virgin and a science student at CalTech, knows the probability that a beautiful girl like Leslie Mallard (21), who's saving herself for marriage, would fall for him is infinitesimally small -- but on one very drunken night, the universe allows it to happen. Defying the odds for a second time, Mallard gets pregnant with twins after their first night together. When she tells him that she wants to keep the babies, he's too smitten with her to admit the truth: he's not ready to be a father. In a desperate attempt to continue dating her, he goes along with it, all the while hoping blindly that she'll come to her senses. Kieslowski oscillates between wishing he could be the man she wants him to be and praying that she'll reconsider, and as his hopes dwindle, he finds himself with only one possible ally: her manipulative bully of a father.

FILMMAKER’S COMMENTS

My parents married in the middle of their junior year at Stanford. Seven months later, my twin brother and I were born. Dad said that having children so young "really sucked." My Mom has said that were my Dad not so unwavering in his support, my brother and I would not exist. They traded their youth for us. Would I have done the same? I don’t know. Before they see this movie, this is what I’ll tell them: I’ll say, parents, you’ve done so much for me. I love you. And please note, this movie is not meant to be about you guys. It’s about two people who don’t handle your predicament nearly as well, which is generally more entertaining. -Kerem Sanga, August 2014

ABOUT THE CAST

Ryan Malgarini – “Brian Kieslowski”

Ryan Malgarini began acting at age 5, and made his film debut in THE OF LELAND (2004), playing the six year-old version of Ryan Gosling's character, opposite . In 2003, Malgarini played Harry Coleman in Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY starring and , and in 2006 he appeared as Benjy in the film adaptation of beloved children's novel HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS. Malgarini co-starred for two years (2008-2010) on CBS's GARY UNMARRIED with Jay Mohr, which won the 2008 People's Choice Award for Best New Comedy. His other television credits include Disney Movie of the Week GO FIGURE (2005), and roles on , MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, HARRY'S LAW, MIKE & MOLLY, and BONES. He is a three-time -winner, and two-time nominee. Haley Lu Richardson – “Leslie Mallard” Haley Lu Richardson first began entertaining others as a member of competitive dance company Cannedy Performing Arts, where she performed for eight years. In 2011, at the age of 16, she moved to , and booked her first lead role in the TV movie CHRISTMAS TWISTER. Since then, she has appeared on Disney Channel's SHAKE IT UP, MTV's AWKWARD, ABC Family’s RAVENSWOOD (a spin-off of the popular PRETTY LITTLE LIARS series), and starred in ESCAPE FROM POLYGAMY, which recently had its world premiere on Lifetime. She recently worked alongside Kelly Preston and Jane Seymour in the ABC/20th Century Fox ADOPTED. Richardson is the star of the feature film THE WELL, which also has its world premiere at LA Film Fest 2014.

Joshua Malina – “Robert Kieslowski” Star of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning ensemble series THE , Joshua Malina has the impressive distinction of having appeared in all but one project that has written/produced. Malina made his professional acting debut in the Broadway production of Sorkin’s , and then went on to star in the critically-acclaimed television series , for which he and his castmates were nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy. Other Sorkin credits include the films and MALICE. Additional film credits include A VIEW FROM THE TOP, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, and BULWORTH. Malina’s other television credits include memorable recurring arcs on ’s , USA Network’s IN PLAIN SIGHT, and HBO’s as Kenny, the shockingly uncreative creative executive. Malina can currently be seen in the hit Shonda Rhimes ABC drama .

ABOUT THE CAST (CONT.)

Melora Walters – “Barbara Kieslowski” Melora Walters is known for her starring role on the award-winning HBO series BIG LOVE. Her film credits include memorable turns in THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, COLD MOUNTAIN, BOOGIE NIGHTS, MAGNOLIA, MATCHSTICK MEN, ERASER, THE DEAD POET’S SOCIETY, and THE MASTER. Walters was recently seen in the dark comedy SHIT YEAR, as well as the independent features CASE 219, with Harold Perrineau and Evan Ross, Taylor Hackford's LOVE RANCH, and SHORT TERM 12. She stars in the upcoming independent feature SACRIFICE opposite Dermot Mulroney, and SEX, DEATH AND BOWLING opposite Selma Blair and Adrian Grenier. She recently wrapped shooting the feature film SUGAR MOUNTAIN opposite Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes. James Le Gros – “Walter Mallard” James Le Gros has appeared in over sixty films and twenty television series. Le Gros played ’s drug-addicted cohort in ’s DRUGSTORE COWBOY, and also ap- peared in Kathryn Bigelow’s POINT BREAK, David Fincher’s ZODIAC, ENEMY OF THE STATE, BORN ON THE 4th OF JULY, and ’s SINGLES. Le Gros starred in the Spirit Award-nominated LOVELY AND AMAZING (dir. Nicole Holofcener) opposite Emily Mor- timer, Todd Haynes’s SAFE opposite , and opposite Steve Buscemi and , a performance that garnered him a Spirit Award nom- ination. His television credits include series regular work on ALLY MCBEAL, Showtime’s Emmy-nominated SLEEPER CELL, a costarring role opposite Kate Winslet in HBO’s MIL- DRED PIERCE, and recent recurring roles on HBO’s GIRLS and FX’s JUSTIFIED Jessica Lu – “Hi Jing” Chicago native, Jessica Lu is best known for her work as the down-to-earth Ming Huang on the MTV series AWKWARD. She recently shot the NBC pilot SALVATION opposite Ashley Judd. Her past work includes roles in ABC Family’s WORK MOM, and the feature films TRIG- GER and ABOUT LAST NIGHT. Lu graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Musical Theatre Performance. Osric Chau – “Cho” Osric Chau’s first lead role was in the film KUNG FU KILLER, opposite Darryl Hannah and the late David Carradine. After that, he appeared as Nima, the young Tibetan monk, in Roland Emmerich’s 2012. Chau also appeared in the Chinese remake of WHAT WOMEN WANT, Universal’s MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS opposite and , and was a co-lead in FUN SIZE opposite Victoria Justice. Most recently, Chau has gained attention as a recurring guest star on the CW hit series SUPERNATURAL.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Kerem Sanga – Writer/Director Kerem Sanga began his work in film as a producer and actor in the independent film STONER (dir. Michael Greene), which premiered at the 2009 Austin Film Festival. That fall, he accepted an Annenberg Fellowship to attend the University of Southern California MFA program in Writing for Screen and Television. In 2011, he completed TRIGGER FINGER, his first feature as director. THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI is his second. He is managed by Ryan Cunningham and Kendrick Tan at Madhouse. Prior to his work in film, Sanga studied Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. Danny Leiner – Producer Danny Leiner has directed a number features in both the studio and indie world including two comedies at the center of our pop cultural zeitgeist, DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR? and HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. He has also directed episodes of a wide range of television series including, THE OFFICE, HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, , , FREAKS AND GEEKS and SPORTS NIGHT. Leiner also directs a variety of commercials including all of the ubiquitous FreeCreditStore.com band spots. Seth Caplan – Producer CHICAGO native Seth Caplan has produced feature films, animated movies, and documentary programs. Caplan’s films have been featured at several film festivals including: the , SXSW, the Edinburgh Film Festival, LAFF, AFI Fest, Raindance, Woodstock, , Sarajevo, New Zealand and many more. His films have also been televised on the Sundance Channel, IFC, PBS, Starz and NBC/Universal Sports Network. He was previously awarded the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award for his film IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS. Caplan has served on the jury for the Austin Film Festival and for the Piaget Independent Producer of the Year Award. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.F.A. from the . He is a graduate of Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. Ross Putman – Producer Ross Putman in an executive at Ineffable Pictures, an independent producer/writer, and a graduate of USC’s MFA Writing for Screen and Television program. He co-produced the Netflix series BAD SAMARITANS for director Walt Becker, and is developing comedy-drama feature HOODS, co-written with fellow producer Dave Hunter, with Fox Digital Studio. With Hunter and Kerem Sanga, Putman co-founded PSH Collective, a production company with a writer/director-centric indie focus. They’re producing Adam Rehmeier’s comedy DINNER IN AMERICA alongside Danny Leiner, which shoots this fall, as well as Fred Seton’s dark comedy THE ABORTIONIST, which will shoot next year.

David Hunter – Producer Dave Hunter was the writer for the short film SOFT TOUCH, which won the Jury Prize at the Es Em International Film Festival in 2010. He first collaborated with Kerem Sanga and Ross Putman as producer on their short ASHLEY MASON. Last year, they produced their first feature film, TRIGGER FINGER, which he also co-wrote. His script ANGELES CITY is in development with Infinity Productions, the Philippines’ largest producer of films for the English-language grindhouse.

Ben Ross – Executive Producer Ben Ross is a writer/director/producer with vast experience in talent management and studio production. Ross’s career started with Oscar-winning producer Scott Rudin (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) where he worked on such films as CLUELESS and SABRINA. Ross then spent four years working for the management/production juggernaut Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, the company co-founded by current Chairman Brad Grey, where he specialized in management and worked closely with clients such as and . After spending several years writing/directing/producing films on his own, Ross now serves as a production executive for Image Nation Abu Dhabi, makers of such films as THE HELP and CONTAGION.