SAFER AT HOME In Select Theaters, VOD & Digital on February 26, 2021 DIRECTED BY Will Wernick WRITTEN BY Will Wernick, Lia Bozonelis PRODUCED BY Will Wernick, John Ierardi, Bo Youngblood, Lia Bozonelis (Co-Producer), Jason Phillips (Co-Producer) STARRING Jocelyn Hudon, Emma Lahana, Alisa Allapach, Adwin Brown, Dan J. Johnson, Michael Kupisk, Daniel Robaire RUN TIME: 82 mins DISTRIBUTED BY: Vertical Entertainment For additional information please contact: LA Daniel Coffey – [email protected] Emily Maroon – [email protected] NY Susan Engel – [email protected] Danielle Borelli – [email protected] ABOUT THE FILM Synopsis Two years into the pandemic, a group of friends throw an online party with a night of games, drinking and drugs. After taking an ecstasy pill, things go terribly wrong and the safety of their home becomes more terrifying than the raging chaos outside. Director’s Statement Making Safer at Home was challenging. Not just because of the technical hurdles the pandemic mandated, but because of the strange new features life had taken on in those early months of the pandemic. I found myself having unusual conversations, and realizations about myself and friends — things that only this type of stress could bring out. I noticed people making major, sometimes life changing decisions, quickly. Brake-ups, pregnancies, divorces, fights-- this instigated them all. Almost everyone I knew was caught in an indefinite cycle of every day feeling the same. And then we started working on this film. Safer at Home plays out essentially in real time, and shows what a long period of lockdown could do to a group of friends. We wanted the story to unfold organically with the characters seeming normal at first. It’s not until tension arises that we see the emotional and psychological toll two years of lockdown has created. I have never been a big fan of “screen movies.” The form tends to feel like a gimmick. But as we discussed the film, it felt more and more fitting that it unfold over a video chat. In the real world, the pandemic had recently forced us all onto Zoom and other platforms for connection and communication. Telling a story over that medium felt fully real — and cathartic. One thing that was important to me was making sure the film felt cinematic, even though it was unfolding from the perspective of the character’s various devices. Placing the audience in a heightened version of what they have been experiencing every day. Lighting and music were as integral as the performances. Covid’s constraints forced another challenge. While filming in multiple locations simultaneously and directing remotely, it seemed fitting to use long takes, like a play. This was both freeing and a bit terrifying, as once a 20 minute section of the story starts, it doesn’t feel right to stop. Going back to evaluate and work on performance, relied on the actors being flexible and understanding of the limitations. The cast and crew stepped up to the challenge, one of the filming days completing over 30 pages of dialogue-heavy script. The story and filming played out as societal change and violence unfolded around us in real time. The BLM / George Floyd protests and marches, and the looting and lockdown that followed, were occurring while we were filming. Discussing these upheavals with the cast and producers gave me fresh insight about the built-up anger, fear, and sense of justice that so many were fighting and dying for. The script started to feel a bit like a crystal ball as more and more narrative elements we had written about, weeks or months before, started to actually take place. At its core this is a cautionary tale. With the still lengthening lockdown, we need to remain vigilant and safety-conscious, and also find healthy outlets for our stress and tension. This unique period allows a chance to see how connected we can be, not just emphasize our painful separation. The concept that the home can be just as dangerous as the outside world has become a reality for many. It is the last week in January. The unexpected journey of making this film is coming to an end, and I cannot imagine the last year without it. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of those involved in both creating and releasing the film, for coming on the journey and making this experiment in pandemic film making come to life! For me, the historical events unfolding as we created our story combine into an indelible memory. - Will Wernick FILMMAKER BIOS Will Wernick (Director, Co-Writer, Story by, Producer) The adopted child of musicians, Will was involved in art and music from an early age. In 1989 he was on United Flight 232, a DC10, which crashed in Sioux City Iowa. Miraculously surviving, the event sparked an early interest in high concept, visceral story telling for Will. His first feature, ESCAPE ROOM, displayed Will’s filmmaking prowess. It was distributed by Lionsgate domestically and Voltage Pictures internationally. Will’s second film, NO ESCAPE (A.K.A FOLLOW ME), which he wrote and directed, stars Keegan Allen (PRETTY LITTLE LIARS), Holland Roden (TEEN WOLF), Ronen Rubinstein (911 LONESTAR, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), and Denzel Whitaker (BLACK PANTHER). Following a successful overseas release, it opened theatrically in the US on September 18, 2020, in 45 theaters, however given the strong reception on opening weekend, it quickly expanded. His next projects are “Whitebread” a psych-thriller, “The Bend” a drama set in the mountains of Montana, and “Ghosted” a high- concept thriller. Lia Bozonelis (Co-Writer, Story by, Co-Producer) Lia Bozonelis is a screenwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. She is co-writer and co- producer of SAFER AT HOME, which was conceived and written to shooting draft in less than one month during Covid lockdown in April of 2020. The film was then shot in the first week of June 2020, completed and has a breakneck speed release of February of 2021. Previously, Lia served as Head Writer and Consulting Producer of the feminist sketch comedy series SORRY NOT SORRY for Sony's Astronauts Wanted, Complex Networks and go90. She is currently packaging GHOSTED, a psychological thriller feature, which she co-wrote and will produce on. Her romantic comedy feature EAT, DRINK & BE MARRIED premiered worldwide in summer of 2019 and her script A TASTE OF LOVE sold to Reel One Entertainment in the same year. In addition, she is developing and packaging film and television projects with Atlas Entertainment and Momentum TV, among others. In addition to writing, Lia has story consulted on feature and television projects for Netflix, where she spent four years, Scott Free Productions, Odd Lot Entertainment, Smokehouse Pictures, and has read for HBO and Anonymous Content. At the center of Lia’s career is her mission to help women rise within the entertainment industry during the important movements for gender equality. Lia finds fulfillment as a pro bono mentor and advisor to women, as well as within her cultural community of Greeks and Greek Americans. As a member of Women in Motion Picture Sciences and the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival for more than ten years, Lia utilizes her strengths within these organizations to advocate for young, diverse voices to be heard through storytelling. She was recently a recipient of the prestigious 40 Under 40 Award from the Greek America Foundation for her professional and philanthropic contributions. Lia is a graduate of George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. She started her career in corporate communications at Time Warner before heading to New Line Cinema and Picturehouse Films. She then worked as a staff writer for FORTUNE magazine, covering hard news across the globe before moving to LA to pursue her career in film full time. CAST BIOS Jocelyn Hudon (Jen) Jocelyn Hudon was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Originally a ballerina, she trained and performed at the National Ballet School of Canada since the age of eleven. After completing a degree in communications and a post graduate degree in PR, she began her acting career. While known for her memorable role of ‘Abby’ on Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s FX Original Series THE STRAIN, she has also made an impact as a heavy recur alongside Cam Gigandet in ICE and Jake Manley in the Netflix series THE ORDER. Most recently, she played the lead role of 'Grace Bennett' in the Hallmark series, WHEN HOPE CALLS. Feature-wise, Jocelyn performed alongside Adam Sandler and Peter Dinklage in the Columbia Pictures feature PIXELS. Emma Lahana (Mia) Emma Lahana was born in Auckland, New Zealand but spent most of her childhood growing up in Samoa and various islands in the South Pacific. Inspired by Michael Jackson from a very young age, Emma enrolled in dance classes at three years old where she quickly discovered her passion for classical ballet. As a teenager her dancing led her to musical theatre where she first began to branch out exploring singing, and eventually acting. She soon began playing lead roles in various musicals, and also began choreographing for theatre companies as well. At the age of 14, Emma booked her first TV gig after being submitted by her school drama teacher. This job led to getting her first agent. At 19, Emma faced the difficult decision of choosing to leave her full time ballet school so she could pursue acting full-time. Emma can most recently be seen as one of the stars of Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. Emma’s numerous TV credits include starring roles on ABC's Power Rangers Dino Thunder, the CW’s Hellcats and Syfy’s Haven.