Cinema Speakeasy

Beth Spitalny & co.

We were really pleased about November 2009′s first ever Cinema Speakeasy Short Film Workshop, where directors Michael Medaglia, Weston Middleton (& writer Erik Adolphson), and the inimitable Tawd B. Dorenfeld presented their short films to a feisty and chatty audience. We were hoping to replicate the positive experience the filmmakers reported having  with yet another short film workshop, this time only featuring two, slightly longer short films.

On the recommendation of Zak Forsman, Kevin Shah, Jamie Cobb & Neha Shah over at SABI Pictures, we invited M. David Melvin to present his film ‘All American Tooles’, which is in the final edit stage. We then also invited the uber-talented Beth Spitalny to present her short ‘Procession’.

Settling in.

After a quick introduction by Lisa Marr, I (Saskia) introduced the newcomers to what we’re trying to accomplish at Cinema Speakeasy, and then CS’s own Georgi Goldman came up and introduced ‘Procession’- a short narrative about a teenager grieving her recently deceased boyfriend in secret (with the help of an empathetic and slightly bewildered hearse driver).

With Georgi leading the discussion, Beth fielded some questions about the process she employed in making her film, her choice of locations, filmic accuracy, as well as her choice to score the film with light music as a counterbalancing measure to provide a hopeful note to an otherwise rather melancholic narrative.

M. David Melvin

We then all watched ‘All American Tooles’, a dark, at times suspenseful comedy about a young  family at the whim of the wife’s hallucinations… with a major twist. Very well executed and really quite funny, the audience centered their questions and comments mostly around the three options for the ending. Most seemed in agreement, but I won’t give it away…

In any case, as always, a nice night was had by all, and thanks so much to David and Beth for putting themselves forth in this way: Criticism can be unnerving, and their openness to it is a testament to their commitment to their art. Also as always thanks to Lisa Marr and Paolo Davanzo at the Echo Park Film Center.

Adam & Georgi

We’ll see you next month, and in the meantime watch this space: March’s film will be announced soon.

P.S. We are always open to film suggestions, ideas, deep dark desires. Just drop us a line.

Filed under: Wrap Report, beth spitalny, Echo Park Film Center, Georgi Goldman, m. david melvin, Saskia Wilson-Brown, short film, Short film workshop, Wrap Report