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Meet the Filmmaker: Elgin Cahill, “Natalie”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
EC: As a child, I was always fascinated by the filmmaking process; by the fact that a person could start with a simple idea and turn that idea into a script, and that script could be turned into an actual MOVIE. That fascination always stayed with me.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
EC: Natalie is a short film about bullying. It is being featured by the Miss High School America Pageant program as part of their B.R.A.V.E. initiative (Building Respect And Values for Everyone). It is currently being screened at schools across the United States.

Q: What else are you working on?
EC: I am currently finishing up Ryde, a short film that I made with Ryan Seamy featuring Ketrick “Jazz” Copeland and Joe Bocian. My feature film, Beware The Lake, a supernatural teen thriller featuring Jonathan Lipnicki and Anja Knebl will be in stores in December. And I am in pre-production on my next feature, My Own Sky, a drama that will go into production in the Spring of 2018.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
EC: The characters in my films are named after a certain theme. For example, all of the characters in Ryde are named after band members of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. Because I can.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
EC: You can find out more about me and my work at the woefully out-of-date www.chestnuttreefilms.net. I’m working on that!

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
EC: The Emerging Filmmakers Project is like no other venue of its kind in the country, and Denver is very fortunate to have it. It is like the beating heart of the local filmmaking community.

Natalie will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, September 21st at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmakers: “Dead Reckoning” and “The Dead Reckoning”, Student Films from the Art Institute of Colorado

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
A: We all became filmmakers for many reasons. Some of us wanted to use the power of film to change the world, some of us wanted to show people the beauty of the world, some are born entertainers and some of us just like to make cool things.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
A: What you are seeing is a class project where we split our class into two different groups. Each group was given the same script and were told to make our own version of the script. Each group interpreted their script in a different way. One group made theirs a little raunchier and added some lines of dialogue that were not in the original script, their interpretation was more of a zombie bro comedy. The second group chose the light-hearted comedy and to focus on the friendship of the main characters. Each group used different actors, locations, props and makeup. The purpose of this project was to show how everyone has their own artistic styles and even people may get the same script the end product will be two completely different things.

Q: What else are you working on?
A: As students, each of us are working on different things. Some of us are working on graduating soon and having to figure out how to use what we learned in school to make money and pay bills. We each have one thing we love to do writing, shooting, producing, directing and we are always working at perfecting our craft.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
A: Since this is a group of us there are many weird things we could tell you. If you were ever to sit in on our class you would think it was a weird class, we have somehow found a way of supporting each other no matter if we want to write fantasy fiction, non-fiction, make serious films to bring light to certain issues or to be the king of inappropriate jokes. Even though all of us don’t have the same beliefs we all support each other’s art.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
A: If you want to see more of our work you can come visit The Art Institute of Colorado, also twice a year the school puts on a show called Spectrum where we show the best work the school has to offer. Each of us has our own website, YouTube, FB page ext. If you would like to talk to us afterwards and we will tell you where you can find us.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
A: We would like to say thank you for giving us the chance to show our work and get critiques from other filmmakers. We would also like to say be cool man be cool.

Dead Reckoning and The Dead Reckoning -Student Films from the Art Institute of Colorado will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, September 21st at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Justin Christenson, “Simulacrum”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
JC: Not sure I am a filmmaker yet, but telling stories and wearing pants are what sets us apart from most living things, and I’m not interested in wearing pants.
Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
JC: Simulacrum is about a girl dealing with the loss of her father, but you’ll see something completely different.
This will be it’s premiere, but we hope people will respond and we get to show it again and again.
Q: What else are you working on?
JC: Currently writing a dystopian tech-noir I think. America isn’t ready just yet.
Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
JC: I wanted the title to be “Circumcision” but I was overruled.
Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
JC: Keep helping the little guy stand up amongst his peers. It means more than you know.
Simulacrum will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, September 21st at The Bug Theatre.
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Meet the Filmmaker: Anthony Stabley, “Everlasting” (trailer)

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
AS: I became a filmmaker because it was a natural progression in my career. I’ve worked for many years as a production designer and in many ways we have to pre-viz each movie that we take on. It’s our job to be on top of all the details from design to construction to decor to graphics, VFX, props, locations, picture vehicles, etc. We also have to dig deep into the characters, understand the tone of the script, the nuts and bolts of production and the value of making a professional film. So directing / producing was the next logical step.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
AS: We are going to screen the Everlasting trailer at EFP. This preview was created after we finished the festival run for our feature film. Our U.S. Premiere took place at the 17th Annual Nevermore Film Festival last year where we won the Jury Award for Best Feature. We also screened in London at the Crystal Palace International Film Festival and Panic Fest in KC. We are available on multiple platforms (Amazon, Vudu, FandangoNow, Google Play, etc.). We will continue to expand to different foreign territories via Indie Rights. *We also hope to screen in Denver in the next few months. BTW – if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber you can watch Everlasting for FREE.

Q: What else are you working on?
AS: As for new projects – I’ve completed a Pilot script (30 min.) and Visual Presentation for a Series. I will start organizing that next with our Casting Director in L.A. The show is geared toward folks who appreciate the Horror genre. I’m excited for it, but we just have to take it step by step.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
AS: I’m not sure if this is weird, but most of my writing happens between 11pm-3am. I have to juggle so much between working on other movies and family life so it’s the only time I really have. I suppose that when you are alone, drafting a story in the middle of the night – that’s when your imagination can run wild. There are no distractions and I can just focus. It’s really my favorite time.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
AS: For more info you can visit www.EverlastingaMovie.com and… www.AnthonyStabley.com *Plus… Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
AS: I was thrilled to find EFP. There are so many talented filmmakers that participate in these screenings. It’s also a great venue for creative types to discuss and share their love for Cinema. With Everlasting, we had so many challenges perhaps some of the successful strategies that we used will be of value to other filmmakers. We certainly learned a bunch during these five years.

Everlasting (trailer) will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, September 21st at The Bug Theatre.