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Meet the Filmmaker: Michael Bliss, “2020 Double Feature V and Lazarus”

EFP: Why did you become a filmmaker?

MB: I started making films at the age of 15 and on my 16th birthday I wrote in my journal that I want to be a director/filmmaker and to always be doing video productions. Through the years I have made that dream a reality by directing many of my own films and working at ABC, FOX, and ESPN, A couple of highlights of my life was working with Robert Rodriquez on the film “The Faculty” and working at an art gallery helping frame artwork for Richard Linklater, and Quentin Tarantino. These three filmmakers have been an inspiration and a big influence in my independent filmmaking career.

EFP: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?

MB: I will be screening a couple short films that I created during the pandemic. This is a premiere screening.

V 2020 I used some footage from the 2019 Zombie Crawl I run in Colorado Springs and footage from the Denver Pavilions on the 16th Street Mall which was all boarded up with no human activity during this crazy time.

Lazarus 2020 uses some Denver footage I shot during the pandemic when everything was shut down. On Easter 2020, I was watching Martin Scorsese’s “The Last temptation of Christ” and saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and that is when the Lazarus character was born for this film. This video was very strange to shoot because it was the first time I left my house in quite a while. We had the stay at home order going on and I was dealing with a lot of fear and anxiety. Making Lazarus 2020 helped me calm down and be creative. Art is very healing. I reached out to Swara Nanda to help me with the soundtrack and I was inspired by Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor) 2020 Pandemic Album Ghosts V-VI
so she helped and composed the soundtrack for this film.

EFP: What else are you working on?

MB: Old School Musical “The Worst Musical Ever” I am having so much fun going back to the beginning of making films. Bringing back the passion of filmmaking. Not worrying about what others think because it is the worst musical ever. LOL!!! No expectations just having a blast!!!

EFP: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?

MB: I have dressed up as a clown since I was a little kid. Clown will make an appearance in Old School Musical.

EFP: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?

MB: Blissfest333.com, Michael Bliss on Facebook

EFP: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?

MB: I love and miss Patrick Sheridan. I am so grateful for everybody involved with EFP. Thank you for The Bug Theatre and all the wonderful people that help run EFP. Thank you so much for supporting our film and art commUNITY.

2020 Double Feature V and Lazarus will screen during The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, October 21st, 2021 at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Michael Bliss, “Cinnamon”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MB: I started making films at the age of 15 and on my 16th birthday I wrote in my journal that I want to be a filmmaker and a director. Through the years I have made that dream a reality by working at ABC, FOX, ESPN, and working on many films and documentaries. A couple of highlights of my life was working with Robert Rodriquez on the film The Faculty and working at an art gallery helping frame artwork for Richard Linklater, and Quentin Tarantino. These three filmmakers have been an inspiration and a big influence in my filmmaking career.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MB: Cinnamon is a 48 Hour Film Project that has won four awards so far.It also screened at the Colorado Short Circuit Film Festival and won for as the audience favorite.Our plans are to keep screening it at events and film festivals.

Q: What else are you working on?
MB: Festival creator and director of the  Denver Regional Youth Film Festival
Restoring Historic Elitch Theatre and creating a cultural revival on the original grounds of Elitch Gardens. 
The Troll – This is a story about a troll that gets lost in the city. 
ZombieFest II “Sloppy Seconds” – The Dead are Alive3 Degrees of Insanity – 3 stories, 3 minutes long tied all together with a bridge. (similar to a bridge in a song)

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MB: Clowns

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MB: www.blissfest333.comwww.etfest.comwww.historicelitchtheatre.org

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about EFPalooza or The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
MB: Thank you always for your support of Indie Films and our CommUNITY!

Cinnamon will screen Saturday, March 21st at 8:00 p.m. at The Bug Theatre as part of the Saturday Night Shorts block during the 2020 EFPalooza Film Festival.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Michael Bliss, “Praise the Dead”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MB: I started making films at the age of 15 and on my 16th birthday I wrote in my journal that I want to be a filmmaker and director. Through the years I have made that dream a reality by working at ABC, FOX, ESPN, and working on many films and documentaries. A couple of highlights of my life was working with Robert Rodriquez on the film The Faculty and working at an art gallery helping frame artwork for Richard Linklater, and Quentin Tarantino. These three filmmakers have been an inspiration and a big influence of my filmmaking career.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MB: A Priest vs Zombies. Who will win?
Praise the Dead has screened in four film festivals now and won an audience award at Open Screen Night.
This film is in honor of George Romero. My plan with Praise the Dead is to develop this idea into a feature.

Q: What else are you working on?
MB: Restoring Historic Elitch Theatre and creating a cultural revival on the original grounds of Elitch Gardens.

Working on Blissfest333 “Odyssey 2019”
20th Anniversary
A multimedia, Cultural Arts, Film Festival
We are creating unity within our commUNITY, bringing love, peace, harmony and bliss to a festival about creativity and individuality.
I am currently working on many film projects. Here is a few of them.
HUSH Little Baby A psychological thriller about motherhood. (In Production)
The Troll – This is a story about a troll that gets lost in the city.
ZombieFest II “Sloppy Seconds” – The Dead are Alive
333 Degrees – 3 stories, 3 minutes long tied all together with a bridge. (similar to a bridge in a song)

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MB: I like Clowns

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MB: www.blissfest333.com
www.etfest.com
www.historicelitchtheatre.org

Praise the Dead will screen Friday, February 22nd at 9:00 p.m. at The Bug Theatre as part of the Dark, SciFi & Horror Shorts block during the 2019 EFPalooza Film Festival.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Michael Bliss, “The Rose”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MB: On my 16th birthday I wrote in my journal that I want to be a Filmmaker and Director. Through the years I have made that dream a reality by working for ABC, FOX, ESPN, and working on many Films and Documentaries. I have also worked for and with many great directors like Robert Rodriquez, Richard Linklater and Quentin Tarantino. Currently I am creating live television shows at Denver Open Media and creating programming for Historic Elitch Theatre and helping with phase 3 of restoring the theatre.

Q: What are we going to see at the Denver Animated Pixelshow? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MB: The Rose is a story about a lonely rose who ends up in a dream inside of the black hole sun and goes on a journey to find out who the rose really is. A Rose.
Be Real. Be True. Be You!
The rose is dedicated to my wife Bonnie Bliss. She is a rose in my life.
The Rose has screened a few other Film Festivals and is currently airing on television.

Q: What else are you working on?
MB: Blissfest333
A multimedia, Cultural Arts, Film Festival
We are creating unity in our commUNITY, bringing love, peace, harmony and bliss to a festival about creativity and individuality.
I am currently working on many film projects. Here is a few of them.

The Troll This is a story about a troll that gets lost in the city.

ZombieFest II “Sloppy Seconds” The Dead are Alive

333 Degrees
3 stories, 3 minutes long tied all together with a bridge.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MB: The number 333 keeps coming up in my life. In one of my first films shot in the 80’s called The Asylum, 3:33pm pops up in the vide for one minute. It was an accident that we hit the button for the time to pop up on the video and now its time stamped on that film forever. 333 means that we are surrounded by Angels.

I love Clowns and one of my earlier films is about a Clown. I dressed up as a Clown last halloween but stayed indoors because I was scared I might get shot.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MB: www.blissfest333.org
www.elitchtheatre.org
http://www.etfest.com/

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about Denver Animated Pixelshow and The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
MB: Thank you, I am truly grateful for EFP and the numerous film festivals they put on every year. This is a great opportunity to get our films screened in a actual theatre and see them on the big screen. It is so great to be able to network with other filmmakers and get to know Denver’s finest talent . Thank you to the Bug theatre and the entire staff who puts on all these events. I am so honored to work with the founder Patrick Sheridan who has been a part of my family’s life and thank you Eileen Agosta the Director of Film Festivals – The Emerging Filmmakers Project. We love you all.

The Rose will screen during the 6:00pm block at the 2017 Denver Animated Pixelshow on Sunday, October 15th at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Michael Bliss, “Clown”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
MB: On my 16th birthday I wrote in my journal that I want to be a Filmmaker and Director. Through the years I have made that dream a reality by working with ABC, FOX, ESPN, and working on many films and Documentaries. I have also worked for and with great directors like Robert Rodriquez, Richard Linklater and Quentin Tarantino. Currently I am creating live television shows at DOM and working for imADgine Studios.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
MB: Clown is a film I shot in Austin on Super 8 Film. It was for a film festival similar to the 48 Hour Film Project. They gave us a soundtrack and you had to shoot on Super 8 Film with that soundtrack. It was one of the best in fest films.

Q: What else are you working on?
MB: Blissfest333
A multimedia, Cultural Arts, Film Festival
We are creating unity in our commUNITY, bringing love, peace, harmony and bliss to a festival about creativity and individuality.

I also have many films I am currently working on. Here is a couple of them.
“The Troll” This is a story about a troll that gets lost in the city.
ZombieFest II “Sloppy Seconds” The Dead are Alive

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
MB: The number 333 keeps coming up in my life. In one of my first films The Asylum 3:33pm pops up for one minute. It was an accident that we hit the button for the time to pop up on the screen and now its time stamped on that film forever.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
MB: www.blissfest333.org

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
MB: We love Patrick Sheridan and everybody involved with EFP. So grateful to have a venue like The Bug and all the wonderful people that help run EFP and all the Film Festivals held there. Thank you so much for supporting our film and art commUNITY.

Clown will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, March 16th at The Bug Theatre.