Reviews and Events – Page 47 – Unspool Hollywood

KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SIXTH ANNUAL “GOLDEN KEY FOR COSTUME DESIGN” HONORING EMMY AND TONY AWARD-WINNING COSTUME DESIGNER PAUL TAZEWELL

2021 FESTIVAL RUNS NOVEMBER 17TH -21ST

New York, NY- October 5, 2021 — The Key West Film Festival announced today the recipient of its sixth annual Golden Key for Excellence in Costume Design, honoring Emmy and Tony Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell.

Tazewell's most recent work includes the upcoming Steven Spielberg film West Side Story as well as Hamilton and Harriet.

As part of the honor, Tazewell will also participate in a discussion of his work, to be moderated by Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis.

Paul Tazewell has been designing costumes for Broadway, Regional Theater, Film and Television, Dance, and Opera Productions for close to thirty years. He began his Broadway career with the groundbreaking musical, ‘Bring in Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk, directed by George C. Wolfe. Paul is best known for his work with both of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Original Broadway productions of Hamilton, for which he received the Tony Award and In the Heights, both directed by Thomas Kail. Other Broadway credits include Ain’t Too Proud; The Color Purple; Memphis; Caroline, or Change; and Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

Paul’s feature film credits include; Harriet directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Cynthia Erivo, Hamiltondirected by Thomas Kail and the anxiously anticipated West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg. TV credits include the HBO Original Film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, starring Oprah Winfrey and Lackawanna Blues, both directed by George C. Wolfe. Paul also designed costumes for The Wiz! Live, for which he received an Emmy Award and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert featuring John Legend.

In the United States and across the globe, Paul has designed for such renowned companies as The Metropolitan Opera, The Bolshoi Ballet, The English National Opera, Theatre du Chatelet, The Public Theater, National Theatre UK, The Kennedy Center, The Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Chicago Lyric Opera and many more.

Dr. Landis, a former Costume Design Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and an Academy Award®-nominee, presented the first annual Golden Key for costume design in 2016 to Mary Zophres, who went on to receive an Oscar® nomination for her work in La La Land, and to the last four year’s honorees: Mark Bridges, who won
the 2018 Oscar® for Best Costume Design for The Phantom Thread; and Alexandra Byrne, who’s work in Mary Queen of Scots was recognized by an Academy Award nomination; Arianne Phillips, nominate for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; and Francine Jamison-Tanchuck for her artistry in Regina King’s One Night in Miami.

Michael Tuckman, Director of Programming of the Key West Film Festival, commented I am thinking something along the lines of this for that quote "We are beyond thrilled to shine a spotlight on Paul's fabulous work in the upcoming West Side Story. Now in our 6th year of being the only festival in the country to annually recognize the art and craft of Costume Design, we've broken new ground once again with Paul, whose creations have not only brought to life the characters in major Hollywood films like Harriet and Hamilton, but is someone whose work can be treasured at the highest levels of film, television, theater and opera. He's a triple threat plus one, and we can't wait to be further enthralled during his conversation with Deborah Landis, who has supported this award since Day One."

Visit kwfilmfest.com for full program information – which will be announced on October 19, along with a schedule of events and travel and lodging details.

West Side Story (Photo Credit_ Niko Tavernise, 20th Century Studios)

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 17-21, 2021.

A diverse, entertaining and artistically rigorous selection of films will be represented through a broad array of categories that offer opportunities for filmmakers, both aspiring and established, to commune and exchange ideas while showing their work to audiences in an historic and artistically vibrant tropical paradise.

For more information, visit our website: https://kwfilmfest.com

Twitter - @keywestfilmfest
Instagram - @keywestfilmfestival
Facebook - Key West Film Festival

#kwff #kwff2021 #tropiccinema

‘CIVIL WAR, An Urgent Reflection on America’s Collective Memory’ Premieres on MSNBC on Sunday, October 24 at 10:00pm ET

Directer: Rachel Boynton
Executive Producers by Henry Louis Gates Jr. & Sam Pollard
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
Country: USA:

“In this time of reckoning in the country, Rachel Boynton’s journey into the heart of Civil War memory reveals just how contested, and personal, the meaning of this defining event in our history remains.” – Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

“[A] remarkable documentary… Delicately artful… There is
no shortage of provocative inquiry, or empathy, or understanding.”
– John Anderson, The Wall Street Journal

Union and Confederate veterans shaking hands at reunion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg as seen in Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) , directed by Rachel Boyton. Image courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress.

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE), a timely and probing look at how Americans tell the story of their Civil War and its legacy of slavery and racism, will premiere on MSNBC on Sunday, October 24 at 10:00pm ET. Directed by three-time Emmy nominee Rachel Boynton (Big Men, Our Brand is Crisis), the film includes Henry Louis Gates Jr., Sam Pollard and Brad Pitt among its executive producers.

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE) travels across the United States—particularly to its classrooms—to explore the different ways the Civil War has been taught and interpreted, commemorated and celebrated. Filmed from the last year of Obama’s presidency through the present, it interweaves insightful scenes and candid interviews filmed North and South, painting a uniquely crafted, multi-faceted portrait of our national narrative. With subtlety and determination, CIVIL WAR portrays a nation in denial, haunted by an embittered past and the stories it refuses to tell.

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE) was written and directed by Rachel Boynton and produced by Rachel Boynton and Erika Dilday. It was shot by Nelson Walker and edited by Steven Golliday, Mark Juergens and Rachel Boynton. Executive producers are Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremey Kleiner, Steven Shainberg, Sam Pollard, Robert S. Kravis, and Rick Rosenthall. Music is by Nathan Larson.

An unidentified African American soldier in a Union uniform with wife and two daughters as seen in Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) , directed by Rachel Boyton. Image courtesy of the U.S. Library of Cong

A confederate statue in front of the old courthouse building in Lexington, MS as seen in Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) , directed by Rachel Boyton. Photo credit: Nelson Walker III

Rachel Boyton, director of Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are). Photo credit: Justine Cooper

About the Director Rachel Boynton

This is Rachel Boynton’s third film in a series examining the systems that control how Americans live and relate to the rest of the world. She consistently probes and questions the beliefs and stories that bind America as a nation. Her first feature documentary, Our Brand is Crisis, explored democracy and democratic ideals: it followed a group of American political consultants as they traveled to South America to help Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada become President of Bolivia. It was the winner of the International Documentary Association's Best Feature Documentary Award and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Rachel’s second film, Big Men, explored international capitalism and its principles: it focused on Americans operating in the oil industry in West Africa. Big Men was released theatrically in the US in 2014 and aired on the PBS series POV. The film was nominated for three News and Documentary Emmy Awards including Best Documentary. Civil War is Rachel's first film to be shot exclusively in the United States.

The Chi-Lites Receive the 2,702 Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Old School R&B legends The Chi-Lites received the 2,702 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, September 30th.

Their new star is in the recording category and located at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard at Sycamore Avenue.

On hand to assist the Hollywood Chamber Chair of the Board Nicole Mihalk honor the Chi- Lites where actor of 'Good Times' fame, Jimmie Walker and New York syndicated and Sirius/XB radio personality Jeff Fox.

Marshall Thompson

Marshall Thompson, the sole, living founding member, accepted the award on behalf of The Chi-Lites. The current members Tara Thompson, Fred Simon, Warren Tipton, and Mack Miller were also in attendance.

Gone to soon, but certainly not forgotten during the celebration, were founding members Eugene Record, Robert 'Squirrel' Lester, and Creadel 'Red' Jones, who were all acknowledged and celebrated on Thursday.

The poster of Creadel 'Red' Jones, Robert 'Squirrel' Lester, and Eugene Record, and Marshall Thompson on display kept them front and center throughout the Walk of Fame ceremony.

Claudette Robinson, First Lady of Motown Photo: Yevette Renee

In the audience to support the Chi-Lites was Claudette Robinson, the First Lady of Motown and an original member of The Miracles, , Good Times' Bern Nadette Stanis, Freda Payne, and Angela Yevette, daughter of Creadel 'Red'Jones and others.

Marshall Thompson formed the group the "Hi-Lights in 1959 with his friends Eugene Record, Robert 'Squirrel' Lester, and Creadel 'Red 'Jones in Chicago, Il. In 1964 the groups name was changed to 'Marshall & The Chi-Lites. It was 1969 when they were signed to Brunswick Records, headed by Carl Davis and Nat Tarnopol and known world wide as 'The Chi-Lites.

Some of their memorable songs from their more than 60 years in the business, include What Do I Wish For, Give More Power to the People, Let Me Be the Man My Daddy Was, Lonely Man, Oh Girl, Have You Seen Her.

As a final note, the Chi-Lites fans and supporters were looking good, dressed to-the-nines and ready for a Hollywood party.

Old School R&B legends The Chi-Lites received the 2,702 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, September 30th.

Their new star is in the recording category is located at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard at Sycamore Avenue.

‘MY DEAD DAD’ World Premiere at 2021 Woodstock Film Festival

Directed by: Fabio Frey
Written by: Pedro Correa and Fabio Frey
Starring: Pedro Correa, Raymond Cruz, Courtney Dietz, Simon Rex, Booboo Stewart, Chris Pontius, and Steven Bauer
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes
Rating: Note yet rated
Genre: Drama

"A breath of fresh air."
- Nathan Nugent, ROOM

"Both explosive, yet grounded."
- Rick Montgomery, GREEN BOOK

"Pedro Correa in a standout performance."
- Randy Myers, BAY CITY NEWS

World Premiere

2021 Woodstock Film Festival
MY DEAD DAD |
Friday, October 1st @ 4pm - Tinker Street Cinema - World Premiere
Sunday, October 3rd @ 11am - Orpheum Theater - second screening

California Premiere
2021 Mill Valley Film Festival
MY DEAD DAD
Saturday, October 9th @ 6pm - Smith Rafael Film Center
Monday, October 11th @ 3pm - Smith Rafael Film Center - second screening

Texas Premiere
2021 Austin Film Festival
MY DEAD DAD
Friday, October 22nd @ 7:15pm - Galaxy Highland 6 - Texas Premiere
Wednesday, October 26th @ 4pm - Galaxy Highland 5 - second screening

Raymond Cruz

In this charming coming-of-age drama, young burnout Lucas (Pedro Correa) is notified that his estranged father has passed away. Relieved to never have to hear about him again, Lucas learns that his father left him the responsibility of managing an apartment complex in Los Angeles. Determined to sell off the complex without a second thought, Lucas meets the eclectic tenants, and soon discovers his father was a different man than the one he knew.

"Every step of the way, from pre-production to post, we were faced with logistical and financial roadblocks, yet I can say that the many big things that could have easily shut production down somehow always missed us, lucky break after lucky break." says writer/director Fabio Frey. "At the end of the day, I'm proud of what we made with the amazing supporters who believed in us. I hope it gives our audience a sense of catharsis, the way it did for us, and the courage to revisit memories they have buried away."

Website: www.mydeaddadmovie.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mydeaddadmovie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mydeaddadmovie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mydeaddadmovie

Director: Fabio Frey
Writers: Fabio Frey, Pedro Correa
Producers: Pedro Correa and Tara Ansley
Executive Producers: Declan Baldwin and Karl Hartman
Editor: Theo Cowen
Cinematographer: Alejandro Ramos
Composer: David M. Saunders
A film by Never Norm Films, Wanderwell Entertainment, and Big Indie Pictures

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

AILEEN WUORNOS: AMERICAN BOOGEYWOMAN U.S. VOD Release October 8th

AILEEN WUORNOS: AMERICAN BOOGEYWOMAN U.S. VOD Release October 8th

Dark Star Pictures to release AILEEN WUORNOS: AMERICAN BOOGEYWOMAN Video on Demand with a United States release on October 8th, 2021. DVD release to follow on October 15, 2021.

VOD Platforms: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Xbox/Microsoft, Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, Verizon Fios, Dish Network, Direct TV and through local cable providers.

Companion piece and ‘Monster' Prequel, AILEEN WUORNOS: AMERICAN BOOGEYWOMAN focuses on serial killer Aileen Wuornos, whichisalso directed by Farrands and stars Peyton List in the title role (Cobra Kai , Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw"from the Saw Franchise), Lydia Hearst (The Haunting Of Sharon Tate), Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), Swen Temmel (In Time, Backtrace), Meadow Williams (Boss Level. Den Of Thieves), and Andrew Biernat (Shadow's Edge).

Based on Aileen Wuornos’s early life in 1976, the film follows America’s most notorious female serial killer in Florida when she marries an older wealthy Yacht Club president only to inflict mayhem within her new family and Florida’s high society.

ABOUT DARK STAR PICTURES

Dark Star Pictures is a new-age North American distribution company, focused on bringing unique and targeted content to audiences across the country. We are committed to releasing auteur-driven, original cinema in the theatrical, digital and home video space. Our goal is to create original marketing campaigns directly catered to audiences who will embrace our brand of thought-provoking cinema. Recent releases include Tribeca Midnight Selection Honeydew, Sundance favorite Koko-di Koko-Da, Cannes Official Selection Enfant Terrible and the newly announced SXSW psychological drama Freeland.

Website:https://darkstarpics.com
#AileenWuornos #AmericanBoogeywoman #TrueCrime

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

RIVER’S END on VOD in the US, Canada and UK on November 2, 2021.

Director Jacob Morrison's feature documentary film RVER'S END will be released on VOD in the US, Canada and UK on November 2, 2021.

The VOD Platforms: Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu (US, Canada, UK)

Cable Platforms: In Demand TVOD (Comcast, Spectrum, Cox), DirectTV/AT&T and more (US)

RIVER’S END explores the global water crisis, using California as a microcosm. It reveals how water politics that led to the draining of the Owens Valley by Los Angeles, made famous by the film CHINATOWN, continue to this day in ongoing efforts to take ever more water from Northern California's San Francisco Bay estuary. Except this time, the water grab is at the hands of industrial agriculture and its powerful corporate investors. RIVER’S END inspires viewers to learn where their water comes from so that we can save our rivers and the ecosystems and communities that depend upon them.

JACOB MORRISON- WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Jacob Morrison is a filmmaker releasing his feature directorial debut, RIVER’S END. Morrison has produced series for VICELAND and Fullscreen, wrote and starred in a multi-episode explainer series for Vice, and directed a half-hour television pilot. He is a graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a native of Southern California.

Website: https://www.riversendfilm.com/

CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/riversendfilm/

Twitter: https://youtu.be/MhsQTkf - 1BY

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/riversendfilm

Hashtag:
#RiversEnd

GIANT PICTURES

Giant Pictures is a leading digital distributor that is committed to empowering filmmakers to own their distribution. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, we work directly with rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms in North America and worldwide. Our content partners range from first-time filmmakers to award-winning independent producers, as well as notable studios Alamo Drafthouse Films, Abramorama Selects, Participant, Tribeca Enterprises, Utopia Distribution, and XYZ Films. A division of Giant Interactive, the award-winning digital media and technology services company, we distribute across 45+ platforms, including AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Peacock.

Learn more at: www.giant.pictures

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

Addiction and Incarceration, When it Requires More Than Unconditional Love and Support

Director, Producer, and Cinematographer: Jessica Earnshaw
Featuring: Jacinta Hunt, Rosemary
Genre: Documentary
Country: United States
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

Jessica Earnshaw directorial debut 'JACINTA' captures the gripping and heartbreaking story of Jacinta Hunt, who, along with her mother, Rosemary, is incarcerated and still struggling with their childhood traumas and a brutal life of addiction.

Jacinta's uphill battle of addiction is not helped by her life long addiction to her mother that leads her to follow in Rosemary's footsteps.

Watching three generations, Jacinta, her mother Rosemary and her daughter Caylynn struggle with the emotional trauma and toll that comes with addiction tugs at the heart and makes you cheer them on, hoping for their success.

Jacinta and Rosemary at Maine Correctional Center, 2016.
Photo © Jessica Earnshaw.

Jacinta's daughter Caylynn, who appears to be wiser of the three, asks her mom, "can I finally have what I want?"

What she wants, what any child would want, is to be a priority in thier parent's life.
Just some basic consistancing in the relationshop. Is that too much for a child to ask?

Jacinta's addiction and its affect are not isolated to her, her mother and daughter. Her dad, brothers, brother's
girlfriend and Caylynn's paternal grandparents, all struggle with the damage caused by drug addiction and incarceration.

The scenes of Jacinta's and her mother's life, in real time, in prison is a stark reminder is not a joke, this has life and death
consequences. 'Scared straight' moments to be sure.

Editor George O'Donneldoes a great job of connecting the lives of Jacinta and her family over the 3-years of filming the documentary.

JACINTA shows the value and imporatance of addicts having unconditionaly love and support from their love ones yet
it also shows the importance of the will of each individual addict in their recovery that is needed to go along that it requires more than recovery. But often times the love and support giving to an addict is just not ant.
It shows the importance of doing what is in the best interest of the child and not just what one of the parents or
child

JACINTA is a good film about a subject matter that sheds light on the human toll of addictions and the past childhood trauma
so many people struggle with by self-medicating.

A Hulu Original Documentary
Production Companies: Artemis Rising Foundation, Impact Partners, Lunamax Films, Shot Glass Productions,
Women Makes Movies, Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
Featuring: Jacinta Hunt, Rosemary, Shaun, Lucky
Director, Writer and Cinematographer: Jessica Earnshaw
Music: Gil Talmi
Editor: George O'Donnell

Director James Cullen Bressack’s Thriller ‘Survive the Game’ in Theatres, On-Demand and Digital on October 8th

Director: James Cullen Bressack
Starring: Chad Michael Murray and Bruce Willis

Director James Cullen Bressack’s upcoming Lionsgate action thriller 'Survive the Game' starring Chad Michael Murray and Bruce Willis, in theatres, on-demand and Digital on Oct 8th and on DVD and Blu-Ray on Oct 12th.

Bruce Willis as David in the action film, SURVIVE THE GAME, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate SURVIVE THE GAME R) Simon P

Bruce Willis (Pulp Fiction) and Chad Michael Murray (“Riverdale”) star in this explosive crime-thriller. When cop David (Willis) is injured in a drug bust gone wrong, his partner, Cal, pursues the two criminals who shot him to a remote farm owned by troubled vet Eric (Murray). As Cal and Eric plot their defense, more of the gang arrives — along with a wounded David — and, outnumbered, the three heroes must use stealth, smarts, and marksmanship to take down the drug-dealing mob.

About the Director

Phillips an award-winning British actor, is probably best known for the Amazon Prime hit TV shows Age of The Living Dead (an incredible vampire series that embodies the Jack Ryan series and cult favorite Dawn of Dead), & No Easy Days and The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan Trilogy features films.

Chad Michael Murray as Eric in the action film, SURVIVE THE GAME, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

He’s recently wowed audiences in the acclaimed diabolical dark comedy “Stealing Chaplin” featuring Mr. Las Vegas Himself Wayne Newton. Stealing Chaplin became the first comedy feature film to auction collectible NFT’s this summer. Phillips also cited and won awards for his gruesome portrayal of Santa Claus in Christmas Horror features Once Upon A Time At Christmas and The Nights Before Christmas.

Donna D'Errico as Carly in the action film, SURVIVE THE GAME, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgat

His 2021 Feature film Butchers, garnered high praise from The Guardian Newspaper stating "It's Phillips' performance that keeps the film's pulse going.” He has appeared in feature films with Bruce Willis, Danny Dyer, David O'Hara, Mark Hamill, Robert Englund, Rutger Hauer, Richard E. Grant, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, John Malkovich and Mel Gibson.

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

Filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi’s LABYRINTH OF CINEMA Opens October 20th in New York and October 29th in Los Angeles

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA will be released at The Metrograph in New York on October 20 and in Los Angeles at The Lumiere Cinema on October 29 (co-presented by Acropolis Cinema) with a nationwide theatrical release to follow.

The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi finds the late director returning to the subject of Japan’s history of warfare following the completion of his “War Trilogy,” which ended with Hanagatami. On the last night of its existence, a small movie theater in Onomichi—the seaside town of Obayashi’s youth where he shot nearly a dozen films—screens an all-night marathon of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men are transported into the world onscreen where they experience the violent battles of several wars leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima. A breathless cinematic journey through Japan’s past, Labyrinth of Cinema finds Obayashi using every trick in his book to create an awe-inspiring, visually resplendent anti-war epic that urges us to consider cinema as a means to change history. The culmination of an exceptional 60-year career worth celebrating.

He was notable for his distinct surreal filmmaking style, as well as the anti-war themes commonly embedded in his films. He died on 10 April 2020 at the age of 82, from lung cancer in Tokyo.

“Forget a swan song: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s final film is a shriek, a tirade, a lecture and a rollicking action-adventure stuffed into a three-hour pop-art package.”

—The New York Times

Nobuhiko Obayashi

ABOUT CRESCENDO HOUSE

Crescendo House is a new boutique distribution company that aims to reinvigorate the American film landscape with a new model for distribution. Our goal is to expand the mainstream visibility of international or otherwise underrepresented films in order to provide viewers with an array of choices that more accurately reflects the diverse world we inhabit.

For more information: https://crescendo.house/

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North America digital rights to filmmaker Panayioti Yannitsos’ Florian’s Knights

Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired North America digital rights to filmmaker Panayioti Yannitsos (“Freedom Besieged”) powerful feature documentary “Florian’s Knights.” Crowbar Pictures, Inc has released the film in theaters across North America on beginning on September 10th,, 2021 timed to the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Markets to be included in the theatrical rollout –New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon. Gravitas Ventures will release across all TVOD/Digital platforms & Blu-Ray/DVD throughout the North American continent beginning on November 23rd, 2021. A Canadian production, Yannitsos’ new documentary chronicles firefighters in both the US and Canada who form a controversial motorcycle club to cope with the crippling effects of PTSD. As the Florian’s Knights full patch motorcycle club, the freedom felt on two wheels inspires North American firefighters to speak truth against the stigma of first responder mental health and outlaw biker culture. From the impact of 9/11, to the front lines of the opioid crisis in Vancouver and Toronto, and across the bridge to the arson epidemic in Detroit, Florian’s Knights travel to the darkest pits of the human experience. The real traumas of firefighting are exposed in ways never-before-seen. Private screener links are available upon request for review, what to watch in theatres and what's streaming columns (timed to our upcoming November TVOD) and interview consideration!

In April of 2018, director Panayioti Yannitsos met with Crowbar Pictures founder Shawn Galvao to discuss the Florian’s Knights; a new firefighter motorcycle club making waves across North America. Driving home from that meeting, Pan found himself bumper-to-bumper with retired Vancouver Battalion Chief Rod MacDonald, who was riding his motorcycle, a Florian’s Knights patch on his back. Staring at the patch for several minutes in traffic, the serendipitous event convinced Yannitsos to sign on to direct the film. Over the course of three years, Yannitsos and a core team of only four fellow filmmakers slept in fire halls across North America, often in 24-hour shifts, responding to emergencies in real time.

“Florian’s Knights” follows the lives of a number of first responders and experts. All of the following documentary subjects will be available for press interviews – Firefighter Matthew Sabini (New York Fire Department / Florian’s Knights MC), Retired Captain Erik Bjarnason (North Vancouver Fire Dept / Florian's Knights MC), Retired Battalion Chief Rod MacDonald (Vancouver Fire Dept / Florian’s Knights MC), Acting Captain Bill Shokar (New Westminster Fire Department / Florian’s Knights MC), Captain Jack Cooper (Toronto Fire Service / Florian’s Knights MC), Battalion Chief Michael V. Nevin (Detroit Fire Department), Senior Lieutenant Darnell McLaurin (Detroit Fire Department / Axemen MC), and Dr. Don Vaughn, PHD (Neuroscientist, UCLA).

Dr. Don Vaughn, Michael Maggiora, and their team measured the brain activity, heart rate, and hormone levels of over 50 experienced motorcycle riders in “Project Free.” The study was peer reviewed and accepted by Brain Research. The study concluded that riding a motorcycle can decrease hormonal biomarkers of stress. The work was funded by a grant from Harley-Davidson.

“For over a century, firefighters in North America have grappled with the harsh reality of post-traumatic stress. In pursuit of making this movie, we were faced with a code of silence engrained in fire departments for generations. I knew that this moratorium on mental health was costing men and women their lives, whether through substance abuse, depression, or suicide and I felt a responsibility to shine a light on this very human struggle and bring it to audiences.” – filmmaker Panayioti Yannitsos.

“Florian’s Knights” is directed, edited & produced by Panayioti Yannitsos, executive produced by Shawn Galvao, with cinematography by Jon Thomas (“The Angel Tree”) & Blake Davey (“Someone Like Me,” “Rupture”), and sound design by Jamie Spittal (“Freedom Besieged”).

Where to follow the film and its journey:
Website: www.floriansknightsmovie.com
Facebook: @FloriansKnightsMovie
Instagram: @FloriansKnightsMovi
Twitter: @FloriansKnights