Drama, Romance, War
Synopsis
A soldier (Ben Foster) struggles with an ethical problem when he gets involved with a fallen comrade's widow (Samantha Morton) .
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Michael Chernus, Halley Feiffer, Peter Friedman, Kevin Hagan, Jenny Kirlin, Sam Kitchin, Lindsay Nader, Armand Schultz
Producer(s):
Crew: Director - Oren Moverman, Screenwriter - Alessandro Camon, Screenwriter - Oren Moverman, Executive Producer - Steffen Aumueller, Executive Producer - Nathaniel Bolotin, Producer - Benjamin Goldhirsh, Producer - Mark Gordon, Original Music - Nathan Larson, Cinematographer - Bobby Bukowski, Film Editor - Alexander Hall, Casting - Laura Rosenthal, Production Design - Stephen Beatrice, Art Director - Scott Anderson, Set Decoration - Cristina Casanas, Costume Designer - Catherine George
Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures
Release Date: 11/27/2009
Running Time: 112 minutes
OFFICIAL SITE
Production Notes:
- Notes provided by Oscilloscope. -
THE MESSENGER
SYNOPSIS
In his first leading role, Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband's death, Will's emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.
Featuring tour-de-force performances from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Moverman, THE MESSENGER brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity.
DIRECTOR Q&A
How did the idea for this film come to you?
Alessandro Camon came up with the idea a few years ago. He's a producer and a screenwriter and a friend, which is all you need in a brilliant partner. He suggested writing a script about Casualty Notification Officers because no one was looking at the war from that angle at the time, no one was shining a light on the home front from the perspective of the messengers who bring the consequences of war to the families, to the people who pay a direct, intimate and everlasting price for the decision to go to war. It's an impossible, horrible job, and yet it's as real as it gets. I was also excited by the idea as an indirect way to deal with my own military service demons. Alessandro and I developed a pitch and took it around town. Lawrence Inglee responded immediately to it and took it to Mark Gordon. Lawrence brought in Reason Pictures and we suddenly had a real solid team and we were off to write a screenplay.
How did the film get off the ground? What was the process in getting the film made?
Alessandro and I wrote the script and I got it to Sydney Pollack who was intrigued by it. We met with him and took his notes and wrote a couple of drafts for him, which was like a dream come true. He was one of a kind, a real teacher. But he was more interested in a taboo love story. There was no true taboo love story to develop here; the film was about the relationship between the two officers. So Sydney bowed out like the gentleman that he was rather than keep us in a development loop. Roger Michel came on board and he was amazing. We wrote a few drafts for him and it was a great process. He understood the relationship between Will and Tony and he kept pushing us to go deeper. We arrived at a very good place, but then he had to go off and make another film first and the producers wanted to move ahead and get The Messenger done.
So Ben Affleck came on board as a director. We did some small changes for him, he was just done with GONE BABY GONE, and for one reason or another he had to move on and I guess I was the last man standing with obvious directing ambitions, so Mark Gordon pointed to me and said, "you do it!" It took awhile for some of us, including me, to agree that I should be directing it. Once I said yes, we were off and running, casting and looking for financing at the same time. That period is like a blur. All I remember is Lawrence working his ass off to get the film financed under Mark Gordon's banner and before I knew what happened, we were good to go.
What about the actors that you cast made you want them for these roles - which are incredibly emotionally demanding.
Ben Foster blew me away in 3:10 TO YUMA. He's incredibly charismatic and deep and very warm, even when he plays villains. More than anything, he is one of the few actors of his generation who is not striving to remain a boy in a man's body. To me, he is a real man, interested in exploring dark corners, there's a maturity and a longing to his acting that is so layered, it's just endlessly sympathetic while also challenging. You can see the drive in him to be whole, which is exactly what the character of Will was trying to do. We offered the role of the Colonel, which was bigger in the script, to Woody Harrelson and he liked the script. We met and he told me I made a mistake. That he should play the second lead, Tony. Then he looked up at me with a sort of "you know I'm right" gaze. And he was. It was immediate. Woody is known for his comedy work and for a few truly intense pictures like NATURAL BORN KILLERS. But here he had an arc that took him from an Army lifer who has his shit together and can be manically cold, to a broken, emotional man who needs to find a friend in Will. Woody knew instinctively that he could walk that path, and I just needed to follow him. Samantha Morton I knew from the JESUS' SON days. She's someone I always wanted to work with and when she responded well to the script it was like a reunion. There's no one like her. She's a supremely talented actress that can do no wrong in my eyes. She's an actor's actor and she's fearless. She and Ben were meant to work with each other a few times, and we got lucky to be able to bring them together. Their chemistry as Will and Olivia was built in. We just had to point the camera at them. She also knew the military from her own personal background and so it felt meant to be.
What are some of the major things Will has lost due to his time in the war?
Aside from the physical losses, the injuries, and the loss of friends in combat, I think he lost a sense of purpose. He was a motivated soldier and I think being home, looking at his service in the military quickly expiring, having all this time on his hands, he's faced with the question of where to go from here. He's not the kind of character who became cynical or bitter because of war, he's looking for a reason to live after surviving war.
What does the Casualty Notification process represent to Will? Is it hitting bottom, or rebuilding his life, or in limbo somewhere in between?
Will is in a waiting room. He's suspended between normal, everyday life and the hell he survived. Casualty Notification is a constant reminder for him that he has to choose to keep living or be done with, and it ironically makes him stronger and ultimately able to get back to life. His commanding officer, Tony, and the widow he notifies, Olivia, are the people who help push him out of the waiting room.
How does Will change, from the beginning of the film to the end?
I'm not sure he does. What changes is his ability to understand his power to touch people's lives around him and thereby gain purpose for his own life, to move on, to let love in. Even if he stays in the military, he's moving on, he's making a decision and that shows a will to live, which is not always a given for a guy in his situation.
Which of the film's insights did you gain from your own time in the military?
Everything and nothing. I was in a different military but I think all combat soldiers share certain basic emotions. Tony Swofford defined it best for me in JARHEAD - we are all scared all the time, we want to kill, we are horny and we are thinking about who our girlfriend is having sex with back home. I'm not sure you can call that insight, but that's what I was working with. I think I knew how Will felt because I wanted him to feel the way I did as a soldier, but we also wanted him to have a life of his own. Alessandro and I made sure of that in the writing, and Ben Foster did an immense research job and a hell of a lot of preparation to shape Will on his own terms.
What did you want this film to say about the casualties of war?
The film is not about casualties of war really. It's about the people left behind to deal with life after casualties of war have gone. THE MESSENGER may say a thing or two about war, but I think it ultimately deals with grief and the desire to live, to let life into the darkness, even to laugh. It definitely makes the point that there are people who have to deal with war in a way that is not strategic or political, but personal. I guess they are a different type of casualties of war, and there are a lot of them out there, veterans and military families.
Was directing/co-writing a film very different from your previous experience, writing scripts?
It was different, but it was also similar. Writing for me is making the film on paper, directing is on film. It has the same concerns, the same issues, the same problems, just a different set of limitations and more people around checking their watches.
How do you feel about having directed your first project?
Very, very lucky and blessed.
What are your hopes, for yourself and your film, at Sundance?
We obviously want people to see it, and listen to it, and be moved by it. That's really it. This is not a film I made, a team of people poured their hearts into it and we all feel the film has something to say and a lot of love to offer. Sundance is where we hopefully start a long road. We go to the Berlin film Festival next.
ABOUT THE CAST
Ben Foster (STAFF SARGEANT WILL MONTGOMERY)
Receiving rave reviews for his electrifying and shape-shifting performances, Ben Foster has established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile actors of his generation. Characters ranging from "Jake Murzersky" the crystal meth addict, skinhead in Nick Cassavettes ALPHA DOG, and as outlaw "Charlie Prince" in James Mangold's critically acclaimed "310 TO YUMA." In the international block busters X-MEN 3 as "Angel" and the vampire worshiping "Stranger" in 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. In the independent world, playing the mute spirit "Cod" in The Polish Brother's film NORTH FORK and as the lead in Barry Levinson's LIBERTY HEIGHTS which marked his film debut.
On television Foster portrayed the sexually ambiguous Russell Corwin in on HBO's drama SIX FEET UNDER, garnering two SAG nominations and sharing the win for the 2003 SAG Award for "Best Ensemble." His other television work includes the cult hit FREAKS AND GEEKS as the mentally handicapped student "Eli," and the Emmy nominated HBO film THE LARAMIE PROJECT. Notably, his performance in Showtime's BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD a meditation on school shootings, garnered him a Daytime Emmy.
Foster stars in Oren Moverman's directorial debut THE MESSENGER. An astonishing portrait of a wounded solider, confronting his own grief when assigned to the brutal realities of a casualty notification officer. Alongside Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Jena Malone. The film will premiere at both the 2009 Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals. He will also be seen in Fall '09 starring in the scifi thriller PANDORUM, directed by Christian Alvart.
Ben has been a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation since the age of four. He lives in Los Angeles with his brother, actor Jon Foster.
Woody Harrelson (CAPTAIN TONY STONE)
Woody Harrelson's rare mix of intensity and charisma consistently surprises and delights audiences and critics alike for his work in both mainstream and independent projects.
Most recently, Harrelson could be seen in Stuart Townsand's BATTLE IN SEATTLE with Charlize Theron, Andre Benjamin and Ray Liotta, Brad Anderson's TRANSSIBERIAN starring opposite Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley and Gabriele Muccino's SEVEN POUNDS starring Will Smith and Rosario Dawson. Upcoming films include THE MESSENGER with Ben Foster for director Oren Moverman and BUNRAKU, directed by Guy Moshe and co-starring Josh Hartnett and Demi Moore. Harrelson recently completed filming on DEFENDOR for director Peter Stebbings, costarring Kat Dennings.
Harrleson's critically-acclaimed portrayal of controversial magazine publisher Larry Flynt in Milos Forman's THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT garnered him Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Nominations as Best Actor. Other highlights from Harrleson's film career include NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, SEMI PRO, AFTER THE SUNSET, PLAY IT TO THE BONE, THE THIN RED LINE, THE HI-LO COUNTY, ED TV, WAG THE DOG, WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, KINGPIN, NATURAL BORN KILLERS, INDECENT PROPOSAL, WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, THE BIG WHITE, A SCANNER DARKLY, NORTH COUNTRY, THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFINANCE, OHIO, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION and Zak Penn's ensemble comedy THE GRAND.
Harrelson first endeared himself to millions of viewers as a member of the ensemble cast of NBC's long-running hit comedy, CHEERS. For his work as the affable bartender Woody Boyd, he won an Emmy in 1988 and was nominated four additional times during his eight-year run on the show. In 1999, he gained another Emmy nomination when he reprised the role in a guest appearance on the spin-off series FRASIER. He later made a return to television with a recurring guest role on the hit NBC series, WILL AND GRACE.
Balancing his film and television work, in 1999 Harrelson directed his own play, FURTHEST FROM THE SUN at the Theatre de la Juene Lune in Minneapolis. He followed next with the Roundabout's Broadway revival of THE RAINMAKER; Sam Shepherd's THE LATE HENRY MOSS, and John Kolvenbach's ON AN AVERAGE DAY opposite Kyle MacLachlan at London's West End. Harrelson directed the Toronto premiere of Kenneth Lonergan's THIS IS OUR YOUTH at the Berkeley Street Theatre. In the winter of 2005 Harrelson returned to London's West End, starring in Tennessee Williams' NIGHT OF THE IGUANA at the Lyric Theatre.
A committed environmentalist, Harrelson joined his activism with his film efforts in Ron Mann's GO FURTHER, a road documentary following Woody and friends on their bicycle journey down the Pacific Coast Highway from Seattle to Santa Barbara.
Along with being a father to his three beautiful daughters, closest to his heart is www.voiceyourself.com, a website Harrelson co-created with his wife Laura Louie which promotes and inspires individual action to create global momentum towards simple organic living and to restore balance and harmony to our planet.
Samantha Morton (OLIVIA PITTERSON)
With only a handful of film credits to her name, British actress Samantha Morton earned a reputation as one of the most critically lauded up-and-comers of the late '90s. Small-boned and possessed of almost elfin features, Morton, who was born in Nottingham in 1977, began acting on television at the age of 13. She appeared in a number of series, including the popular crime drama CRACKER and such costume extravaganzas as JANE EYRE and EMMA.
Morton became known to an international film audience in 1997, when she won wide acclaim for her wrenching, fearless portrayal of a young woman driven to promiscuous behavior by the death of her mother in Carine Adler's UNDER THE SKIN. The following year, she did starring work in THE LAST YELLOW and DREAMING OF JOSEPH LEES, playing the girlfriend of a small-time crook in the former and a dissatisfied young woman harboring romantic feelings for her long-absent second cousin (Rupert Graves) in the latter.
In 1999, Morton's name became an increasingly familiar one to American filmgoers, thanks to starring roles in two very different films. The first, JESUS' SON, cast the actress as a heroin addict, while the second, Woody Allen's SWEET AND LOWDOWN, featured her as a shy, mute woman who gets used and abused by a legendary jazz guitarist (Sean Penn) whose musical talent runs in inverse proportion to his qualities as a human being. Heralded for both films, Morton scored a surprise Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the latter. Not resting on the laurel, the actress immediately set to work with a pair of venerable cineastes, directors Julien Temple (in PANDEMONIUM) and Amos Gitai (in his first English-language production, EDEN). Director Steven
Spielberg soon followed Allen's lead, casting Morton in a small but pivotal role as a shivering, near-mute, clairvoyant "Precog" in his Blade Runner-esque mystery MINORITY REPORT, which premiered in the summer of 2002. Though the film would introduce Morton to her largest audience yet, it was a pair of independent features released in late 2002 and 2003 that would garner her even more significant critical attention. Teaming with the maverick Scottish director Lynne Ramsay, the actress would essay the enigmatic, directionless title character in MORVERN CALLAR, a dreamy, elliptical adaptation of Alan Warner's cult novel. About a year later, Morton would see the release of IN AMERICA, Jim Sheridan's acclaimed slice-of-life tale of an Irish family immigrating to New York City's Hell's Kitchen, for which she would receive her second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress.
In 2004 she appeared in two films: Michael Winterbottom's CODE 46 with Tim Robbins, and Roger Michell's ENDURING LOVE. In 2005, she appeared in Vincent Ward's RIVER QUEEN and Laurence Dunmore's THE LIBERTINE. Morton would go on to depict the infamous child killer Myra Hindley in the 2006 television film LONGFORD, for which she received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actress. In 2007, Morton took on the role of a Marilyn Monroe lookalike who befriends a Michael Jackson impersonator in Harmony Korine's MISTER LONELY, which she followed up with a portrayal of Mary Stuart in ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE. In 2008, Morton appeared in the highly anticipated Charlie Kaufman film SYNECHOCHE, NEW YORK.
Jena Malone (KELLY)
This is a very exciting time for her as she starred in THE RUINS for Dreamworks/Paramount and the Indy film THE GO-GETTER this year. She just wrapped THE MESSENGER opposite Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson. Jena is attached to star in the Allison Anders movie COMFORT with Kelly MacDonald and Emily Watson and in Noah Buschel's MU as Maura O'Halloran, the adaptation of a memoir by Maura O'Halloran, which is drawn from her experiences as a 24-year old Irish woman making the journey to Japan to study Zen and become a Zen master. She can also be seen in the Joe Wrights film THE SOLOIST opposite Robert Downey, Jr. Jena can next be seen on stage as she stars in Eugene O'Neill's Off-Broadway MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA as "Lavinia" in February 2009.
Jena Malone has had the kind of career most actors can only dream of. Jena was seen in the critically acclaimed Paramount/Vantage drama INTO THE WILD opposite Emile Hirsch and Marcia Gay Harden, based on the best selling book by John Krakauer and directed by Sean Penn. She's worked side by side with modern day legends including Jodie Foster in CONTACT and DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTER BOYS, Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts in STEPMOM, Kevin Costner FOR LOVE OF THE GAME and Kevin Kline in LIFE AS A HOUSE. She also starred in SAVED for United Artists, as well as the cult classic DONNIE DARKO with Jake Gyllenhaal, THE UNITED STATES OF LELAN" with Kevin Spacey, PRIDE & PREJUDICE where she starred opposite Kiera Knightly and was the only American cast as a Brit and was also a part of the all-star ensemble in Anthony Minghella's COLD MOUNTAIN.
ABOUT THE CREW
Oren Moverman (DIRECTOR)
Born in Israel, Oren moved to New York to work in film in 1988 after completing four years of military service as an infantry soldier.
He co-wrote Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan biopic I'M NOT THERE, starring Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore and Charlotte Gainsbourg, a Weinstein Company release.
Oren also collaborated with Ira Sachs on MARRIED LIFE, a 2008 Sony Pictures Classics release, starring Rachel McAdams, Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnen and Patricia Clarkson, and on THE GOODBYE PEOPLE, currently casting.
Oren penned INTERRUPTED about legendary director Nicholas Ray, for City Lights Pictures with Phillip Kaufman directing, and WILLIAM BURROUGHS' QUEER for actor/director Steve Buscemi. Both films are currently casting for a 2009 shoot.
Oren served as screenwriter of FACE, an Indican release, starring Bai Ling, Treach and Kristy Wu. Directed by Bertha Bay-Sa Pan, FACE premiered in competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.
Oren was also a screenwriter and associate producer of JESUS' SON, a 2000 Lion's Gate/Alliance Release. Directed by Alison Maclean, the film stars Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Jack Black, Holly Hunter & Dennis Hopper.
THE MESSENGER is his first film as a director
Mark Gordon (PRODUCER)
MARK GORDON is an award-winning producer with more than 60 motion picture and television projects to his credit. Gordon is currently in post-production on 2012 directed by Roland Emmerich. He recently wrapped THE MESSENGER starring Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson, slated for Sundance 2009 and competition in Berlin and 12 ROUNDS, directed by Renny Harlin, slated for release in March 2009. Gordon's latest film credits include the epic adventure 10,000 BC, directed by Roland Emmerich; Kasi Lemmons' TALK TO ME, starring Don Cheadle; THE HOAX, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Richard Gere; and John Curran's THE PAINTED VEIL, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. For television, Gordon is currently an executive producer on the smash hit ABC series GREY'S ANATOMY, spin-off series PRIVATE PRACTICE, as well as the hit CBS drama CRIMINAL MINDS, Lifetime's ARMY WIVES, and the CW's REAPER. Gordon earned Academy Award and BAFTA nominations and won a Golden Globe for Best Picture as producer of Steven Spielberg's SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. The film also won Best Picture honors from the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London and Broadcast Film Critics, among others, and brought Gordon a Producer of the Year Award from the Producers Guild of America. Gordon's wide ranging film credits as a producer also include CASANOVA, starring Heath Ledger and directed by Lasse Hallstrom; "HOSTAGE, starring Bruce Willis; the Roland Emmerich-directed films THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid, and THE PATRIOT, starring Mel Gibson; PAULIE, which won a BAFTA Award for Best Children's Film; BROKEN ARROW, starring John Travolta; and Jan de Bont's action hit SPEED, which catapulted Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock to international stardom. As an executive producer, Gordon's film credits include PRIME, starring Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman; THE MATADOR, starring Pierce Brosnan; Sam Raimi's A SIMPLE PLAN; and THE JACKAL, starring Richard Gere, Bruce Willis and Sidney Poitier. Gordon has also been involved in the financing and production of such films as LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER starring Angelina Jolie; WONDER BOYS, directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Michael Douglas; MAN ON THE MOON, starring Jim Carrey under the direction of Milos Forman; and Mike Nichols' PRIMARY COLORS, starring John Travolta. Gordon has produced more than a dozen longform television projects. He served as an executive producer on the HBO movie WARM SPRINGS, starring Kenneth Branagh, which received 16 Emmy nominations, winning five, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie. He also executive produced HBO's AND STARRING PANCHO VILLA AS HIMSELF, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Antonio Banderas, which garnered nine Emmy Award nominations; and produced THE WAR BETWEEN THE CLASSES, for which Gordon won an Emmy for Best Children's Program. He also directed and produced the Emmy nominated CHILDREN REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST. Gordon's first producing effort was the off-Broadway production of THE BUDDY SYSTEM at Circle in the Square downtown. Gordon is the former chairman of Teach for America Los Angeles and a former board member of The Holocaust Documentation and Information Center. He is the current vice president of the Producers Guild of America and is a board member of the Virginia Film Festival, University Elementary School at UCLA and The JTN. He is a graduate of New York University Film School.
Lawrence Inglee (PRODUCER)
Chief Creative Officer Lawrence Inglee spearheads all story development and production efforts at Lightstream.
Lawrence's fast-rising career trajectory has been fueled by a passion for storytelling and education, from his early days at Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment (A BEAUTIFUL MIND) through his rise from Creative Executive to Co-President of The Mark Gordon Company (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, GREYS ANATOMY, SPEED).
At The Mark Gordon Company, Lawrence was instrumental in developing tent pole movies including THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. He most recently produced THE MESSENGER, a character drama starring Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and Samantha Morton and has developed and supervised a large slate of projects including TRIPOLI (director Ridley Scott and writer William Monahan), OLYMPIA (writer Jacob Aaron Estes) and RAMPART (director Stephen Frears and writer James Ellroy).
Lawrence was also an adjunct screenwriting professor at The University of Southern California and an inspirational lecturer for Inner-City Filmmakers, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating lasting positive change in the lives of inner-city youth.
Zach Miller (PRODUCER)
Zach Miller received a B.A. in English in 2001 from The University of Pennsylvania and an M.F.A. in Film from U.S.C.'s Peter Stark Program in 2005. Since 2006 Zach has been responsible for overseeing development and production at GOOD (formerly known as Reason Pictures). During that time GOOD produced THE POWER OF THE GAME directed by Michael Apted and SON OF RAMBOW directed by Garth Jennings. The latter was the highest selling film at Sundance 2007 and was released in May 2008 by Paramount Vantage. GOOD also financed the UNTITLED BARACK OBAMA DOCUMENTARY, which will air on HBO in 2008. Most recently Zach served as a producer on GOOD's first homegrown feature THE MESSENGER, directed by Oren Moverman and starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton. Other projects GOOD currently developing at are MARCHING POWDER, which will star Don Cheadle and is currently being written and will be directed by Jose Padilha (ELITE SQUAD); THE FUTURIST, which will be written and directed by Andrew Adamson (SHREK, NARNIA); the Jerzy Kosinski biopic ABOUT THE AUTHOR, written and to be directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (BROTHERS OF THE HEAD); LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE!, written by Shauna Cross (WHIP IT!) and to be directed by Nicole Kassell (THE WOODSMAN); and THE OUTSIDER, based on the novel by Richard Wright.
Gwen Bialic (CO-PRODUCER)
Gwen Bialic has been working in New York independent film for the last 10 years. Starting out on award winning projects like HIGH ART, GIRLFIGHT, and PERSONAL VELOCITY, she has gone on to work with John Waters (A DIRTY SHAME), Jim Jarmusch (BROKEN FLOWERS), and Michel Gondry (BE KIND REWIND). She co-produced OUTSOURCED, a feature film shot in Mumbai, India and has line produced various New York based projects. Most recently, Gwen line produced and supervised post production on Lou Reed's concert film BERLIN directed by Julian Schnabel and
completed the upcoming feature STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK which she line
produced for Why Not Productions (France) and Europa Corp.
Gwen is co-producer of THE MESSENGER and honored to be part of Oren Moverman's
directorial debut.
Bobby Bukowski (DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)
Director of Photography Bobby Bukowski has shot more than two dozen feature films.
Most recently, he completed director Oren Moverman's THE MESSENGER. Since 2007, Bukowski shot PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND directed by Daniel Barnz, THE GUITAR for director Amy Redford, and Kari Skogland 's THE STONE ANGEL.
Born in New York City, Bukowski attended SUNY at Stony Brook, securing his masters degree in biochemistry. En route to medical school, he set his gaze upon more artistic endeavors. He left the United States for extensive travel in Europe and Asia. This adventure led to a job as photographer's assistant in Paris. Soon after, he was enlisted to archive a Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage, led by the Dalai Lama, to all the sacred Buddhist sites along the Ganges River. This marked the first time he had a moving camera in his hand.
Returning home, he entered the Graduate Film program at NYU's Tisch School of the arts, where he received his master of fine arts degree. He financed his schooling by working as a bike messenger. Armed with a still camera, he honed his sense of composition and lighting. Everything he saw in the streets became a potential study in cinematography: the way the light bounced off the windows of a glass skyscraper, the city's ambient light roiling under dense low fog, the diverse pageant of faces along the avenues.
Bukowski continues to champion independent films and the endeavors of first-time directors. He finds it stimulating to collaborate with minds he finds innocent of habit. He believes their approach is unencumbered by experience and as a result, they discover unique ways to handle common and complex situations. This allows Bukowski to see his craft with new eyes.
Alex Hall (EDITOR)
Alex Hall most recently edited THE MESSENGER, directed by Oren Moverman (2009 Sundance Film Festival, 2009 Berlin Film Festival). Alex began his career in television and film in 1995, editing his first feature GIRLSTOWN, directed by Jim McKay (winner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival). His numerous editing credits include HBO's THE WIRE, NBC's Emmy winning WITNESSES AND WISEGUYS: THE HISTORY OF THE MOB, A&E's INKED, the ABC special ELVIS LIVES!, and the HBO film ANGEL RODRIGUEZ. Alex was the editor of the 2003 documentary SAM COOK: LEGEND (Grammy winner for Best Long Form Music Video). His other film credits include KISS ME GUIDO, TAXMAN, OUR SONG, and EVERYDAY PEOPLE.
