TORONTO, May 1, 2003 -- A stellar cast of professional screen and stage actors will showcase York University's outstanding scriptwriting talent at the second annual Angle On: York Screenwriting event at Hugh's Room on May 6.
Celebrity performers Valerie Buhagiar (Highway 61, Expecting), Jordan Pettle (Zadie's Shoes), Karyn Dwyer (Better than Chocolate), Marcia Bennett (Serendipity) and Trent McMullen (Last Night) will join a hand-picked group of York theatre students in a riveting reading of excerpts from nine original feature screenplays by graduating Film & Video students.
This is a unique and entertaining opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the movie-making experience. Next time you hear these scripts may be on the silver screen!
The program includes:
Notes From the Grave by Lanh Vu
Broadway director Richard Madison casts his daughter Natasha in the leading role of his play after his wife Olivia, who was to play the part, is killed in a tragic accident. Relationships are put to the test as Richard and Natasha attempt to face the aftermath of a tragedy while continuing the show.
Lanh Vu, an honours double major in film and English, is writing her first feature-length screenplay.
Tripping Over Celluloid by Adam Bunch
Jackson Bale, a writer-director trying to piece together his first feature film with an incredibly low budget, thinks that he is falling in love with his leading lady - but he's really falling for the character that he has created for her to play. As the stresses of production build and the actress begins to realize the true nature of his affections, he is forced to choose between truth and fiction, fantasy and reality.
Adam Bunch has just finished his fourth year of screenwriting studies at York and looks anxiously forward to a future filled with treatments, character profiles and slug-lines.
Snowfall by David Collins
A hunting expedition for the Hudson’s Bay Company turns violent when the hunters are faced with a never-ending blizzard and cabin fever develops. As one of the men begins to kill the others, the question changes from "Who will be killed and who will survive?" to "Why is the killer doing what he’s doing, and is it even possible for us to know this?"
David Collins has a BFA in film and video production from York and is pursuing an MFA in screenwriting. He has directed short films and written short and feature-length scripts.
Fragile Father by Michael Gerrior
A troubled man’s reckless behavior leads to the death of his fiancée. Released from prison to face his daughter and his late fiancée’s family, he has to decide if he can change and become the father and man he needs to be.
Michael Gerrior is a screenwriting graduate who is continuing to amass large amounts of debt by heading to Humber College for postgraduate studies in television production and writing.
Pen and Ink by Derek Rambeau
Eric and Aurora, best friends for years and partners on a work-in-progress graphic novel, find their friendship threatened by Tara, who pursues Eric’s considerable artistic talent. Aurora must confront her true feelings for Eric before it’s too late, while he struggles to balance Tara’s attraction and his ties to Aurora.
Derek Rambeau has recently completed his fourth year in York’s screenwriting program as well as this, his first feature-length screenplay.
Lovebirds by Bill Taylor
A tragic coming-of-age love story about a troubled 16-year-old boy who falls in love with the wrong man.
Bill Taylor is a fourth-year screenwriting student.
Father of Mine by Isaac Clements
Jack, a recovering alcoholic, must try to renew ties with his estranged son, Luke, who blames Jack for many of the problems in his own relationships. Luke is also experiencing the hardships of fatherhood with his own son, Simon, after recently separating from his wife.
Isaac Clements will be graduating this year from York University with a BFA in film with an emphasis on screenwriting.
Angle On: York Screenwriting takes place Tuesday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. in the intimate, supper-club setting of Hugh's Room, 2261 Dundas St. West. Cover charge: $5. (Dinner reservations available from 6:00 p.m., tel. 416-531-6604). There will be groovy, cinema-inspired door prizes!
For more information, call 416-736-5149.
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Media contact:
| Nathalie-Roze Fischer | |
| Faculty of Fine Arts - Communications | |
| York University | |
| 416-736-2100, ext. 20421 | |
| nfischer@yorku.ca |
