Category Archives: 2013

Juhui Kwon

Film

Murray Hill

Fiction

June-young, a 30-year-old Korean woman, goes on a short trip to Murray Hill, Queens, in an attempt to take a break from her life problems such as her relationships, money and the effects of her radical point of view. However, when she encounters a variety of people – friends and strangers, who have their own problems, her plans for the peaceful break unravel.

Credits

Writer, Director: Juhui Kwon
Producer: Juhui Kwon, Ian Phillips
Director of Photography: Niramon Ross
Assistant Camera: Jeanette Sears, Greg Star
Assistant Director: Jim Pasuthip, Carey Hu
Gaffer: Derrick Raphael
Sound Recording: Eric Perez, Anthony Hang, Andrey Radovski
Production Assistant: Seungjae Lee
Editor: Juhui Kwon
Production Designer: Juhui Kwon
Sound Designer: Miguel Celis

Cast

June-young: Juhui Kwon
Sung-eun: Hyojeong Lee
Bo-yeon: Misun Kim
Myoung-hoon: Jongman Kim

Filmmaker

Juhui Kwon

Born in South Korea, Juhui flew to New York after graduating from college in Seoul and started studying and making films in New York. She started working as a creative director for a local TV advertisement company in Queens, while writing and directing her own ‘no-budget’ films. Last year, Juhui completed her first featurette film, ‘Feature Movie’. The film was listed as one of the top ten 2012 films in the magazine, ‘Sense of Cinema’, and Juhui was featured as a 2012 ‘New filmmakers’ in Desistfilm magazine.

Specialization

Writing & Directing Fiction

Quote

“I want to look at thoughts rather than actions, dealing less with what people do than what is going on in their minds while they are doing it.” – Éric Rohmer

Credits

LONGING: Sound recording
LOST IN CITY: Production Assistant

Contact Juhui

kwonjuheefilm@gmail.com
917.288.0662

Alexandru Leu

Film

Faded

Fiction

When a declining marriage is threatened by infidelity, a husband and wife struggle to forgive everything and stay together; but when their old ways threaten their future, they are forced to make a final choice before they can move on.

Credits

DP: Niav Conty
Producer: Alex Leu, Greg Starr
Editor: Alex Leu
Production Designer: Ludmila Leu
Sound Designer: Alex Leu

Cast

Noelle Mauri
John Crandall
Lexi Moeller
Alexander Wright

Filmmaker

Alexandru Leu

Born in Eastern Europe, Moldova – Alex Leu spent his childhood emerged in music. Majoring in accordion at an early age, he won numerous awards as a soloist and member of different accordion orchestras both at home and abroad. Constantly looking for new ways of self expression, Alex started playing guitar, string bass and saxophone and began writing original music. As he concentrated on music composition, he discovered film music and the power of storytelling, which led him to study film at City College. In his quest to explore life through the arts, Alex hopes to merge music and writing into a tandem of expression and truth.

Specialization

Writing and Directing Fiction

Quote

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Credits

Outworld – Sound Recording
Small Talk – Sound Recording
Faded – Writer & Director | Producer

Contact Alexandru

avl.sound@gmail.com

Heidi Mueller

Film

Kisses & Hugs, Mom

Documentary

Myong Yon followed her American husband to the United States to raise their first child twenty six years ago. Instead of assimilating to this new culture, she tightly holds onto her Korean identity causing a feeling of misplacement. Her English worsens, she cannot fully connect with her American family, and she emerges herself with her Korean Church to seek familiarity. Now that her children have grown and her husband has retired, Myong Yon struggles with the idea to stay or return to her first home.

Credits

DP – Jessica Amal Rice & Heidi Mueller
Producer – Chih-Hsin Lee
Editor – Cristina Cordero
Story Editor – Ian Phillips
Color – Julian Amaro
Sound Designer – Frank Huang

Cast

Myong Yon Mueller

Filmmaker

Heidi Mueller

Heidi Mueller received her Bachelor of Arts for Film Studies at the University of California Davis. The film department faculty invited two of her documentaries to be showcased at art festivals and film events throughout her college career. After graduation, she worked for Mob Scene Productions, the producers of shows like First Look: Avatar, Scorsese on Scorsese, and Life After Film School. Heidi currently lives and works in New York City.

Specialization

Writing and Directing Documentary

Quote

“An image after an image after an image is power.”

Credits

MAINLAND: Producer
SMALL TALK: Assistant Director | BTS Camera
KISSES & HUGS, MOM: Writer and Director
LONGING: Sound Recorder

Contact Heidi

heidimariemueller@gmail.com

Chris Montgomery

Film

On mark

Short Short

A model gets her picture taken, amongst other things.

Credits

Director: Chris Montgomery
Assistant Director: Liam Billingham
Assistant Camera: Jeanette Sears

Cast

Laura Baranik
Sara Montgomery

Filmmaker

Chris Montgomery

Chris Montgomery is a filmmaker and photographer. Originally from Rochester, NY he moved to NYC to study film theory at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Following his undergraduate studies, he worked a number of odd jobs before settling in on photography, and recently became serious about filmmaking.

Specialization

Cinematography

Contact Chris

www.chrismontgomery.com
chrismontgomeryphoto@gmail.com

Chih-Hsin Lee

Film

Our Isaac

Documentary

Isaac, a six-year-old child of divorce, splits his time between his Jewish father and Chinese mother’s households. In doing so he is immersed in a diverse range of beliefs, languages, and cultural backgrounds. The weight of family expectations, identity, and youth are explored as Isaac maneuvers his way through this integrated world.

Credits

Produced and Directed – ChihHsin Lee
DP – Jeanette Sears
Additional Cinematography – ChihHsin Lee, Chris Montgomery
Editor – Karen Moran
Sound Recordist – Heidi Mueller
Sound Designer – Frank Huang
English Translator: Austin Chu

Cast

Isaac
Miranda
Marc
Ju-Chun
Hassan

Filmmaker

Chih-Hsin Lee

Chih-Hsin Lee is a producer and director from Taiwan. She has worked in all facets of production for both documentaries and fiction films. Currently she works on a documentary TV program “USTC360”, which is broadcast on Dai Ai TV all over the world. A graduate of National Chengchi University in Taipei, she came to New York to earn her Masters degree at City College.

Specialization

Directing Documentary, Producing

Credits

Producer: The Longing / Small Talk
Sound: The Longing / Minisceongo
Swing: On Mark

Contact Chih-Hsin

chihhsinlee1203@gmail.com

Jeanette Sears

Film

Generations of Silence

Short Short

“Generations of Silence” follows John Bethell, a seminarian in New York city who served as an Arabic linguist in the United States Navy. He currently serves as a chaplain for the New York Fire Department, and has plans for reenlistment upon graduation. John is one of thousands of LGBT veterans and service members of the US military who have served in silence for decades. His story serves as an example of those veterans, and shows the progress toward equality of service after the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Credits

Produced and Directed by: Jeanette Sears
Cinematography: Julian Amaro
Sound: Chih-Hsin Lee
Additional assistance: Nicole Solomon, Maryellen Tighe

Cast

John Bethell

Filmmaker

Jeanette Sears

Jeanette Sears is an upcoming cinematographer who has shot various narrative and documentary films, including three short films shot just this year. She earned her undergraduate degree in Film Studies at The Ohio State University in 2011 and is currently pursuing an MFA in the Media Arts Production program at the City College of New York, with a concentration in cinematography. Her upcoming documentary short “Generations of Silence” is currently in production.

Specialization

Cinematography

Credits

DP – “Longing”, “Small Talk”, “Our Isaac”

Contact Jeanette

www.searsphotovideo.com

Matthew Fleischmann

Film

Minisceongo

Documentary

35 Miles north of New York City sits a plot of unused land referred to as the Minisceongo Swamp. While developers are seeking approval from the local governments to build 54 acres of residential and commercial space, which includes a Super Walmart, the local residents and small business owners are speaking out and trying to stop a development that feels inevitable. At stake is an important natural landscape, small businesses, and a way of life that the townspeople are desperately trying to preserve. Narrated by the filmmaker, himself a resident of the town, this short film takes a look inside the process of big development in a small town, and the lives and views of those who live there.

Credits

Written and Directed – Matthew Fleischmann
DP – Xia Sheng
Additional Cinematography – Chris Montgomery, Niav Conty
Sound Recording – Alex Leu, Lars Fuchs, Chih-Hsin Lee
Sound Designer: Milos Zivcovic
Editor: Matthew Fleischmann
Additional Editing – Julian Amaro, Ian Phillips

Cast

Nana Koch
Andy Sahn
John Ramirez
Jeff Prupis
Howard Phillips
Rupal Dal

Filmmaker

Matthew Fleischmann

Matthew Fleischmann, a storyteller from a young age with a strong visual sense, constantly immerses himself in the arts. His interest in filmmaking led him to work as an editor at a New York City production company, and the New York Film Academy (“NYFA”). At NYFA he worked his way up from editing instructor to postproduction supervisor in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi.

Matthew’s concentration at City College has been in editing and postproduction. In addition to working on his own short documentary, about people in a small town trying to preserve their way of life in the face of incoming commercial enterprises, Matthew has worked as an editor on two fictional narrative thesis films with his classmates. Matthew plans to continue telling stories through his writing and films, and allows his environment to shape his perceptions and influence his art.

Specialization

Writing and Directing Documentary, Editing

Credits

Editor – “Future Perfect”
Co-Editor – “Outworld”

Ian Bibby

Film

Mainland

Fiction

Chris — a spirited but aimless man in his early 20’s — has left the confines of the city to spend the winter alone on a secluded island in Maine. Instead of spending his time being productive and thinking about his future, he prefers to goof around outdoors and generally not think too hard about anything at all. But, as the outside world begins to unravel into a confusing and seemingly dangerous chaos, his safe haven begins to feel anything but safe. Chris must quickly discover the inner strength to face the world, or risk becoming consumed by the very real threats closing in all around him.

Credits

Writer and Director: Ian Bibby
Director of Photography: Yessica Curiel-Montoya
Producers: Heidi Mueller, Greg Starr, and Nancy Coppola
Assistant Director: Noah Therrien
Gaffer: Ana Foy
Associate Producer: Nels Erickson
1st Assistant Camera: Chris Ungco
2nd Assistant Camera: Jeanette Sears
Key Grip: Chris Lehmann
Production Designer: Nicole Solomon
Set Decorator/Prop Master: Brianna McGraw
Costume Designer: Kathleen Brown
Sound: Jake Sedlar
Grip: Pam Catell
Production Manager: Sha Huang
Production Assistant: Evan Filley
Editor: Ian Bibby
Assistant Editor: Yessica Curiel Montoya
Assistant Editor: Julian Amaro

Cast

Chris: Bryan Burton
Mrs. Fletcher: Shelly Gibson
Causeway Warrior: Meg Patterson

Filmmaker

Ian Bibby

Ian Bibby is a writer, director, and editor with several years of film and television production experience. He has worked on several shows for both Warner Brothers and The Discovery Channel, and recently served as Media Producer for the Maine Media Workshops & College. Ian has written and directed over a dozen short films, but his most recent film “Mainland” will be his first thriller. Ian is currently pursuing a master’s degree in writing and directing at the City College of New York.

Specialization

Writing and Directing Fiction

Greg Starr

Film

Atramentous

Short Short

A documentary film crew explores a first-time filmmaker’s attempt to make a Blaxploitation film – without any black people.

Credits

Directed by Greg Starr
Produced by John Flynn and Greg Starr
Director of Photography – Yessica Curiel Montoya

Cast

Michael Knowles – Marshall/Atramentous
Chris Robertson – Brennan/Five Fingers
John Raymond Barker – Geoff
Krista White – the sound person
Nelson Lassiter – the Interviewer

Filmmaker

Greg Starr

Greg Starr is an ambitious producer and director who has had a wide array of experience in all aspects of production and post production. Greg is known widely for extensive expertise. He got his start as a freshman at Tulane University as a theatre major when the department elected to shoot a movie instead of one of the spring plays. He was instantly infected with a love for production which fed on a long developing love of cinema which has grown from many years of watching everything he could find.
Upon Graduating from Tulane in 2006 with a degree in Theatre and Neuroscience, he had originally intended to go to medical school until he realized that he had a different calling and then went to Cornell to study Cinematography, Sound Design and Film Noir to apply for masters programs.
Greg eventually found himself at The City College of New York studying producing, and now expects to graduate in 2013 by producing eight different thesis films.
Greg is the founder of AwkWeird Pictures in NY, NY.

Specialization

Producing

Quote

The ones that don’t make are the ones that quit

Credits

Producer – Tom in America
Producer – Mainland
Producer, Assistant Camera – Faded
Producer – Outworld
Producer – The Uncanny
Producer – Quiet Space
Producer – Tempest
Producer – Angelo
Line Producer – Future Perfect

Contact Greg

greg@awkweirdpictures.com
480-215-8860

Ian Phillips

Film

Lost in the City

Fiction

A Man’s life begins to unravel after his father passes away.

Credits

Writer and Director: Ian Phillips
Executive Producer: Sha Huang
Cinematography: Alex Chinnici
Editor: Ian Phillips
Assistant Director: Liam Billingham

Cast

“James”: Nathan Moore
“Raheem”: Elijah Gbotoe

Filmmaker

Ian Phillips

Ian Phillips was born and raised in New York City. He attended School of Visual Arts and graduated in 2009 with a BFA in Film/Video. He resides in Harlem and is an instructor with the not-for-profit program “RecYouth,” an organization which teaches multimedia skills to underserved teenagers in New York City.

Specialization

Writing and Directing Fiction

Credits

Co-Producer – “Murray Hill”
Co-Editor – “Minisceango”
Co-Editor – “Kisses & Hugs, Mom”

Contact Ian

IanFilmsNYC@Gmail.com