The Unknown's Weblog
ACCEPTED "BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL"
THE UNKNOWN SCREENING: Saturday, April 18, 10pm-12:30am
All Screening at AMC Theatres
175 Tremont St.
Boston Common
http://www.bifilmfestival.com/Ticketsinformation.html
Regular ticket prices are $10 per session. Screening tickets for each session can be purchased starting Monday, March 16th, 2009:
(1) Directly online at www.bifilmfestival.com. On the schedule page choose AMC Online Ticket
(2) By calling AMC/Loews Theater at 1-888-262-4386
(3) By calling BIFF directly at 1-617-482-3900
(4) At the BIFF office, 101 Tremont St. suite 707, Boston, MA 02108, during regular business hours
(5) At the AMC/Loews Theater 175 Tremont St. Boston, MA 02108
Director's Statement
I've always loved a good comedy and I adore documentaries. A good comedy takes you on a ride away from the present. It helps you forget about whatever problems you have, and takes you on a journey away from home. Documentaries, on the other hand, capture you because it brings you to a newer level of understanding. Whatever the subject matter, if it is the polar opposite of your life, there is still no option but to eventually relate because within all the different subjects, there is one thing that combines us all. And that is humanity. Documentaries play on humanity and the ability to relate to one another on an emotional level.
With that in mind, I wanted to combine these two genres, and make a "mockumentary" to allow people to taste a tiny slice of the big, complicated world of entertainment, while finding the comedy in it all.
This film was a collaborative effort, and some of it is actually true. One summer afternoon, on some sidewalk in NYC, I was doing some background work. In very similar circumstances to LOU MONTE, I managed to strike up a conversation with these two actors. And soon, the three of us, these three strangers, (Christopher Tranchina, Chelsea Marino, and myself), came together to write this film. Little did we know, this idea would soon come to life on a film set. We basically took our own struggles and experiences, as well as stories from fellow actors, and created "The Unknown."
While the struggle of LOU MONTE, can be humorous and fun, it represents a broader struggle of many of us, to show up day in and day out and fight against insurmountable odds. The acting industry has always been known as unstable but, in this day and age, with the economy as it is, many of us, find ourselves in unstable working environments. In many respects, LOU's struggle makes us examine, "What is our breaking point?," "When do we give up our dream?," "When do we stop driving from Boston to NY?"
Being that I am an actor, I not only relate to the character of LOU MONTE, the actor who struggles for his dream, but because I understand him in such a personal level, I wanted to portray this crazy world to the audience that watches this unknowingly, as well as those familiar with the insane lifestyle we live. I wanted people to come into this film thinking that LOU is a bit crazy but then shortly realizing that there are even crazier people beyond himself. My ultimate goal is to be able depict the entertainment industry in a new level, as well as have the audience root for this unlikely hero because they have become so emotionally invested in his predicament and ultimately, his dream.
The Force behind the upcoming short film, "The Unknown."
It's one of those incredible success stories we've all seen on TV. A story that captivates your attention and inspires your creativity. It is a story about individuals coming together as a team and making their small time idea become a big time reality. A story about the enormous struggle one endures when pursuing something both unfamiliar and unprecedented. This is the story behind, The Unknown.
Christopher Tranchina, Andrea Castro and Chelsea Marino, creators of the upcoming SAG short film The Unknown, are still amazed at how much they accomplished in such a short amount of time. It was only three months ago, this creative and supportive team considered one another as strangers.
The trio met doing background work on the set of "When in Rome". There were over eighty background actors on set that day. The designated "holding" area was a small stuffy basement in a recreation center located on the Lower East Side. Due to the lack of space, the background actors brought the chairs from the basement outside and created a new holding area in the middle of the sidewalk. Clear skies, open space, and plenty of room for the universes' energy to conspire. A conversation about monologues was enough for these three strangers to rearrange their chairs, pull out their laptops and start jotting down ideas for a screenplay. Little did they know, this would turn out to be bigger than what they expected. Weeks later, they had a finished screenplay, The Unknown.
"The Unknown" is a story that follows the life of Boston actor, LOU MONTE, as he struggles to make it through the crazy, amusing world of the entertainment industry. LOU MONTE, a 30 something year old, Boston actor who drives to NYC on a daily basis trying to "make it." It's a humorous journey into the gritty, true to life, reality of the continuing fight to believe in oneself against all odds.
"Most background actors that do background/extra work have hopes of moving their career forward with a speaking role, being a stand-in, or networking with the people you meet on set. But in reality, it's not as easy as it seems. That's what we want to show on this film. We want to show the reality of chasing a dream and the obstacles that you have to go through to get there…"
The ultimate lie is that the entertainment industry is filled with bright lights, flashy dresses and movie stars, when in reality the art of "making movies" is all about long hours, hard work, and a very patient cast and crew. The reality of the entertainment world, from "making movies" to going to auditions, to getting turned down, is precisely what these three actors wanted reveal to their audience. Three months ago, these three struggling actors brought their dreams and made it into something tangible, from paper to the big screen.
In 2 months time, they were able to get an executive producer on board who helped make this production become a solid reality. Anthony Guarino, a businessman who is extremely passionate about films took his time out and read the script. He found enough merit within the 29 pages to take on this film. He has been an invaluable guide throughout this process.
"Without Anthony's 100% faith and commitment in this project, we would be nowhere. Anthony's passion is one the main driving forces behind, The Unknown. We don't know where this story will end, but with Anthony on our side, something good is bound to happen."
Written by Andrea Castro, Chelsea Marino & Christopher Tranchina
