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| Katrina Lenk stars in “The Acedia Thing” by Production Fund winner Anthony Collamati. |
Anthony Collamati had just wrapped post on his debut feature “The Acedia Thing” when he got the call from IFP: he’d been selected as one of three finalists for the coveted Production Fund, worth $85,000 in goods and services toward the making of a short film.
“?Acedia’ was finished and about to send off to festivals, but no one was knocking on the door,” Collamati said. “Learning I was a finalist was great, to know that someone appreciated the work.”
At IFP/Chicago’s Flyover Zone Film Festival Nov. 1, Collamati’s film “The Apology” was named the winner of 2004 Production Fund Grant.
“I had three hours of sleep in the three nights before the application deadline,” he said. “They told me I misspelled my name on the application. I’m grateful they overlooked that and judged the film on the merits of the story.”
The Production Fund includes in-kind donations of film, equipment, consultations and post services from local and national vendors. Prior winners have been consistently successful on the fest circuit, with Bruce Terris’ 2001 “Flying” one of only 12 shorts worldwide to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
Collamati’s script, based on an idea by producer Rob Hanlin, tells the story of a recovering alcoholic returning to his hometown to confess to the widowed husband of a woman he raped 15 years ago, and to give a birthday card to the teenage girl that may be his daughter.
“I have a friend who has been dry for two years, and I’d been thinking about the level of discipline that that outlook on life requires,” Collamati said. “When Rob mentioned this idea about an alcoholic making amends for his past, I thought it was simple and fascinating at the same time.”
Collamati plans to shoot “The Apology” this spring in and around Belvedere, near Rockford. “You have these instamatic subdivisions abutting acres of farmland,” he said. “It’s a wild juxtaposition, and it lends itself to showing how the land affects the characters, as the film reflects how the past affects the present.”
For “The Apology,” Collamati is reuniting with “Acedia Thing” collaborators Hanlin, DP Tomomi Itaya, and editor Neal Gold (“Design”).
Collamati directed “Acedia” with Darren McDonald in fall 2001. The self-financed DV film tells the story of a group of young friends confronting personal demons of life, love and work.
“Acedia” stars Ryan Rentmeester, Katrina Lenk, Anthony Mosely, and Hanlin. Crew included production manager Junko Kajino, sound mixer Nick Clemente, and production designer Michelle Caplan. This writer was 1st AD.
Reach Collamati at anthony@exusfilms.com. -? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com
