Handheld Films is breaking from principal photography on its $500,000 sci-fi thriller “Lost Girls” to shop the work in progress at the American Film Market held in L.A. this month.
“Lost Girls” is the feature debut for writer-director Alexander “Rocky” Alcarese, former owner of the local house music label DJ International. Alcarese raised the financing from private investors with producers Antonio Gelini and Tom “Silky” Sullivan and E.P. M.L. Lynch.
Veronica Grey stars as China, the leader of a girl-gang of vampire-like interdimensional travelers harvesting DNA in the Chicago club scene. The story focuses on China’s efforts to recruit the human Angelie (Anita Showalter) into her undead crew.
Alcarese’s Handheld Films shot the Super 16mm film for six weeks in January and February, including scenes at the Funky Buddha Lounge, Chromium and the Prop House. After AFM they’ll return to shoot helicopter footage of crop circles in Galena and a final showdown at the Metro, with a planned wrap by Mid-March.
“?Lost Boys’ focused more on the vampire hunters, this is more about the vampires,” Grey said. “You won’t see any fangs or stakes through the heart. We suck out victims’ energy through their ?third eye’ by staring at them.” Joe Estevez and Robert Z’dar play the vampire hunters. Nic Tiemens is the center of a love triangle between China and Angelie.
The Los Angeles-based Grey debuted in the 1993 pilot for the teen drama series “My So-Called Life.” She returned to acting three years ago, recently co-starring in Miguel Delgado’s independent feature “Hey DJ” for Full Circle Productions in Miami. She also performed in the feature “The Making of the Invasion of the Freedom Snatchers” and the video for Paul Oakenfold’s club hit “Starry Eyed Surprise.”
Alcarese is cutting the trailer for AFM at Indiana’s Get Rendered. Crew includes DP Jeff Ackil, 2nd camera Pete Biagi, AC Rachel Donofrie, sound Tom Beach, and SFX Doug Goins.
See www.lostgirlsmovie.com or email handheldfilms@hotmail.com.
? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com.
