Promiscuous Stories
(Feature Film - Shorts Anthology - In Development)
Synopsis
Author Jonathan Lethem (The Fortress of Solitude) has agreed to work with a group of independent filmmakers who have banded together to create an omnibus film from his short stories as part of Lethem's The Promiscuous Materials Project. On his website (www.jonathanlethem.com), the author states, "I like art that comes from other art, and I like seeing my stories adapted into other forms. My writing has always been strongly sourced in other voices, and I'm a fan of adaptations, appropriations, collage, and sampling."
The Promiscuous Stories Anthology Project will be a very independent film with the potential for a large audience that crosses boundaries between the worlds of literature and film. There are precedents for the short story anthology film, such as Robert Altman's critically acclaimed anthology of Raymond Carver's stories, Short Cuts, and Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wender's Beyond The Clouds, based on stories in Antonioni's book, That Bowling Alley on the Tibor: Tales of a Director. Other feature films have been comprised of short films not necessarily adapted from literature, such as New York Stories, directed by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese, RoGoPaG, directed by, Jean-Luc Godard, Ugo Gregoretti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Roberto Rossellini, Coffee and Cigarettes, by Jim Jarmusch, and, most recently, Paris, Je T'aime, Ten, and 8.
Lethem's promiscuous stories are suitably cinematic with quirky characters, unique language, and original plots that lend themselves to visual innovation. Each of the filmmakers chosen to adapt these stories has a unique aesthetic vision that has distinguished them at film festivals globally. Although it is true that these filmmakers may still be considered "new blood," their styles have been likened to the styles of great independent directors like David Lynch, Jim Jarmusch, and Errol Morris. The Promiscuous Stories Anthology Project will be a showcase for new talent comprised of a series of bold, cool, strange, fresh, unique, and often humorous short films.
Through their contacts in the music world, the directors also plan to put together a fantastic soundtrack to accompany the film, with an original score by artists such as Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Sean Eden (Luna). There will also be several songs included in the films, with groups such as Saddle Creek recording artists, The Faint, contributing tracks, and other artists/DJs, such as Howie B., remixing portions of the score.
The Author
Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem is a writer with high-brow literary credibility whose novels have drawn comparisons to the science fiction novels of Philip K. Dick and J.G. Ballard. Lethem attended Vermont's Bennington College in the early 1980s, where he studied painting. He left Bennington in 1984 and spent the next decade working in bookstores and building a career as a story writer. His first novel was Gun, with Occasional Music (1994), a somewhat futuristic detective story some critics described as a mix of Philip K. Dick and Raymond Chandler. He followed up with more speculative fiction in the novels Amnesia Moon (1995), As She Climbed Across the Table (1997) and Girl in Landscape (1998). His novel Motherless Brooklyn (1999) won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was Esquire magazine's Novel ofthe Year. Lethem explored hometown nostalgia in The Fortress of Solitude (2003), considered by fans and critics his most ambitious novel and has been a New York Times bestseller and one of the "Editor's Choice" picks. In 2005 he was the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." He has also published story and essay collections and magazine articles, including a September 2006 feature on Bob Dylan for Rolling Stone. His writings have also appeared in The New Yorker, Fence Magazine, and McSweeney's. Lethem is currently working on a new novel, as well as a comic book series for Marvel, Omega The Unknown. He resides in Brooklyn, New York and Maine.
The popularity of Lethem's work among critics, youth culture, and the literati, suggests that there will be a strong audience for an anthology film of his work, especially among independent filmgoers and book lovers. Fortress of Solitude is currently being adapted into a feature film starring Ryan Gosling. The buzz surrounding that film will most certainly bleed over to Promiscuous Stories. Film festivals are likely to be attracted to the project by Lethem's name, as well as by the track records of the directors involved (see BIOS section below).
The Stories
The One About The Green Detective -- A brilliantly imagined riff on the classic detective tale, written in the style of a post-modern Raymond Chandler, wherein a newbie detective gets tangled in a twisted plot that involves his superiors. Here, the detective's hard-boiled talk turns the story into a comedy.
Forever, Said The Duck -- A surreal futuristic visionary story, not unlike the work of Phillip K. Dick, in which an ensemble of characters at a party, with entangled sexual histories, gradually discover they're actually just computer simulations and scheme to break free of their owners
The Glasses -- In this comedy of manners, all of the action takes place between four characters in an optical shop as an irate customer enters, convinced that the smudge on his glasses is a defect. Although not quite social realism, this story demonstrates the triumph of connection over isolation.
Interview with The Crab -- An acclaimed writer, nostalgic for an old sit-com from the 80s, is granted the rare privilege of meeting the show's reclusive aging lead for an interview, and gets more than he bargained for. Oh, and the star of the show? A giant, talking crab..
Sleepy People -- In a post-apocalyptic society, a woman finds a sleeping man on her porch and drags him inside the house. She knows he's one of the notorious "sleepy people." She decides to make love to him. But, the sleepy man has mysterious friends who fight against another group of misfits who in turn attack the woman.
The Spray -- Police investigating a robbery in a couple's apartment leave behind an aerosol spray that reveals missing items as glowing images, which the couple subsequently use to find out more than they wanted to know about each other. A simple story about how people in love deal with their past.
Holidays -- A series of vignettes showing us the holidays of an alternate universe, including Auteur's Day, the day that directors are recognized as the true authors of their films, and Thankstaking, the replacement for Thanksgiving, where the vacuum cleaner has replaced the cornucopia in most traditional ceremonies.
Entry of Buildings -- Two vigilant, if overzealous, security guards take the defense of a New York architectural landmark into their own hands. But have they really foiled a plot? This is a poignant story about the perils of mistaking identity for evidence in a post-9/11 world.
Director Bios
Dominic De Joseph (The One About The Green Detective)
After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film, Photography, and Visual Art from Ithaca College in 1991, Dominic's first job in film was as intern and stand-in assistant to producer Roger Corman in Los Angeles, CA. From 1991 to 1995, he worked for Michael Stipe's independent film production company, C-Hundred Film Corp in Athens, Georgia, directing and editing short films and music videos. In 1996, he founded his own independent production company, Black Shoe Films, though which he has directed music videos for bands such as R.E.M., The Dandy Warhols, Ryan Adams, The Stills, and Tilly and The Wall. In 2001, Dominic directed a documentary featuring Wim Wenders and Bono called The One Dollar Diary. His films and videos have been screened at The Tribeca Film Festival, The South by Southwest Film Festival, The Montreal Festival of New Cinema/New Media, The Sarasota Film Festival, Revelation Perth in Australia, and CineRAIL in France, among others, as well as on MTV and The Independent Film Channel. His most recent film, Johnny Berlin, a comedy about a train porter in the midst of mid-life crisis, won a Special Director's Award at The Santa Cruz Film Festival in 2006 and will be broadcast on The
Documentary Channel (DISH Network) and affiliated PBS stations beginning in June 2007. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
He is also a Co-Producer.
Norman Reedus (Forever, Said The Duck)
As an actor, photographer, filmmaker and painter, Norman's work encompasses many different mediums. Beginning as a fine artist, he exhibited in both solo and group shows in Los Angeles and New York before branching out into a secondary career as an actor. Accidentally discovered at a party, he was dared by friends to pursue the opportunity and was soon cast in the play Maps for Drowners at Los Angeles' Tiffany Theater. Film roles in 8mm, Mimic, Six Ways to Sunday, and The Boondock Saints quickly followed. With BigBaldHead, his new production company, he has already completed two innovative short films, including "The Rub," and several aesthetically bold and assured music videos. Numerous projects, including feature films, are in development. He lives in New York City with his son, Mingus Lucien Reedus.
Joe Pacheco (The Glasses)
Joe's work at McSweeney's Publishing lead him to make the feature documentary, As Smart As They Are: The Author Project, which includes interviews with authors, Jonathan Lethem, Paul Auster, Dave Eggers, and others, screened at over thirty film festivals and won the Audience Award at The Night Gallery Film Festival, Best Documentary at The Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Best Music Documentary at The Park City Film Music Festival, The Jury Award for Feature Documentary at The Lake County Film Festival, and had a Best of Fest special screening at The Arizona International Film Festival. He curates The Brooklyn Independent Cinema Series and has served on the juries of many film festivals nationwide.
Matthew Buzzell (The Vision)
Matthew received his M.F.A. in Directing from the American Film Institute (AFI) where he was honored as Director of the Year. His thesis film, 6½ (1998), received The Martin Ritt Foundation Award and the SACD Prize at the 1999 Brussels International Film Festival. In 2001, The Teresa Heinz Foundation commissioned Matthew to make the documentary short, What A Girl Wants. The film's topical subject matter - the influence of media culture on the self-esteem of teenage girls - led to it being featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Matthew's feature documentary portrait of jazz vocal legend Jimmy Scott, Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew, took top honors at The 2002 Atlanta Film Festival and the 2003 Film Fest DC. It received its broadcast premiere on PBS's Independent Lens in 2004, winning the Audience HYPERLINK "http://www.imdb.com/SearchBios?Award"Award. In 2006, Matthew completed the documentary, Tell Me That You Miss Me, chronicling the bittersweet final bows of the critically acclaimed NYC indie-rock band, Luna, as they mount their farewell world tour and look toward their futures with uncertainty. Next, he directed Putting The River In Reverse, a documentary short on the collaboration between music legends Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint as they embark on the first major recording sessions to take place in New Orleans post-Katrina. Both Tell Me Do You Miss Me and Putting The River In Reverse received their world premieres at the The 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. Matthew's latest film, Companeras, is a narrative feature about a female mariachi band. It screened at South by Southwest and The Baltimore Independent Film Festival in 2007. He resides in Los Angeles.
Amy Seimetz (Sleepy People)
In 2005, Amy's surrealistic short film, The Unseen Kind-Hearted Beast, traveled the film festival circuit to rave reviews, selected as "Best of Fest" at both Volgograd Video Fest and Achtung Baby! in Russia. Amy wrote, directed, produced, and acted in her short, giving her the confidence to take on all those roles again for her first feature, City on a Hill, on which she has just completed post-production. Last year in addition to City on a Hill, Amy co-wrote and acted in two features, Despedida and Paradise, and acted in a short film, Say It, which was directed by the head of the Cal Arts directing program, Gary Mairs. Despedida is the second collaboration of Amy with director Jay Keitel. In 2005, Amy starred in Jay's first feature Black Dragon Canyon, which premiered at the Viennale. They are currently writing a project set in the Falkland Islands. Amy is also in pre-production for a short documentary about the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs Florida, which she will co-direct with filmmaker James Ponsoldt, as well as another feature film in San Francisco which she will produce under her budding LLC, Revolt. Record. Repeat. She also performs regularly in an experimental comedy duo called Machu Picchu, a multi media experience once described as "Japanese game show meets Sesame Street meets Grey Gardens all riding a unicorn."
Uwe Flade (The Spray)
Uwe is an awarded German director of music videos and commercials. He works for bands like Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Zoot Woman, Gomez and Franz Ferdinand to name a few. His work often contains a compelling mixture of live action elements and 3d-effects and is shown on music channels around the world. Before getting into freelance directing Uwe studied drama and film-sciences in Bochum, Germany and worked as a script analyst and freelance assistant director on numerous feature films. He also directed a mid-length documentary about Depeche Mode recording their latest album, Playing The Angel. He currently has several feature films in development.
Sarajennifer (SJ) Chiro (Holidays)
SJ Chiro graduated from Bennington College in 1987 with a degree in theater and French lit. She went directly to Seattle to form a theater company. She ended up joining forces with the then nascent Annex Theatre where she acted, directed and championed new work, eventually becoming Artistic Director. Work in the theater lead naturally to work in film. In 1994 she was accepted to USC film school, but opted to stay in Seattle, continuing her studies with Lynn Shelton, and Deco Dawson, among others. Her 2006 short film, Little Red Riding Hood, has been shown at festivals internationally, garnering the awards for Best Live Action Short at Cinema K - Children's Film Festival and Best Cinematography at The San Francisco Woman's Film Festival. Other work includes the experimental documentaries The Lift, This Boy and Building The Dojo. SJ created the video material for Kiera MacDonald's critically acclaimed one-woman show, The Bridesmaid, scheduled to tour Canada this summer. She is currently in post-production on her latest film, Third Days Child.
Kate Reidl (Entry of Buildings)
Kate Riedl graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School in 2000, winning the coveted Kenneth Myer Fellowship to intern with director Zhang Yimou (Hero, Raise The Red Lantern) throughout the filming of Happy Times in China. Returning later to China and Tibet, Kate directed The Man Who Saved A Million Brains, a documentary that aired nationally with record ratings on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel, in November 2005. The film won Best Documentary (Science Technology And The Environment) at the Atom Awards, and was selected for international festival screenings including the United Nations Film Festival. The film has recently been sold to the Discovery Channel in the USA.
Iconic figure Bryan Brown (actor/producer, Cocktail, FX) selected Kate for one of the 'Fresh New Voices' director spots on the television series Two Twisted (her episode was selected to be the Series Premiere), starring Melissa George (Amityville Horror, Derailed).
Kate's dramas have screened at A-List festivals internationally, winning her awards at festivals including St. Kilda And Sydney Film Festival, and her television commercials have gained recognition at the major Australian industry awards. Kate's short film Baggage Claim won the Best Actress Award for Daniela Farinacci at the Inaugural POV Film Festival. Kate was then selected as one of five Australians invited to the Berlinale Talent Campus at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany.
Kate's debut feature Black Water Springs has been written by award-winning screenwriter Stephen Sewell (The Boys). The film is scheduled to shoot in 2008.
Kate lives in New York, and is represented by ENDEAVOR.
