Wednesday, September 19, 2018

HollyShorts: Janek Bastard - Muriel Naim Interview


Photo Content from Muriel Naim

Muriel Naim is an Israeli-Iranian director/writer of film, television and theatre, emerging from Tel-Aviv's Art scene. She currently lives & works in Los Angeles.

Muriel graduated with honors from Thelma Yellin School of Arts, where she mentored under Israeli-Lithuanian theater director Arthur Kogan. At the age of 18, her theater production "Jubilee" — was selected to be presented at the National Theatre. While studying in the MFA Film Directing program at CalArts, Naim wrote, directed and shot the five-minute short JAVIER. The film was selected to open the 2016 Annual Film Directors Showcase at REDCAT, and has since been distributed to several international companies. She recently graduated from the Directing program at the AFI Conservatory, where she was awarded the Irwin & Sheila Allen Scholarship and mentored under Oscar-winning Director/Writer Asghar Farhadi.

Muriel's films delve into the cores of the human condition, explore taboo, emotion and transgression through visceral storytelling, and evoke the classical narrative structure.

      



MEET THE TEAM
FERNANDO BARAJAS ― PRODUCER
Growing up in a Farming community, Fernando's choice in the film industry was rather unusual. He got his start in the arts-collaborating in the theatre, where he stage-managed regional productions of the Gershwin musical CRAZY FOR YOU, Shakespeare's RICHARD III and THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES. His passion for film and television has made him branch out into other parts of production, such as being a production assistant on DOG HOUSE and working as a boom operator on THE LAST ONES, which was recently accepted into the SOHO International Film Festival. Fernando is an associate producer on I WAS A TEENAGE WERESKUNK, which received a theatrical release this past fall.

LAUREN GUITERAS ― CINEMATOGRAPHER
Lauren is an emerging cinematographer with a focus on narrative dramas and music videos. Upon graduating from Northwestern University, she quickly built a foundation in camera and Grip & Electric departments ranging from independent features to network television series. Since then, her work has premiered on VEVO, NPR, and Rookie Mag.

​At the AFI Conservatory, Lauren has mentored under Stephen Lighthill (ASC), Jacek Laskus (ASC), Charlie Rose (AIC), and many other award-winning cinematographers. She takes pride in her understanding of light and composition, sensitivity to characters' emotions, and relationship with her crew.



ZEKUN (ZOE) MAO ― EDITOR
Zekun Mao is a recent graduate of City University of Hong Kong, with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Media, focused on documentary Filmmaking and sound design. In 2013, she served as the key sound designer of two short films: MAZE and FOLLOWING, ​which were selected to represent The University of Hong Kong for the 38th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

In 2013, she worked as assistant editor and sound editor for the Community Services and Engagement Documentary Project, being responsible for both editing and music. She finished her graduate thesis - her 2nd documentary - in 2014, which dealt with the Muslim culture scholar and the Chinese foot culture.

ZANDER FIESCHKO ― PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Zander grew up in Pittsburgh, raised on Pierogies. Consistantly getting in trouble in grade school for his wild imagination, Zander naturally went on to study Cinematography and Sociology at Emerson College. Since 2010, he has lived in Los Angeles working in the Art Department for film and television. His credits include Afternoon Delight (2013), Drunk History (2016), Frankenstein (2015) and Grease Live (2015). He believes that everything we own has a story, and gathering and reconstructing these artifacts enriches the storytelling process as much as the words on the page do.

MARISSA BERGMAN ― ART DIRECTOR
Marissa is an LA based prop master, fabricator, shopper and set decorator from Las Vegas, NV. She graduated from Wheaton College, MA and then propped, fabricated, shopped and decorated for Broadway and off-Broadway theater is New York (Rocky: The Musical, If/Then, Kinky Boots, Bridges of Madison County, Bad Jews, Tribes).

​In 2014, Marissa moved to Los Angeles to do the same thing for both theater and film (Amelie: The Musical, Grey Gardens, Bent, The Fantasticks, Casa Valentina, Merrily We Roll Along, The Fosters). She often finds herself working on stage musicals, music videos and indie film projects. Ask her about the weirdest SFX prop she has ever made: the answer changes on a daily basis.



Krzysztof, an introverted 10 year old, faces his father's decision to hide a Jewish boy from a nearby village in the family's house. As the new boy prompts the father's attention, Krzysztof develops a flammable jealousy towards the other boy which reaches a dangerous peak and leads him to an irreversible act.


Muriel Naim on the Red Carpet with JBN Journalist, Kristin Cercado..

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH MURIEL NAIM
JOURNALIST: KRISTIN CERCADO
LOCATION: HOLLYSHORTS, THE CHINESE THEATER, HOLLYWOOD, CA - AUGUST 9TH - 18TH
INTERVIEW: AUGUST 17, 2018

HollyShorts takes place August 9-18, 2018 at the TCL Chinese Theater, Harmony Gold Theater and other locations in Hollywood. Nearly 400 short films will compete for the festival’s top prizes. Last year HollyShorts finalists included 3 out of the 5 Live Action Oscar nominees and the winning short Silent Child from Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton. This year, HollyShorts received an all-time record 5,000 submissions from over 80 countries. The competition will feature Live Action, Animation and Documentary Shorts as well as web series, student shorts, music videos, TV pilots, and VR. The festival also features a screenplay competition where the winning short gets greenlit, shot and shown at next year’s festival courtesy of Seattle Film Summit.

Video/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros). Audio: Edward Chung.

ABOUT HOLLYSHORTS
HollyShorts Film Festival is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panel and forums. The Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival showcases the top short films produced 40- minutes or less. Categories include Short Animation, Short Live Action, Short Documentary, Music Video, Webisode, Commercials, TV, and Digital Microbudget.
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