Marina Rice Bader Releases AVA'S IMPOSSIBLE THINGS @ OUTFEST 2016

OUT FILMMAKER MARINA RICE BADER 

WILL RELEASE HER NEW FEATURE 

AVA’S IMPOSSIBLE THINGS

  WORLDWIDE ON VIMEO IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING ITS PREMIERE AT 2016 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES, CA - Writer/director/producer Marina Rice Bader is set to world premiere her new feature film, Ava’s Impossible Things, at this year’s Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. The film will screen at the DGA 1 on Saturday, July 16 at 4:00pm with Marina and cast in attendance.                

Tickets are on sale at www.outfest.org.

In keeping with the "do-it-her-way-ethos” Bader is known for, she will give the film its worldwide release as a rental on Vimeo on July 17th, the day after its Outfest screening. The talented filmmaker is no stranger to this innovative strategy having released her Anatomy of a Love Seenmuch the same way in 2014. Gravitas Ventures will again join the team to take Ava’s Impossible Things to all other VOD and streaming platforms in the fall.

Fans around the world will be able to rent the film on Vimeo on any Internet-capable device for only $5.00 for a 48-hour rental period. Subtitled versions for a number of foreign languages will also be available including Spanish, Portuguese, French and German.

Ava’s Impossible Things is the first film to receive an investment from Vimeo’s “Share the Screen” female filmmaking fund, which was launched at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to support emerging female voices in film.

“I love Vimeo’s ‘Everyone is welcome, come be part of our vibrant community, create your vision and share it with the world’ mentality. I’m honored, and can’t wait to share Ava’s journey," says Bader.

The heart-wrenching tale tells the story of Ava and her mother Faye, bonded by many things…unconditional love, a passion for the arts, a belief that magic exists, and an insidious disease that will one day end both their lives.

It’s been three years since Ava moved back into her mother’s house to care for Faye, and as Ava witnesses the slow downward spiral all she can do is keep her mother’s spirits up while locking away the fears of her own future.

Today is a day like any other until rare guests and unexpected events compel Faye to make a shocking announcement, sending Ava into a tailspin.  Unable to deal with reality, Ava cries herself to sleep in her mother’s arms and escapes to a dream world filled with old friends and long forgotten desires.

Catch the genre-bending film on Vimeo July 17 after its Outfest 2016 premiere.

Watch an exclusive preview at:  https://youtu.be/dVgYBg1qUfI

http://avasimpossiblethings.com/

https://www.facebook.com/avasimpossiblethings/

https://twitter.com/SoulKissFilms 

About Soul Kiss Films and Marina Rice Bader:

In 2009 Marina Rice Bader founded Soul Kiss Films, an independent company dedicated to producing evocative, entertaining and compelling movies by women, for women and about women. Her first project out of the gate was to executive produce instant classic Elena Undone, followed by A Perfect Ending two years later. 

In 2014 Marina felt driven to go down a more authentic path, writing, directing and starring in Anatomy of a Love Seen, where she created an exciting new model of filmmaking not only during production, but with her creative distribution, earning much publicity.  Next came Raven's Touch, which she produced and co-directed with powerhouse Dreya Weber in 2015. 

Marina is currently in post-production on her most ambitious film to date as writer, director and producer, Ava's Impossible Things, premiering July 2016 at Outfest Los Angeles. 

"I have always had a love affair with movies, but it wasn’t until my early fifties that I had enough faith in myself to make the leap to actually creating them. I feel I’m just hitting my stride with American Ryder, a female ensemble action film shooting in 2017,” says Bader. 

TELLO FILMS Debut NEW FILM "SKIRTCHASERS"

TELLO FILMS PREMIERES 

“SKIRTCHASERS” 

STARRING ELIZABETH KEENER, BARRY BOSTWICK AND MEREDITH BAXTER 

Los Angeles, CA - tello Films just released the highly anticipated comedy “Skirtchasers” starring Elizabeth Keener ("The L Word", "My Generation") as Robyn Samuels and Barry Bostwick ("Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Spin City") as her estranged father, Damien Samuels and Meredith Baxter ("Family Ties", "Young and the Restless") as her divorced mother - https://www.tellofilms.com/series/skirtchasers

The five part web series was written and created by James Berg & Stan Zimmerman ("The Golden Girls", "Roseanne", "Gilmore Girls", "The Brady Bunch" movies).  Amanda Bearse directed four of the webisodes, with Zimmerman directing one.  

Bearse has directed and produced such series as "Big Gay Sketch Show", "MADtv" and "Dharma & Greg”.  

As an actress, she is best known for her role as Marcy D'Arcy on Fox's "Married With Children" and the feature film "Fright Night”.

"There is a new media landscape that I'm thrilled to explore and I'm very glad to be doing it with my friend Stan Zimmerman and working with a company like tello with their focus on content for the lesbian community," said Bearse. Zimmerman and Bearse appeared on the Sean Hayes produced Bravo reality show, "Situation: Comedy.”

Robyn is freshly single after a break-up with her long time girlfriend the day before their wedding. As Robyn deals with mending her broken heart, she realizes her issues delve further than her issues with commitment; they go way back, to her father. After the split of her parents, her best-selling novelist father, remarried a much younger woman, and became a father again, abandoning Robyn.

Watch the Trailer: https://www.tellofilms.com/series/skirtchasers/skirtchasers-trailer

Rounding out the "Skirtchasers" cast are Katie Walder ("How I Met Your Mother", "Mad Men"), Tangie Ambrose ("In Plain Sight"), Jessica Lu ("Awkward"), JJ Totah ("Jessie"), Valerie Ortiz ("South of Nowhere", "Hit the Floor"), Shaughn Buchholz ("Scrubs"), Brandy Howard ("The People's Couch") and Clementine Ford ("The L Word”).

"I am extremely excited to be bringing this new series to life," said Christin Baker, co-founder and CEO of tellofilms.com. "James and Stan's writing is phenomenal and targets the exact kind of audience tello is all about. Not to mention the amazing actors that have been drawn to this material.”

Known for “Maybelle”, "Nikki & Nora" and "Kiss Her I'm Famous," this new web series will be joining an astounding list of other well-known series on the tello Films website.

Recently tello confirmed that actress/comic/singer, Lea DeLaria, who plays "Big Boo" on the award winning Netflix series, "Orange is the New Black", will cover a classic tune as the theme song to the new tello Films comedy "Skirtchasers”. 

Tello recently greenlit another web-pilot from Zimmerman & Berg called "Secs & Execs". It will go into production late summer 2016.

tello Films produces and distributes innovative, high-quality web series with a lesbian focus. "We believe in telling authentic stories about people whose lives are often ignored or marginalized. tello creates web series specifically for the lesbian/queer community. Meaning that lesbian/queer characters are  front and center. We love lesbians and we don't feel that there are enough stories about us. At tello, we create new web content that is intelligent but fun, timely but classic, and tasteful yet sexy. Providing a whirlwind of classic ideas from a lesbian perspective, brave and challenging content with a lesbian twist."

For more information, visit https://www.tellofilms.com/series/skirtchasers/skirtchasers-101

New Super Lesbeau Film: SEEKING DOLLY PARTON

“ SEEKING DOLLY PARTON” 

GETS ONLINE WORLDWIDE RELEASE

The Lesbian-Themed Feature Film Available as a Digital Download

LOS ANGELES, CA –Writer/director Michael Worth released his lesbian-themed feature film Seeking Dolly Parton as a $3.99 digital rental on Vimeo at Vimeo.com/ondemand/seekingdollyparton last month. 

"Seeking Dolly Parton" is the romantic comedy starring Kacey Barnfield (Resident Evil: Afterlife) and Anya Monzikova (Iron Man 2). The film centers on a lesbian couple wanting to have a baby and the ex-boyfriend (played by Worth) who steps up to help to unexpected results for all. 

The film premiered this year at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival to rave reviews.

Worth gave the film its worldwide release as a streaming rental on September 25 giving fans and cinephiles alike the opportunity to view the film on any Internet-capable device. 

Worth, who wrote and directed the flick, is not the first director breaking outside of and bypassing the traditional Hollywood distribution channels. 

In the age of the Internet, it’s becoming less uncommon for a feature to eschew theatrical platforms completely for a digital release.

Seeking Dolly Parton is available for $3.99 for a 72-hour rental period at: Vimeo.com/ondemand/seekingdollyparton.

Watch the trailer HERE!:

FEMME LESBIAN DOCUMENTARY "Girl on Girl" To Continue Shooting!

[BROOKLYN NY—JANUARY 6, 2015]

Exactly two years after beginning her journey: Girl on Girl, director and LGBTQ activist, Jodi Savitz, will embark on a road trip down the East Coast to shoot the final footage of the documentary.

The groundbreaking film highlights the emotional consequences of feminine lesbian invisibility— the phenomena in which, due to their feminine or “passing” appearance, many LGBTQ women are assumed to be straight by the outside world and are thus rendered invisible to each other. The film’s cast features seven women from New York, Florida, Utah, and North Carolina, including ‘celesbian’ Lauren Bedford Russell (The Real L Word: Season 3).

The trip corresponds with the launch of the film’s Indiegogo Campaign this Thursday, January 8th. The campaign, entitled, “REEL Visibility,” aims to raise $25,000 to fund the documentary through to post-production. Donation perks include exclusive credit on the Girl on Girl film (in accordance incrementally with their donation), up to and including the opportunity to submit a personal video clip. The collective video clips will then be assembled as a short film entitled, Reel Visibility, and will play as a precursor to the film.

Girl on Girl has become an entity greater than the documentary itself. It is a community driven movement and platform for fan engagement that goes beyond the scope of a traditional film release. The REEL Visibility project is one of the myriad ways that Girl on Girl continues to break down the barriers between filmmakers and their audience.

Already equipped with the car and cameras, the team is adding a unique twist to their fundraising efforts by offering fans who live along the East Coast the chance to become a part of The REEL Visibility Road Trip!

For those fans looking to donate more substantially to the campaign, the director and cinematographer will personally drive the donors' home, where they will professionally film their clip to be featured in the “REEL Visibility” short film. The clip will also be posted online in real time, giving the 250,000 Girl on Girl Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter followers the chance to see both sides of documentary filmmaking, from production to live engagement! Fans can follow both the campaign and the film’s progress throughout January on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.   

The road trip is set for January 9th- January 22^nd and the Indiegogo fundraising campaign will run through the end of February. Those fans interested in becoming a part of “REEL Visibility” on the road will therefore have a limited window of time to donate in order to be added onto the trip’s itinerary.

Do you live along the road trip route? (That is, along I-95 between NYC and Miami!)

Want to become part of The REEL Visibility Road Trip? 

Here’s how:

1) Email ReelVisibility@gmail.com ASAP to contact a producer

2) We will contact you and confirm if we can come to your home

3) Once your visit is confirmed, DONATE $250+ on our Indiegogo campaign at www.girlongirlmovie.com/indiegogo

4) The team will meet you to professionally film your REEL Visibility clip

5) Get featured in the Reel Visibility short film and online!!!

Girl on Girl is produced and directed by burgeoning filmmaker, Jodi Savitz, and produced by Italian Golden Globe winner Dahlia Heyman, and Lauren Savitz. It is sponsored by the prestigious non-profit, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), and therefore any donations made directly to NYFA on its behalf are tax-deductible.

NEW ONLINE WEB SERIES “GRRL’S GUIDE TO FILMMAKING”

AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER ROLLA SELBAK 

DEBUTS BRAND NEW ONLINE WEB SERIES “GRRL’S GUIDE TO FILMMAKING”. 

LOS ANGELES, CA - Award-winning out filmmaker Rolla Selbak is releasing a new online “interview” series called "Grrl's Guide To Filmmaking”, in which she shares her personal Hollywood vlogs as she visits some of the most prominent lesbian filmmakers making it happen today. 

Grrl's Guide To Filmmaking offers an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes, showing the magic, behind the magic. 

Selbak sneaks us into the Paramount writers room with Faith Soloway, writer on the breakthrough Amazon series Transparent; stumbles into Cathy DeBuono's backyard; gets the juicy details from Guinevere Turner and how she came up with the title "The L Word", and much....much more.

Season One kicks off on August 10th with episode one featuring an up close and personal interview with Faith Soloway, which will stream on  www.tellofilms.com

Selbak is an award winning filmmaker who is part of the San Francisco Women's Film Institute Leadership council, and is responsible for creating and producing the S.F International Women's On-line Film Festival. She's queer, an Arab-American and a woman.

But that hasn’t stopped the self-taught auteur from writing, directing and producing films that matter to her. 

We all know her as the mastermind behind the web series sensation “Kiss Her I’m Famous” starring Tracy Ryerson and Ilea Matthews which satirizes the booming business of the sex tape madness, and how celebrity wannabes utilizes their home movies as a ticket to greater stardom and a major payday. But Selbak carries a filmmaking dossier that may very well rival some of the most prominent out female filmmakers in the industry.

Selbak's impressive credits include writing and directing the internationally acclaimed feature film "Three Veils”, starring Sheetal Sheth (Looking for Comedy in a Muslim World, I Can’t Think Straight), Mercedes Masohn (666 Park Ave), and featuring Eric Avari (Heros, The Mummy).  The film confronts delicate subject matters such as arranged marriage, homosexuality, and love within the Muslim-American subculture, and portrays the leading female characters as human beings first, women second, and their cultural surroundings as veils that dictate how much of their inner-selves are revealed. 

With "Three Veils", Rolla Selbak,  who grew up in the Middle East and chafed under the strict social structure of a Muslim family, delivered a snapshot of her feelings about how women's rights are trampled under in her otherwise rich and vibrant culture. The feature film won Best Screenplay at San Diego LGBT International 2012; Best LGBT Film at the New York City International Film Festival 2011; Jury Award Best Film at S.F Women's International 2011; Jury Award Best Female Feature at the Long Island LGBT Film Fest 2011; and the Rainbow Award at the Honolulu LGBT Film Fest 2011, among other.

Her previous feature, “Making Maya”, has found a successful niche within the independent film world, and has been screened at film festivals and universities nation-wide.  She was announced a Winner of the LinkTV’s One Nation Many Voices film competition in 2008 for her documentary “Green Blue Sea”, profiling a young, Palestinian scuba diver, and his profound respect for the ocean.

She is known to delve into subject matters that bear distinctively bold, thought-provoking and compelling qualities. It’s no surprise this established filmmaker/Palestinian native has been invited to speak at multiple panels on independent filmmaking and women in the arts, and was a grant panelist for the 2008 Regional Arts & Culture Council of Oregon.  Her other notable achievements include scoring and writing music for her films, and being a recipient of the inaugural Women’s Vision Film grant for her screenwriting, awarded by the Faerie Godmother Fund.

EPISODE GUIDE

EP1 - Faith Soloway - 8/10

EP2 - Cathy DeBuono - 8/17

EP3 - Cathryn Hayes - 8/24

EP4 - Heather de Michele & Gretchen Michelfeld - 8/31 

EP5 - Guinevere Turner - 9/7 

New LESBIAN FILM To Premiere at OUTFEST 2014 - SEE THE TRAILER!

MARINA RICE BADER’S FEATURE-LENGTH DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

“ANATOMY OF A LOVE SEEN”

WORLD PREMIERES AT OUTFEST 2014

LOS ANGELES, CA – Writer/director Marina Rice Bader (Exec. Producer of Elena Undone, A Perfect Ending) will make her directorial debut at the 32^nd Annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival with the world premiere of her feature film entitled “Anatomy of a Love Seen”. 

Outfest – the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBT stories on the screen – officially announced on June 4^th the complete programming lineup for its 32nd Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. The nation’s leading LGBT festival will be held July 10 through July 20, 2014.

Bader’s lesbian-themed feature film will be screening Friday July 18th, 2014 at 7:00PM at THE DGA 1, located in The Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, CA.  The premiere will be followed by an exclusive cocktail reception after-party with the entire cast and crew.

As the driving force behind Soul Kiss Films, her own independent film company, Bader’s mind and artistic direction is only focused on one goal:  to create evocative, entertaining, and compelling movies by women, for women and about women. And she’s already successfully planting the seeds to do just that with “Anatomy of a Love Seen” and the upcoming “Raven’s Touch”.

“Anatomy of a Love Seen” stars Hollywood newcomers Sharon Hinnendael, Jill Evyn and Constance Brenneman.  This film within a film explores love in all its painful and messy glory.  The story takes us back six months, when actresses Zoe  (Sharon Hinnendael) and Mal (Jill Evyn) fell for each other at exactly the same moment in time while filming a love scene. After five blissful months together Zoe was decimated when Mal walked away. Three miserable weeks later a very lucrative network broadcast deal was in the works. They only had one request...re-shoot the love scene. Welcome to the set. 

Shot in five days, this improvised film based on Bader’s story, characters and outline fulfilled her desire to create a very organic and visceral experience.  “Anatomy of a Love Seen” was made on a small budget, but that hasn't stopped a huge online buzz. Released just a few weeks ago, the trailer for the film is making a lot of noise having already garnered well over 125,000 views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWqQregDD_A

Bringing a unique passion to her craft and desire to make her mark, Marina Rice Bader is one talented filmmaker to keep an eye on.

### 

Tickets go on sale to members on June 10 and to the general public on June 13: www.outfest.org

For more information about “Anatomy of a Love Seen” go to:

www.http://anatomyofaloveseen.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/anatomyofaloveseen

Twitter:  @SoulKissFilms

Hashtags: #outfestla #outfest and #undermyumbrella

The Dinah Shore Weekend Announces Its SECOND FILM FESTIVAL

CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND  & O.M.L

ANNOUNCE OFFICIAL SELECTIONS FOR ITS SECOND ANNUAL 

“DINAH FILM FESTIVAL”

Palm Springs, CA – Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, in association with One More Lesbian (OML), have announced the official selection of lesbian-themed projects that will be screened at this year’s “Dinah Film Festival.”

The Fest, which debuted last year to immense success, is set to return this year again at the Palm Springs Hilton Hotel on Friday, April 4 at 8:00pm offering attendees the chance to preview a slew of unique and original programs.

The 2014 Dinah Film Festival will showcase five web series, and present three exclusive world-premieres featuring a short film, a documentary and an exclusive advanced trailer.

The categories are as follow:

WEB SERIES

Dyke Central is an Oakland-based dramedy that centers around 30-something butch roommates Alex and Gin. Surrounded by a diverse group of friends who guide, challenge and support them, Alex and Gin struggle to adapt to change and create balance in their lives without losing themselves.

#Hashtag: friend Me. Follow Me. Like Me. Fall for Me. #Hashtag follows the love lives of two technology-obsessed friends in Chicago. From Instagram seduction to inappropriate selfies, Twitter over sharing to OKCupid dating, Liv and Skylar are about to learn the real-life consequences of over-indulgence in the virtual world.  The show stars Marnie Alton (Exs & Ohs, Cowgirl Up), stand up comedian Caitlin Berg and actress/writer Laura Zak.

Kiss Her I’m Famous (Season 2) is an intelligent satire created by Filmmaker Rolla Selbak (Three Veils), starring Tracy Ryerson (The Real L-Word) and Ilea Matthews, and featuring Noureen DeWulf (Anger Management). The show follows two hilarious and clueless characters Jen and Mandy who aim to create a celebrity sex tape to launch them into fame.  In Season 2, this sex tape is…leaked!

Little Horribles is a new web series that follows a single lesbian (Amy Rubin) as she navigates her thirties in Los Angeles. The show, created by Amy Rubin recently made Variety’s list of “Top Ten Best Web Series of 2013” impressively ranking at # 4. 

Nikki & Nora: follows New Orleans locals Nikki Beaumont (Liz Vassey) and Nora Delany (Christina Cox) as they juggle the inner-workings of their personal lives with their roles as private investigators in America's oldest party town.

SHORT FILM

Secrets and Toys is a delightful short film where a surprise visit, a bumbling bestie, and many years of tight-lipped deception cause EVERYONE'S ish to hit the fan. The chaos caused in this comedy of errors is full of sexy moments and tons of laughter. Secrets and Toys will warm your heart as you root for the lovers to make it through the storm. 

Starring Dalila Ali Rajah (Cherry Bomb, Grey's Anatomy, New Girl), Shelli Boone (Saints and Sinners, Entourage), Diane Sellers (Rules of Engagement, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Darryl Stephens (Noah's Arc, Hot Guys with Guns), Doug Spearman (Noah's Arc, Old Dogs & New Tricks), Jill Bennett (Second Shot, Dante's Cove), among others.

DOCUMENTARY

God-Des and She Documentary follows the music duo God-Des and She as they return to their mid-west roots to attend a family function and to perform at a pride concert.  The duo talk about how they came to collaborate, their family and what their 2006 performance on The L Word has meant to their career.  A hip-hop/pop/soul duo bred in the Midwest, God Des & She now play to packed venues all over the world from New York to Sweden.

TRAILER (Exclusive premiere)

Girl Gets Girl is a feature film from the creators of the popular Chica Busca Chica (Girl Seeks Girl) series. A romantic comedy that tells the story of Nines, the restless lady-killer, coming back home from the States. Nines has tried to reinvent herself in Miami but it hasn´t worked as she expected. Nine years after leaving Spain she decides to go back home and win Carmen´s heart. The only problem? Carmen is straight and lives with Mónica the woman Nines left their wedding day. The film is directed by Sonia Sebastian.  Stars include Celia Freijeiro, María Botto and Adriana Torrebejano

The Dinah Shore Film Festival was launched last year as a way to promote the work of talented independent filmmakers and to show a glimpse of lesbian culture. Supporting filmmakers and film is important for Club Skirts’ founder and producer Mariah Hanson. 

“I was thrilled with the success of last year's film festival. We've expanded the format to include a wider variety of all types of films and are donating 100% of the proceeds to our filmmakers,” says Hanson. “I know this will eventually become one of the more popular events at The Dinah. We plan to continue to offer more wide ranged programming so that women from all backgrounds and interests can experience the lesbian pride and visibility of The Dinah.”

The Dinah Film Festival is a two-hour event. A special Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening. 

100% of the proceeds from the event will be donated to all participating independent filmmakers. 

For more information go to: www.TheDinah.com

Tickets $15 in advance. $20 at the door.