Deadly Closure Heads to AFM in November!
SARASOTA, FL – “Deadly Closure,” a mystery thriller filmed entirely in Sarasota with 100 percent Florida actors and crew, has been accepted into the Sarasota Film Festival, the fourth largest independent film festival in North America. The 12th annual event will be held April 9-18 at Hollywood 20 on Main Street.
Starring Lisa Varga, with cameo appearances by Audrey Landers and Diane Ford, “Deadly Closure” was one of only 4 percent of films selected from more than 800 submissions. The rest of the films in the festival are by invitation.
Four screenings will be held. After two initial screenings on April 10 and 13 were immediately sold out, two more screenings were added on April 12 and 15, with a premiere event scheduled for the April 13 screening. Most of the cast is expected to attend the premiere, including lead actors Varga, David Mackey, Kenneth Stellingwerf and Toni Ann Rossi, and supporting actors Bruce Blauer, Seva Anthony, Cliff Cespedes, Will Little and Mark Konrad.
Producer/writer Alan Cameron Roberts and producer/director Andrzej Mrotek will conduct a question and answer session after each screening. Screening sponsor is the Jim Soda Group, a Realtor team with Prudential Palms Realty in Sarasota.
This is the first feature film produced by DeVere Films, headed by Roberts and his wife Laura, residents of Siesta Key. Roberts, writer of four locally produced plays, including “It’s Only Murder” and “The Pretender,” also wrote the screenplay for the film. This is the first of his five screenplays to be produced.
The film also marks the full-length feature directorial debut of Mrotek, Sarasota actor, director and producer. Mrotek was the executive producer of the short film “Grain of Salt,” which premiered at the 2008 Sarasota Film Festival. His acting credits include “C.S.I. Las Vegas,” “Domino,” “The Commission” and “A Circle of Fire.”
“Deadly Closure” is the story of Janis McKenzie, a 36-year-old Sarasota photographer portrayed by Lisa Varga of Fort Lauderdale (“Marley & Me” and “America’s Most Wanted”). Twenty years earlier, Janis had witnessed her evil twin brother kill their parents. Now, as her brother is about to be paroled from prison, she prepares for him to come to kill her for having testified against him. An event from her past military service in Kuwait will come back to compound her troubles. Expect the unexpected.
Kenneth Stellingwerf, a student at the Florida State University Asolo Conservatory, gives a chilling performance as the evil brother, Jamey McKenzie. The male lead character, Ben Rogers, Janis’s love interest and commanding officer in Kuwait, is played by David Mackey of Orlando.
Of the 40 actors with dialogue, 32 are Sarasota residents, including the two cameos – international star Audrey Landers (“A Chorus Line,” the movie) and comedienne Diane Ford (star of three HBO specials) – who add a light-hearted streak to the story.
Toni Ann Rossi, also known as Toni Huartson, a Realtor with the Jim Soda Group of Sarasota, plays Carol Dodd, a country club manager who befriends Janis. Rossi trained in Los Angeles at the Larry Moss Studio and spent 10 years in California honing her craft. There she was cast in “Scrubs,” “Judging Amy” and “Life with Bonnie,” among other projects.
Other local actors include Daniel Landers in a brilliant performance as Jamey McKenzie at age 16; Jeffrey Kin, artistic director of the Player’s Theater, who portrays a homeless person; film composer Leon Salem, who plays a janitor; Mark Konrad, a former regular on the TV series “30 Rock,” who plays Sgt. Carlyle; Seva Anthony, former Las Vegas performer, who plays a psychologist; and Cliff Cespedes and Cliff Maples, who play a father and son pair serving as Jamey’s Sarasota accomplices. Cespedes is a well known local actor who is a policeman by day. He most recently was seen in “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Pretender” at the Players Theatre in Sarasota.
Many characters play themselves, including Wes Roberts of SRQ magazine, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vance Askins, Kay Rosier of Big Cat Habitat, dockmaster Sam Chavers and security guard Courtney Shusler.
The film uses a new high definition digital camera called the Red Camera, which allowed the project to be produced for less than a half a million dollars, plus deferrals, while maintaining the rich look of film.
“The success of many films depends on people you never see, such as the editor,” said director Mrotek. “We were fortunate to have one of the best, Stan Cole, who has edited more than 56 projects including the Genie-nominated movie, ‘A Christmas Story,’ and ‘Murder By Decree,’ for which he won a Genie award, as well as numerous ‘Murder She Wrote’ television projects and movies.”
Production designer John Rusnak, who Roberts called “a full-service stop for Sarasota moviemaking,” provided equipment, lighting, set building and props. Even the opening scenes, set in Kuwait, were built and filmed in Sarasota.
“It’s been almost a year since we began shooting on April 4, 2009, and all the sweat, tears and blood that we’ve given to making the film a reality will now be worth every drop and more,” said Mrotek. The 105-page script was shot in 26 days in some 22 locations, among them Island Park and marina area, including the Sarasota bayfront’s famous “The Kiss” statue; John Ringling Causeway and Hart’s Landing; Rosaire’s Big Cat Habitat; and Jungle Gardens. Private locations include SRQ magazine, Sarasota Brewing Company, The Oaks Country Club, Pal Sailor Circus, Key Breeze sailboat at Marina Jack, Clark Road Medical Park and private homes.
“The Sarasota Film Festival is highly selective,” said Tom Hall, artistic director of the festival. “Part of our commitment to local filmmaking is to make sure we are maintaining the integrity of our program throughout the selection process. While we do give special consideration to local projects because it is important to us to build relationships in the local filmmaking community, our program remains highly selective.”
“’Deadly Closure’ – the first Sarasota County indie film to qualify for the State of Florida’s film incentive program – is a testament to the dedication of the filmmaker and the abundant resources of Sarasota,” said Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film & Entertainment Office. “Alan Roberts and his team proved you can find just about everything you need right here to make a compelling and original movie. Although we’ve seen several dozen indie films shooting here to some extent over the last 36 months, ‘Deadly Closure’ was the most comprehensive and lengthy shoot, and we hope it’s just the first of many to shoot in its entirety here in Sarasota County.”
The goal of DeVere Films is to produce two films a year using local talent, said Roberts. “Ten years ago, during the third Sarasota Film Festival, Alan Alda told me that Sarasota was the ‘buzzword” of Hollywood,” he recalled. “Everyone wants to come here for the lovely weather and scenic beauty. Alda said that within 10 years, Sarasota would be in the top five festivals. Good call, Mr. Alda. As we look forward to Festival Number 12, we are the Number 4 independent film festival in North America.”
Roberts said he hopes “Deadly Closure” will show other filmmakers that it can be done. “The weather, scenic beauty and the friendly people make Sarasota a perfect place to shoot a film,” he said. “Filmmaking is a clean industry that brings people and money to the Sarasota economy.” He credited the Sarasota people, adding, “It would be impossible to find enough adjectives to describe how wonderful they were. Any filmmaker coming to this town will think he has found paradise. And he’ll be right.”
To view a trailer of the film, go to http://vimeo.com/5488319. The film’s running time is 100 minutes.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, CAST AND CREW
Executive Producer, Comptroller – Laura Roberts, Sarasota
Director, Producer, Casting – Andrzej Mrotek, Sarasota
Producer, Screenwriter, Location Director and Casting – Alan Cameron Roberts, Sarasota
Janis McKenzie (Lead Character) – Lisa Varga, Ft. Lauderdale
Jamey McKenzie (Janis’ evil twin brother, Lead) – Kenneth Stellingwerf, Sarasota
Ben Rogers (Janis’s love interest, Lead) – David Mackey, Orlando
Carol Dodd (Country Club Manager, Lead) – Toni Ann Rossi, Sarasota
Abe Rabinowicz (Police Officer) – Bruce Blauer, Tampa
Maria Barbeau (Psychologist) – Seva Anthony, Sarasota
Mickey Crass (Jamey’s Sarasota Accomplice) – Cliff Cespedes, Sarasota
Max Crass (Mickey’s Son and Accomplice) – Clay Maples, St. Petersburg
Boomer (Bartender) – Alan Cameron Roberts, Sarasota
Sgt. Carlyle (British Army in Kuwait) – Mark Konrad, Sarasota
Private Bernard Schwartz (Army in Kuwait) – Will Little, Sarasota
SPECIAL CAMEO APPEARANCES
Audrey Landers (Carol’s Friend) – Audrey Landers, Sarasota
Diane Ford, Comedienne (Carol’s Friend) – Diane Ford, Sarasota
