While everybody is celebrating Pride Month, Silent T Productions (STP) is commemorating a week spent fulfilling our destiny in the film industry. After listening to an enlightening message yesterday on letting love guide the way rather than overthinking things by Rev. Kylie Renner at the Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living, I ran into a makeup artist from Los Angeles who did my make-up on the set of Woman Walks Ahead. She says that she doesn’t have “work” and she hears that local film peeps don’t have work either. I’m shocked to hear this because STP’s film production schedule is full. Read below to hear about the exciting things that happened in our world last week.
Last Friday, I saw a premier showing of Monsters of God, a pilot written and directed by Rod Lurie, at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, NM. Previously developed at Starz, Monsters of God is part of TNT’s quest to show more shocking dramas, such as Good Behavior.
“I feel like fate has brought me here guys,” said Lurie, a former U.S. Army artillery officer, before the show. “I was doing a western up in Calvary, and I sat up on a horse, and I thought, ‘I gotta do a series.’ And then, you know, we started looking at all the great films in New Mexico that were made here, including No Country for Old Men, starring that guy over there,” Lurie pointed at Garret Dillahunt seated in the back of the 132 seat cinema.
Lurie’s intro was the precursor to spotting a few friends on the big screen and watching Colonel “Terrible” Bill Lancaster (Dillahunt)’s inhuman Texas Comanche Wars during 1867. Colonel uses brutal interrogation techniques to eradicate the Comanches, while his wife, Cynthia Lancaster (Lauren Ambrose), applies her unconventional feminist power to build alliances with Comanche women and rally for women’s rights. Of course, she was my favorite character. When the pilot produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment concluded, I was glad the Comanche Wars scenes over. According to Lurie, that was the last night to see the pilot indefinitely, as TNT didn’t pick up the show for the long haul.
Last month, Fred Sweet, founder/producer of the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival (LJIFFF), asked me to help award short- and feature-length work shown at the 2017 LJIFFF, the first international fashion film festival founded in North America. The Festival attracts the world’s top filmmakers, fashion designers, and creatives to honor 16 categorical awards, announced on Saturday, July 22, 2017, in La Jolla, CA. This year, the official charitable cause partner is the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization that connects marginalized designers (the majority of them women) to the international fashion industry, creating fair wages and socially responsible work environments.
Since I have a slight obsession with couture and I’m really a mermaid living in the desert (right now), I gladly accepted Sweet’s invitation. Last weekend, I fulfilled part of my jury role by submitting my ballot for the incredible films, which erased the traumatic images that lingered in my mind from the Monsters of God premier. From Homage to Alessandro Michele by Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director, to I Am Woman by Soma Helmi, last week’s introduction to some of the most disruptive films that I’ve ever seen was epic.
I prefer watching indie films that shy away from the social norms of Hollywood features, so I loved the exhilarating energy depicted in most of the films. I predict Guess? Timeless Beauty, a short film produced by GUESS and directed by Bruno Miotto, will be one of the Festival’s favorite films. Starring Elizabeth Turner, the movie quoted memorable Guess commercials as a tribute to 25 Years of Guess Handbags.
I can’t wait to network, listen to panelists and fiesta with some of the most captivating innovators at the invitation-only Cannes of the fashion and film world next month.
Last Monday was (I believe) the last day of playing my reoccurring Red Pony waitress role on Longmire, Season 6, a modern Western crime series on Netflix. We were reminded that we were still on set because we held up to the standard of quality for the production. As our Longmire chapter concludes, I’m tremendously grateful for the hands-on experience and friendships gained on set.
As you can see, the New Mexico film industry is alive and well for those who hustle. With more film premieres, VIP events, and two leading roles on the horizon, STP has plenty of film production projects to reveal to you in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more recaps on STP’s projects that aim to bring your vision to life, while inspiring positive change for generations to come.
