Oh What a Night When
Actors ( Joshua Ray and Kennedy Waite ) the Supporting Actors ( myself included ) the Producers (Art, Alicia, Taj, Justine. ) and the outstanding Crew. We made a great full-length feature film with a mini-budget. Hopefully, this SAG-AFTRA Film will encourage more production of film and televsion in Colorado!” Rod Grier, Actor
Producers Heather Webb, Alicia Cole, Terrell Lamont, and Justin Lewis
Hush Money
Screened In Denver
“I had an opportunity to crew on the production of Hush Money and to see it on the big screen was amazing.”
On Saturday, June 4 crowds
Submitted by Main Man Films
gathered at the Sie Film Center to attend a private screening of Hush Money, a 90-minute dramatic thriller filmed entirely in Colorado. The motion picture, written and directed by Terrell Lamont and produced under his gritHouse Films banner, attracted an audience of nearly 300 people. Arriving guests were able to walk the Red Carpet after receiving their crentials, mingle with other guests and take photos before entering the cocktail reception held in the Henderson Lounge. The film was followed by a Q&A with Lamont and actor Joshua Ray. Taj Nahar of Noir Concepts served as the moderator for the event. Lamont described the film’s plot as, “Burdened with the pressure to provide for his family, unemployed art teacher, Douglas Shaw finds himself desperate and out of options. He owes thousands of dollars to a ruthless mob boss and has less than 12 hours to get him the money,” he explained. “Doug decides to kidnap Kennedy Joseph the daughter of a professional baseball player and hold her for ransom. As things start to go awry, Doug struggles to maintain control of the situation. With time running out, he realizes the consequences of his actions could be detrimental to everyone involved.” This film was a true collaboration between Hollywood and Denver. When Lamont shared the script with Art Thomas, founder of Main Man Films, their belief in the project fueled immediate action. Thomas promptly reached out to his contacts in Hollywood, including producer David Waite, and pitched the idea of casting Los Angeles-based actress, Kennedy Waite, in the film. As they say, the rest is history. “Our groundbreaking partnership between Denver and Hollywood is ignited through its first project, Hush Money. Film producer and academic Art Thomas identified two remote elements, and by combining, has performed alchemy,” David Waite said,
Yaritza Figueroa, writer / producer
“As a female controlled production company, we were inspired to see what gritHouse Films was able to accomplish.” Carrie L. Gomez, SCY Pictures
Art Thomas, producer and Rod Grier, actor
Director/Writer/Producer Terrell Lamont
“Hush Money is an incredible testament to the Colorado’s Film industry, and what it’s capable of. From the cinematography to the post-production, every bit of the final product served the story to its best. Everything had an emotional motivation and reasoning behind it. This film is powerful, and will definitely leave its mark on the independent scene.” Kevin D. Wilson CEO – 29 Frame Productions
“Strong performances, beautifully shot, with an amazingly soulful grit throughout.” Jason H. TuckerJHTDesign Studios, LLC
“Simply put, Mr. Thomas recognized an incredible Denver talent, writer and director Terrell Lamont, and jumped across country to Hollywood to marry an incredible synergy with a young starlet, Kennedy Waite and the team behind her. This project bodes the first of many between this partnership of Hollywood and Denver that Art Thomas, gritHouse Films, and Jupiter/Xponent is embarking on.” The team behind Kennedy Waite includes: Stan Rogow, known for Lizzie McGuire (2001), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) and Men of War (1994); Hush Money executive producer Harry Lennix, co-star of NBC’s hit series the Blacklist, whose long list of credits include the Matrix trilogy, Man of Steel, Ray, and Five Heartbeats; and writer/producer Paul Eckstein, producer of the popular Netflix hit series Narcos and also co-producer with Harry Lennix and David Waite on the musical entitled Revival which is currently in post-production. The cast consisted of 25 crew members and 31 actors including actor / artist, Rod Grier whose credits include the hit film, Foxy Brown, starring his
sister, actress Pam Grier. His paintings were prominently featured and subsequently destroyed in the fight scene between Vivica A. Fox and Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s classic film, Kill Bill, Volume 1. Thomas first worked with Rod Grier on a TV Pilot, called Urban Spectrum Live, which is based on the newspaper of the same name. “Grier is someone I look forward to collaborating with on future projects,” Thomas said. Several industry guests were among those fortunate enough to get a sneak peek of Hush Money. When asked for his candid reaction, chef and TV personality Keith Jones said that he loved the movie. “It was very intense and humanistic. We got a feel for the main characters Doug and Kennedy, the kidnapped girl. The team did a fantastic job in bringing it all together and putting it on the screen,” Jones said. Others shared comments were: Hush Money is an example of the “un- exposed” Outstanding Movie making talent in Denver. From the Director ( Terrell Lamont ) The Lead
Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – July 2016
16
“Hush Money is the perfect example of the old axiom: prepare so that when opportunity arrives, you are ready. The filmmakers behind this tense drama have been honing their craft for years, and despite the film’s low budget, the result is exceptional. Acting, shooting, sound, editing — this is professional level storytelling, and it’s damn entertaining!” Trai Cartwright Consultant - Craftwrite
“The results were outstanding” Tom D. Audience Member
After the overwhelmingly positive response from the recent screening, producers are discussing the next steps for the film. Producers Alicia Cole Heinrich and Justin Lewis, along with Lamont and Thomas will be entering Hush Money into notable domestic and international film festivals while continuing discussions with potential distributors. Editor’s note: For more information on gritHouse Films, visit www.grithousefilms.com; Noir Concepts, visit www.noirconcepts.com; and Main Man Films, visit www.mainmanfilms.com