Tiramisu-Short Film Corner-Cannes Film festival-Press Kit

“TIRAMISU is a sexy, sinister picture that will make you think. The images are arresting. It’s a must watch!”

– Jessica DiNapoli, Times Herald-Record

SynopsIs In the heart of New York City’s Lower East Side, Jonhas and Derek are called to a secluded club to take on a job for notorious crime boss Gino Duesanti. Mr. Duesanti sends them out on an assignment with a mysterious mistress to take back stolen money from “The Bird.” Everything goes smoothly, until suddenly everyone’s life is at stake…

REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD AND SWEET.

Lawrence Michael Parker WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Lawrence Michael Parker is from Savannah, GA and is the son of two coaches. He started his college career on a full scholarship playing tennis in Chattanooga, TN. Later he went on to study Music at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL.

TIRAMISU is Parker’s Directorial Debut, just having finished the NYU SCPS film program to which he was brought in as an advanced student. Parker is also an award-winning photographer and was recently selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2012 Dance Parade photography contest in New York City.

He has trained with such renowned names as Elizabeth Kemp who is the current Associate Artistic Director at the prestigious Actors Studio in New York City. At NYU Parker worked with Joanna Beckson, whose students include Darren Aronofsky.

Parker has also worked as an actor in Theater and Film in New York City and Paris.

“I couldn’t have done this movie without the actors that I had, as my mother always told me, ‘Your Talent is finding Talent!’”

Risa Fujita PRODUCER Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Risa Fujita moved to the U.S. at the age of 16 to study at Mercersburg Academy. She graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Dance and Economics.

Having served as a transfer pricing senior consultant with Ernst & Young LLP, Fujita currently works for Gorgeous Entertainment, Inc., a New York-based theater, film and special events production company. As a dancer, Fujita has toured and performed in various venues including the Ailey Citigroup Theater (NY), Merriam Theater (PA), Hawaii Public Radio (HI), and Mielparque Tokyo Hall (Tokyo).

Damon Williams AS JONHAS Damon Williams was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in its surrounding suburbs. He began acting while attending Temple University where he was featured in the critically acclaimed play ‘In Conflict.’ The production was launched on a regional U.S. tour (The Long Warf Theatre, The Kennedy Center, American Theatre Festival), played the Edinburgh Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland) and premiered Off-Broadway at The Barrow Street Theatre.

Williams has also appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine and ads for Microsoft and Master Card. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Derek Milhem AS DEREK Born Derek Michael Milhem in Salem, OR on January 26, 1979, Milhem was raised in Portland. He dropped out of high school to pursue a professional musical career at the age of 17, and played in a series of bands including 1.21 Jigawatts (Portland, OR) and later in New York City with The Thunderbirds and The Last Rounders, both of which received critical acclaim and fan fare.

Milhem developed an interest in acting after landing a featured extra role in The Postman (1997). After moving to San Francisco in 1998, he took part in several small theater productions. In 2001 he moved to New York to attend the William Esper Studio, where he studied directly under Bill Esper. Afterwards, Milhem appeared in a collection of commercials, NYU student films, and the Season One of Boardwalk Empire. In addition, Milhem has been featured in such magazines as GQ and Esquire, all the while never losing his passion for music. He worked as a studio musician and gained notoriety as a first class DJ at some of the most recognizable clubs and bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was at one of these bars that he met and became fast friends and collaborators with Lawrence Michael Parker.

Bruno Iannone AS GINO DUESANTI Bruno Iannone was born in Montagano, Italy. He came to the U.S. as an 8-year-old with his mother and sisters to join his father who had settled here a year earlier. He completed his college career at Biscayne College in Miami, FL (now St. Thomas University), graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in English and Philosophy, and went on to play pro basketball in Italy with G.S.A. Benevento. He was inducted into the St. Patrick’s High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Iannone attended the Strasberg Theatre Institute. His credits include theatre, film, and TV work. He has worked in TV and film with such esteemed directors as as Sergio Leone (Once Upon a Time in America), Sydney Lumet, Richard Benjamin (The Money Pit), David Platt (Law & Order SVU), as well as with such accomplished actors as Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, James Woods, Paul Sorvino, David Proval, and Phil Bosco.

Currently, Iannone’s screenplay, “(Closer to Evening)”, in collaboration with Salvatore Lumetta, is being marketed by Brilliant Earth Pictures, LLC for feature film production.

Deanna RenĂŠe Hays AS STORMY Deanna RenĂŠe Hays, also known as her stage name, Stormy Leather, is a performance artist, actress, model, and producer.

As an actress, she starred as the title role in Caprice (2010) and won Best Actress at the Maverick Movie Awards. As a performance artist, she has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with The Jim Rose Circus, and regularly presents the best of burlesque and cabaret to packed rooms at her Debauchery and Wassabasco Hillfire club shows (The Box, Hotel Chantelle, and Nurse Bettie). She has also performed in Scotland, Amsterdam, and Rome.

Hays has been featured on the pages of Penthouse and in music videos for 30 Seconds to Mars and The Magnetic Fields.

Joe Watson AS LOUIE “LEFT EYE” Joe Watson is an actor, writer and producer, who trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, CA. He is also the owner of Spraycanartists.com and is one of the nation’s premiere spray can art performers.

Watson can be seen in the upcoming feature Turnabout (2013).

He is currently airing in the new hit series The Men Who Built America as the anarchist assassin, Andrew Czolgosz, of President William McKinley in 1901. He is also producing his role as a Belarusian poet in the indie short Praise and Blame by Shane Book. He produced and starred in the controversial web series “Playing Monogamy” (2009).

Shelly Watson AS HERSELF Shelly Watson is an award-winning, Bachelors and Masters of Music graduate of The Julliard School, who is also a Metropolitan Opera outreach artist and a world premiere music collaborator. She has performed in over five continents with numerous orchestras. Her nationally syndicated radio segment “Hip Hopera” is currently celebrating its 8th season.

Watson achieved the title of “Cabaret Star of the Year” from Mo Pitkin’s. She has performed at various venues as a stand-up comedienne, including the Comedy Club and Stand Up New York. Shelly is also a producer and performer favorite in the New York City burlesque scene and has hosted and performed for Hotel Chantelle, Nurse Bettie, and others.

Watson has had numerous TV appearances such as Looking for Love (ABC), Make My Day (TLC), VMAs (MTV), and TRL (MTV). She studied traditional theater and performed readings for The Actor’s Studio and The New Dramatists.

As a producer, Watson had a three-year run of “The Inter Arts Variety Show” at the now defunct Zipper factory. Her burlesque murder mystery musical “The New Bohemia” played at The Fringe Festival and toured the tri-state area for over two years.

Her current projects include an autobiography.

Kiva Dawson AS MIMI DUESANTI Kiva Dawson started acting as a young child, opposite such legendary actors as Judd Hirsch and Brian Dennehy, as well as appearing in numerous national commercials. She worked on various Los Angeles-based projects in her early adult years, guest starring in shows like Crossing Jordan, NYPD Blue, Ellen, and Unhappily Ever After. Her wide range of acting ability has also allowed her to work with numerous acclaimed film directors, including Joel Schumacher (8MM) and Joel & Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowski).

In 2007, Dawson was cast in a principal role in the Oscar winning musical drama, Across the Universe. She has since guest starred on the hilarious web series, “The Stay At Home Dad,” and in 2012 wrapped two independent features, The Awakened and Turnabout, as well as landed a lead role in the Taimak directed short film, I’ve Seen Things.

Dawson is also an extensively trained professional dancer with a diverse resume that includes The Pussycat Dolls, Forty Deuce, The Nutcracker, and most recently the Boardwalk Empire follies.

She currently resides in New York City.

Bettina May AS GINGER Bettina May is a New York-based pin-up model and burlesque performer. In the fall of 2012, she was awarded the first ever green card from the U.S. based on her outstanding ability in her field. She started her career in 2003 and since then has performed internationally on stages in Paris, London, Berlin, and Lisbon, as well as touring nationally for the past 3 years.

May has been featured on The Real Housewives of NYC and has performed for Brooke Shields, Kanye West, Jude Law, and others. She is also an in-demand performer for corporate clients like Patron, Dos Equis, Harley Davidson, and MTV.

Cast JONHAS

DEREK

GINO DUESANTI

STORMY

LOUIE “LEFT EYE”

HERSELF

BARTENDER

MIMI DUESANTI

GINGER

SEXY GIRL IN CLUB

HANDSOME HIGH ROLLER

BAR PATRONS

“THE BIRD”

CALL GIRL

Damon Williams

Derek Milhem

Bruno Iannone

Deanna Renée Hays

Joe Watson

Shelly Watson

Troy Hahn

Kiva Dawson

Bettina May

Risa Fujita

Joe Inzerillo

Faceboy

Lily Faye

Adrian Buckmaster

Reve Douglas

Maurizio Ferrigno

Alysha Grace

Crew Written and Directed by Produced by

Executive Producer

Associate Producer

Director of Photography Other Camera Work

Editor

Casting

Production Designer

Art Director

Makeup

Production Manager

1st Assistant Director

Boom Operator

Gaffer

st 1 Assistant Camera

Production Assistant

Sound Design

Mixing & Mastering

Sound Effects

Visual Effects

Color Correction

Supervising Attorney

Original Score

Lawrence Michael Parker

Risa Fujita

Lawrence Michael Parker

Joe Inzerillo

Jamison Dowd

Ian Schneider

Mike Doyle

Joe Inzerillo

Jordan Liebowitz

Lawrence Michael Parker

Dan Edelman

Lawrence Michael Parker

Lawrence Michael Parker

Lawrence Michael Parker

Lawrence Michael Parker

Ashley Walker

Risa Fujita

Dita Gruze

Engin U. Kaplan

Sudama Kanchibhotla

Sawrab Karim

Mike Doyle

Vin Prieto

Jacinto Romero

Lewis Bower

Carmen Borgia

Lawrence Michael Parker

Kate Bilinski

Matt Gundy

Lawrence Michael Parker

Alex Shum

Blase Theodore

Sunny Williams

Carmen Borgia

Vic Deyglio

Derek Milhem

Lawrence Michael Parker

TIramIsu A film by Lawrence Michael Parker USA  2012  15 MIN

Contact Lawrence Michael Parker Writer/Director/Producer lmp@nativesouthproductions.com 1-912-663-4586

Risa Fujita Producer risa@nativesouthproductions.com 1-917-355-9819

WWW.TIRAMISUTHEFILM.COM

www.cloud21.com

info@cloud21.com

Press kit: Caterina M. Rodriguez