Independent Streak Magazine Winter 2024

In d ep en d en t Streak W in t er

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Spot light :

Dir ect or Susan

Seidelman at Miami Book Fair

FLIFF 20 24 OUTShine Film Fest ival Fall 20 24 "Fr om Br ook lyn t o Boca" Scr ipt w r it ing Boot Cam p

Miami Gems

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE

P u b lis h e r 's No t e

Have a new f ilm about t o launch?

A new f ilm fest ival in t he wor k s?

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"Winter is coming." It means beware.

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It is terrible to feel unprepared, you beat yourself up about it. Second, get Get an ad as l ow as $ 35! over it -- forgive yourself; you are only human. Next, weather the storm; seek out support to help you make it through. Make a deal Contact us at w ri terrach el @yah oo.com with yourself to do better next time. Seek out new strategies. What worked? What didn't? How can you be better prepared next time?

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Rachel Galvin 1 Publisher

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE Script writ ing Boot camp Hel ps Inmat es

By Rachel Gal vin On the Move Productions hosted a live table-read on November 7 in which young actors read the scripts written by those who have been incarcerated. This was part of a special boot camp program created by Future Leaders Of the World (FLOW), which they identify as being a "new educational tool to empower youth to combat many of the health disparities that affect them and their communities."

FLOW?s concept is to work with a group of students, teach them certain health topics and then create powerful short stories. The students then work on script development so that their six-page short gets produced into a professional film. That film (shot in Spanish & English) -- complete with a lesson guide -- is then shared with parents, educators, and more importantly, their peers.

The group is run by Alex Moreno. On this project, he worked with Kimberly Douglas, who also has a group called FLOW. In her case, it is a film festival, and she also has other events to bring the film community together.

When asked about the bootcamp and the reading of the scripts, she said, "The read was extraordinarily rewarding. The cadets saw

their scripts come to life, and the actors gave them valuable positive feedback. As a facilitator, it was very emotional. Indeed, some of the actors were quite moved.

Overall, it was a win for the funders, as well as the leadership at the boot camp. I believe it will serve to enhance the cadets' success in future endeavors by adding to their confidence in excelling in the face of adversity."

For more information, contact Alex Moreno at Amoreno.flow@gmail.com and visit www.futureleadersoftheworld.org. .

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I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE Hausch, who stepped down and took a job in Hawaii. Former Board Chair Steve Savor now holds that title. Lisa Grigorian is now the Board Chair. Another change was that they only showed feature films and are moving their short film program to its own festival February 14-17.

Opening Night

FLIFF 20 24

By Rachel Gal vin Film lovers wait all year long for the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival to arrive. This year, as usual, delivered plenty of cinematic experiences and a variety of events. There were 100 films shown from 25 countries from November 8-17.

The festival brought in plenty of celebrities, including Ray Romano, Mena Suvari, Cathy Moriarty, Gavin Casalegno, Francesca Eastwood, Emily Bett Rickards, Kevin Pollak, John Savage and the legendary Bob Mackie.

Filmmakers also came in from around the world. People could watch films online too, and there was a silent auction online as well.

One big difference this year was the absence of President & CEO Gregory von

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The opening night party took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. People streamed in, stopping to pose on the red carpet before going in to the party, which engaged onlookers right away with women ready to wrestle in the ring, to fit in with the opening night film, "Queen of the Ring." The director and some of the stars were in attendance. Emily Bett Rickards, Gavin Casalegno and Francesca Eastwood received Star on the Horizon Awards.

Following the film, The Jersey Girls gave another showstopping performance. There was an open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres as well.

(Top, l ef t ) Act or Ray Romano and his kids Greg & Mat t , who creat ed a movie about t heir l ives cal l ed "The Romano Twins;" (t op, right ) FLIFF President & CEO St eve Savor, Broward Count y Fil m Commissioner Sandy Light erman, Chair Lisa Grigorian & ot hers; (above, l ef t ) act or John Savage, who won a Lif et ime Achievement Award; (above, right ) Fashion/ Cost ume Designer Bob Mackie st rikes a pose.

(Top, L t o R) Act r ess Em ily Bet t Rick ar ds r eceivin g h er St ar on t h e Hor izon aw ar d; cast & cr ew of " Beyon d t h e Ru sh ;" act r ess Heat her Abof f ; cast & cr ew of " Qu een of t h e Rin g;" (2n d lin e, L t o R) dir ect or of " Qu een of t h e Rin g," Ash Avildsen , w it h w if e an d son ; Scr een w r it er of " I Elect " Bill Spr in g an d Jose Lim a; act or Gavin Casalegn o w it h Lisa Gr igor ian r eceivin g h is St ar on t h e Hor izon aw ar d; act r ess Fr an cesca East w ood w it h h er aw ar d as w ell; (3r d lin e) Th e Jer sey Gir ls per f or m .

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Cent erpiece Fil m FLIFF addressed a serious topic with their Centerpiece Film, ?No Address.? The movie takes a unique look at homelessness. It follows the plight of a young girl who ends up aged out of the foster system and is put out on the streets. While there, she bonds with a group of people who also are without a home and they become her new family.

They are confronted by those who do not want them to camp in their neighborhood.

The film showcases the many reasons why someone might find themselves in this perilous situation. And it also shows that sometimes those who end up homeless are those you might least expect, so it is an issue that can happen to anyone.

The movie was shown at Savor Cinema on November 13 and the

director, Julia Verdin, and some of the cast were in attendance, including Ty Pennington and Xander Berkeley and others. Following the film, they did a Q&A. On the patio, there were passed hors d' oeuvres before the film and then a serene candlelight party following complete with violinists playing classical music.

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(Top, L t o R) Cast & Crew of "No Address;" hors d' oeuvres, anyone? Q&A; (2nd l ine) f il mmakers enjoy t he af t er part y; act ress Barbara Ryan wit h direct or Dominic Giannet t i & act or Gl en Evel yn; guest s st riking a pose at t he event ; direct or Jul ia Verdin wit h act or Ty Penningt on.

Cl osing Night Fil m As FLIFF wrapped up, the festival was celebrated with a closing night party at the Superyacht Village with a screening of the film "Grander," a documentary about sportsfishing. Created by Anthony Hsieh, the film followed his inspiring story of rising up from an immigrant family to becoming a very successful businessman, to taking a break from the business world to follow his heart and enjoy his hobby. His sportsfishing with teams takes him all over the world, and he shares the beautiful views he sees along the way, and the thrilling moments of pulling in a catch. There were several fisherman in the audience that found the film enthralling.

Guests could also enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres, sushi and an open bar, as well as cake.

Many went out on the patio with view of several yachts, which were the spot for the after parties.

The director also was given a check for his favorite charity, Warriors on the Water by Steve Savor (below). In addition, Chad Moss of Moss Construction received the Marti Huizenga Award (above).

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Fu n at FLIFF!

Fun at FLIFF! 7

FLIFF Award Winners PEOPLE?S CHOICE AWARD: - Beyond Triathlon PRESIDENT?S AWARD: - No Address BEST ACTOR: - JOE CORTESE in Here?s Yianni!

BEST ACTOR / SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENTS AWARDS: - OMAR CHAPPARO in The Wingwalker BEST ACTRESS: - JULIA ORMOND in Here?s Yianni!

BEST ACTRESS / SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENTS AWARDS: - ANAMARIA VARTOLOMEI in Being Maria - BEHDOKHT VALIAN in Junks & Dolls BEST DOCUMENTARY: - Riverboom BEST DOCUMENTARY / SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENTS AWARDS: - Beyond Triathlon - Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion - Playing The Changes - Red Fever - The Shape of Things BEST FEATURE: - The Wingwal ker BEST FEATURE / SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENTS AWARDS: - Black Dog - Color Book

- Butterflies - Here?s Yianni!

- Queen of The Ring - Robot T-0 - Thank you Places!

BEST DIRECTOR: - ALONSO ALVAREZ BARREDA f orThe Wingwalker BEST DIRECTOR / SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENTS AWARDS: - CHRISTINA ELIOPOULOS f orHere?s Yianni!

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: - Joe Cortese: Lifetime Achievement Award ? Here?s Yianni!

- Bob Mackie: Lifetime Achievement ? Bob Mackie: ?Naked Illusion?

- Bobby Roth: Lifetime Achievement - ? Good Men - John Savage: Lifetime Achievement ?

Beyond the Rush - Francesca Eastwood: Star on the Horizon ?

Queen of the Ring - Emily Bett Rickards: Star on the Horizon ?

Queen of the Ring - Gavin Casalegno: Star on the Horizon ?

Queen of the Ring - Sofia Vassilieva: Star on the Horizon ?Here?s Yianni!

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(L t o R) Top: Direct or Ash Avil dsen and his producer Aimee Schoof ; "Grander" cake at cl osing night ; 2nd l ine: Act resses Emil y Bet t Rickards & Francesca East wood on 8 opening night ; bot t om: The Jersey Girl s; act or Gavin Casal egno

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE OUTSh in e Film Fest ival

passed hors d' oeuvres while the DJ played some great music.

By Rachel Gal vin The OUTShine Film Festival had a new vision for their LGBTQ+ film festival this year. This year, their events were held in both Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. So for the fall edition, they started out with events in Broward County and then moved down to Miami.

Opening Night Opening night was in Dania at Regal Dania Pointe.

There were a few booths in the lobby with swag and information to pick up and they had some tasty tidbits for people who mingled before going into the theater.

There, a few representatives from the festival who spoke.

The opening night film "Young Hearts" was shown. Director Anthony Schatteman created a gem with this coming of age film. It follows a young boy, Elias, who begins to discover his true sexuality when a neighbor boy, Alex, moves next door. He tries to hide his newfound truth, covering it up by continuing to date a girl, but his feelings come out in many ways, including anger, as he deals with bullying by the kids in town and the neglect of his father, who is more interested in his own self-interest as he has rising fame as a singer.

This movie really pulls at the heart strings to anyone who has suffered through those tender years and dealing with first loves. Even those who have not had to deal with explaining being different than others will find familiarity in this coming of age tale. Bring kleenex and be prepared to shed a tear.

The after party was rockin' at the 14 North Daiquiri Bar at Dania 9 Improv. Guests tried a bunch of different Daiquiris and plenty of

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Fun at OUTShine!

Cent erpiece Fil m The Centerpiece Film, "Hammarskjold--Fight For Peace," was shown at Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale. This film covered a serious and true story of a UN Secretary-General, who worked diligently to maintain the peace in post-colonial Africa. But, he found himself battling against certain other foes who want power for themselves.

In the midst of this conflict, he faced accusations of homosexuality at a time when it was not socially acceptable by any means. When a lost love comes into his life, it reminds him of a self he had locked away, and he's forced to deal with that part of his identity.

The cinematography in the film is brilliant with up close and intriguing visuals and terrific sound as well. The acting is also stellar.

While dealing with conflicts in the Africa might seem a bit tedious, the story pacing and excellent acting keeps you on your toes throughout, while the tangent into his love life gives the movie real heart.

Cl osing Night The Closing Night took place back in Miami at Regal South Beach with the screening of a movie called "Layla" (which this reporter unfortunately did not get to see) about a British-Palestinian drag performer who ends up in an unlikely romance. The movie was followed by an after party at IT Italian Trattoria with a DJ, an open bar with signature cocktails and light bites.

For more info. on OUTShine, visit OUTShineFilm.com.

Film Review : ?High Tide?

By Rachel Galvin Lourenço (Marco Pigossi) finds himself swimming against the tide.

Escaping his home of Brazil and hiding who he truly is, he finds himself in the United States adrift in the queer mecca of Provincetown. His boyfriend left him. His visa is expiring. He finds himself doing menial work for a cruel boss. He is shiftless. And spending time picking up strangers in bars is leaving him feeling more hollow. But a chance encounter on the beach may prove to be his salvation. But even that comes with complications. Still reeling over his ex, he is not the most stable of partners. Is he ready to start again? Even his friendship with a friend who has taken him becomes unsteady. Can he find anything to hold onto? He flounders and tries to keep his head above water. There has to be a way.

This film, directed by Marco Calvani, is a very slow burn focused on Lourenço?s angst and the slowly developing unexpected romance between he and Maurice (James Blunt), and what happens next when Maurice has to leave town to his next planned adventure.

Pigossi and Blunt are both very easy on the eyes, and Maurice?s friends act as the comic relief. The film is produced by Marisa Tomei, who also acts in it as a woman who leaves her husband for a woman, a different role for the actress. Scott, Lourenço ?s landlord of sorts, is played by Bill Irwin.

The movie touches on the themes of racism and gay issues primarily and is going to be appreciated most by a gay audience, but is relatable to anyone who has found themselves adrift in life. Note: The film does include nudity and plenty of gay sex scenes, as well as drug usage.

Heartbreaking and tender, the film received 100% fresh from Rotten Tomatoes. The director was in South Beach for several screenings of the film.

For more information, visit strandreleasing.com/ films/ high-tide.

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I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE "The Hit men" Pr emier

By Rachel Gal vin Silverspot Cinema in Coconut Creek was overtaken by finely dressed film lovers, and the cast and crew of the movie "The Hitmen" on October 30.

Directed by Anthony Galizia, who also stars in the film, the comedy brought plenty of laughs. It follows two hapless hitmen who, in the process of doing a job, end up getting caught up in a domestic dispute that leads to the mob boss being angry at his wife, who is trying to escape, and the hitmen are left wondering whether to obey orders or rebel against them.

People gathered before the film to mingle in the lobby and get seen on the red carpet, and be interviewed by Michelle Chin.

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I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE Spot l ight : Direct or Susan Seidel man

By Rachel Gal vin According to Variety magazine in a recent article, women directed just 16% of the top 250 grossing movies. The fact that the lack of women in the industry is still making headlines means things have not changed much, and yet, things are much better than they once were. Back in the 1980s, women directors were like unicorns. Susan Seidelman, who spoke recently at the Miami Book Fair, was one of the few.

Known best for directing "Desperately Seeking Susan" and the pilot for "Sex and the City," and other episodes of the show, Seidelman has had a meaningful career.

She got her start after taking a film appreciation class. "As soon as I took that class, I kind of got hooked," she said.

Living in the suburbs of Philadelphia, the only movies she had seen as a kid were whatever was playing in the local mall. But the class opened her eyes to classic and international films. "I started paying attention to how stories are constructed, you know, the language of cinema. And so I took film appreciation 101, 102, 103, 104, I just kept taking it," she said.

When she graduated, however, she was unsure what to do next. Film schools would not become popular until the '90s, when independent cinema became popular.

"I applied to three film schools, two in Philadelphia, and I was rejected, one in New York City, and NYU, and somehow I got in. And as soon as I started, I wanted to move to New York, so it was an excuse to get there. But as soon as I started making movies, actually playing with the camera and editing, I realized that this was something that I felt comfortable doing, and that I hoped to be doing for a long period of time," said Seidelman.

She started honing her skills with short films at NYU. After she graduated, her grandmother died and had left her $12,000 in her 13 will for her future wedding. Instead of implementing that plan, she

decided to use the money to make a low-budget independent film -"The Smithereens."

"I think my grandmother would have been very proud of me," she said. "That film was the start of my career, and I never expected it to get to the Cannes Film Festival or to really be the start of my career, but again, I was working with the same people that I had worked with at NYU Film School."

She considered herself to be quite naive when it came to the industry. She did not know she needed permits to film, but rather ended up shooting guerilla style in the early days. New York proved to be a treasure trove. "In the 70s, New York City was bankrupt, so the city was kind of falling apart, and the great thing about that was that it provided a very gritty texture. Especially downtown and the Times Square area, you could kind of point the camera anywhere, and there was some gritty, crumbling buildings, garbage pile."

Again, at the time she started, women directors were few and far between. In the '80s, she noted a few emerged here and there. "There was Barbra Streisand, who had made 'Yentl,' and Amy Heckerling had done 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,'" she said. "And there was another woman named Martha Coolidge, but literally it was the five of us, and that was pretty much it."

She continued, "Once it got accepted into Cannes, suddenly I was getting a lot of attention. And I got an agent. I didn't have to knock on doors. She actually called me in France."

She added, "After the festival, I went out to LA, and I did, you know, 'the Dog and Pony show,' you'd go from studio to studio, production company. It's a meet and greet kind of thing."

She began meeting people and they started sending her scripts to consider, but it took her a long time, after "The Smithereens" to find her next project. "People would pitch me projects or give me scripts, and I must have read 100 scripts, and they were all about, you know, horny cheerleaders, or babysitters in haunted houses, or, you know, it wasn't something I was interested in doing," she said. "And it took awhile until I finally got the script that was sent to me by two women producers, Midge Stanford and Sarah Pillsbury ... 'Desperately Seeking Susan.'"

Since the name Susan was in the title, she felt destined to tackle the project, and also, she felt drawn to the characters -- both the character actress Rosanna Arquette would end up playing, Roberta, the bored housewife, and Madonna's character, Susan, who was free-spirited. The film follows Roberta's obsession with Susan in hopes of making her own life feel a bit more interesting, not knowing the adventure that

collaboration would lead to.

"I knew that if I didn't pick the right first Hollywood movie to make, I would disappear," she said. "I had heard a few horror stories about women, independent filmmakers, who made one beautiful, low-budget movie, called 'Girlfriends,' and then did a Hollywood movie with the overbearing producer. It didn't do the box office that the producer wanted it to do and then she kind of disappeared for many years. So, I knew I had to pick the right thing." It turned out that this movie was definitely the right thing.

Many women auditioned for the role of Susan, including Melanie Griffith, Ellen Barkin and Jamie Lee Curtis.

But Seidelman instead chose someone she knew from the neighborhood, a young performer named Madonna. "I was hanging around the East Village music scene, so I knew she was playing in some of the local clubs. But she was still relatively unknown in LA, and we had to screen test her before the studio would allow me to hire her. At the time we started filming, she was relatively unknown. She was in the first shot of the first scene we filmed and no one was paying attention. We were filming on St. Mark's Place in the East Village, you know, with a film crew. Pedestrians would walk by and glance in our direction. They didn't see any movie stars. They'd walk away. It was a very low key kind of shoot. By the end, we needed security to keep people away because what had happened was that her 'Like a Virgin' album came out in that time period. And suddenly it went from, when we started, Rosanna Arquette's movie to what they called the 'Madonna movie.'

"But certainly in terms of the marketing of the movie, it pushed the movie to another category that was beyond the expectations of the studio because they thought the budget was about $5 million, which is small for Hollywood, to women producers, a woman writer, a woman director, to women stars. They had very low expectations. We didn't fit the key demographic, which was, I guess, young boys. And then when her career skyrocketed and they were thrilled."

Following that success, Seidelman went on to do another comedy called "Making Mr. Wright." It was about a woman who falls in love with an android, something that, at the time, seemed very far-fetched.

"It's about a woman who's hired to program an android that's going to be sent to space, but to make him into an appealing person, an appealing man." At the time, there were movies about men falling in love with non-humans, like "Splash," with a man (Tom Hanks) falling in

love with a mermaid (Darryl Hannah) or "Mannequin" about a man (Andrew McCarthy) falling for a mannequin (Kim Cattrall) She classifies all of these to be "Pygmalion" stories, including "Pretty Woman." After all the men-centered stories, Seidelman thought "Why not take that story and twist it around and tell it from a female point of view?"

"So, that was the reason I wanted to make it. But also I wanted to make it because it's about, you know, human and AI. I wanted to set it in a place where also there was a diversity of culture, and Miami is so diverse and so wonderful in that way. I thought that that would be the perfect setting. Also because it had a space theme, and I always sort of associated Florida with, you know, the space program back then. So that was the reason we came to Florida," she said.

Another film she made in Florida was "Boynton Beach Club," which she helped her mother to write and she directed it. "What happened was that my mother was living in an adult community up in West Palm Beach. And she had a friend, her best friend, passed away. And the friend's husband went to a bereavement room. And long story short, suddenly, you know, there were like four men in the group and 30 women. And he found himself being hit on.

"And he hadn't dated in 40 whatever years. And now he found himself back in the dating game again as a late 60- or early 70-year-old. And he started to tell my mom and my dad stories about what it was like to now be back in the dating world when all the rules have changed.

"And my mother started to tell me these stories, and she said I think it would make a good movie.

Just a little note ... my mother has been telling me ideas for making movies for the last 30 years. And usually I would say, yeah, thanks, Mom. That's great. I'm going to think about it. But when she told me this idea, the idea of a romantic comedy that had drama, as well about older people looking for love or companionship, or sex, I thought that is a great idea because no one's doing this. This was before Nancy Meyers started doing a few, but no one was making movies about older people dating and looking for love."

But, the timing was not ideal. She said, "I was about to go off to Canada to make a movie, and I didn't have time to think about it too much. So, I basically said to her, 'Mom, why don't you write it ?' She said, 'I don't know how to write a screenplay.'" But there are books for that and her mother did the research and tried to do it on her own, Once Seidelman saw the result, it was not ready for prime time.

"The script was kind of a mess structurally because she was a

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beginner. But it had great nuggets of wisdom and great moments that I could not have invented because I wasn't living her life. And so I asked if I could do some rewrites," she said. "And I had met a woman who lives down here in Miami. So, the two of us worked on rewriting it and it became the script. But really, absolutely was my mom's original and her idea."

Although she thought the idea of the movie was a winner, Hollywood did not think so. Distribution became difficult. She said, "Hollywood, especially the studios and also the distribution companies are very thick and very narrow in terms of narrow demographics. I thought for sure it's going to get picked up by a distributor. Distributors came up to me [at a festival] and said, 'We loved your movie, but older people don't go to the movies. We can't make a movie that's geared for 50 and above.'"

She did not buy that older people don't go to the theater, after all, her mom and friends went to the movies all the time. Plus, younger people could also enjoy the film. She decided to prove Hollywood wrong and came up with a unique strategy. "We reached out to a theater chain called Frank Theaters. I know they were all over South Florida. And we made a deal where they would put the film in, I think it was 10 or 12 of their screens. And we would pay for the marketing.

They would put the theater up, and we had a good split on the box office. And the opening weekend, it was like No. 1 in all their theaters because we knew who our audience was, and we just went out to that audience. And then what happened was that, after, they would print the box office results in Variety and some of the other trade papers.

The distributors saw the numbers that our movie was doing well and then came back and said, 'Oops, you know, now we understand,'" she said.

"And so it ended up getting picked up by the Samuel Baldwin Company, who had rejected it originally. So again, sometimes you have to kind of find your own way," she continued.

That is something she discusses in her book, "Desperately Seeking Something,' which she talked about during her talk at the book fair, and had on-hand to sign to those who purchased it.

The next topic she brought up during her talk was the cultural phenomenon of "Sex and the City." When she received the script for the series, she was not super excited, until she read it. "I thought, wow, this is something really unique. I loved the female friendship aspect of it, I loved the boldness of the dialogue of the subject matter, I loved that the women weren't teenagers or in their early 20s," she said, adding she had no idea the popularity the TV show would have.

She said she approached it as if it were a short film. The crew was a film crew on the pilot, not a TV crew. She said, "If you look at the pilot, it is different than the way the series progressed. The first season's different. Carrie looks more like a writer. Her clothes weren't as 15 expensive, and her part was different. But, you know, you never

know what's going to click, what's not going to click. I have no idea."

Shows like "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos," she said, really turned HBO around. "They were the first of those kind of, like, prestige TV," she said.

"Sex and the City's" influence permeated the culture. "I had zero idea that things like, you know, cupcakes and cosmos would suddenly become as popular," she said.

She added, "Even though the series started to become more and more about fashion, to me what the heart of it was was about friendship."

Seidelman came a long way from the early days as a filmmaker. "As I said, growing up in the '60s in the suburbs, I didn't know any [women filmmakers], I didn't know whether we could be film directors. And I loved watching movies, but I never thought about making them." Fans, like (Above) Pedro Gonzal ez, wit h Susan this reporter, are glad she did.

Seidel man, wearing print f rom art ist Michael Roman. That print was seen in Seidelman's book is available "Desperat el y Seeking Susan." (Bel ow) on Amazon.com and Seidel man aut ographs her book f or elsewhere.

Gonzal ez.

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE M iam i GEM S

By Rachel Gal vin On November 3, during the Miami Gems festival, actors Pamela Anderson and Sebastian Stan both were presented with awards. Anderson received an Art of Light Award at Regal South Beach following the screening of her highly lauded film "The Last Showgirl." The film's director, Gia Coppola, was also in attendance, and there was a Q&A following the screening. Later, at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Stan was presented with a Precious Gem Award and had a chance to discuss his career for The Hollywood Reporter?s Awards Chatter podcast, moderated live by Scott Feinberg, He discussed his experiences working on The Avengers' films, as well as his role in "A Different Man" and "The Apprentice."

Pict ured L t o R: Sebast ian St an, Pamel a Anderson; (bel ow): Direct or Gia Coppol a, Miami Fil m Fest ival Direct or James Wool ey, Fest ival Programmer Lauren Cohen, Sebast ian St an during Q&A

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I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE Theat er Spot light : ?Fr om Br ook lyn t o Boca

By Rachel Gal vin

Sharon Pfeiffer has been showing her comedy chops again. This force-to-be-reckoned-with shows her prowess in a brand-new play she wrote and is the lead in called ?From Brooklyn to Boca.? The fish out of water tale is likened to ?The Sopranos meets The Goldbergs.? It is not for the easily offended and gives an equal opportunity ribbing to both the Jewish and Italian cultures, but it?s all in good fun. The play follows her character, Regina?s, journey. Her husband, known as ?Fuggedabout it Frank,? played by Alex Alonso, is involved with some mafia dealings. When the other mobsters get pinched, he will also take the fall. In order to save himself, he has to make a drastic life change, going into the witness protection program. This takes him and his family ? Regina and their wise cracking son Carmine? from living in Brooklyn, New York to Boca Raton, Florida and means changing his name and becoming Jewish.

This culture shock is the crux of the play. And plenty of laughs ensued, many over Frank?s interesting choice of vocabulary. Alonso plays it well.

Pfeiffer scores plenty of laughs as she does her best to keep their real identity hidden. They meet some interesting characters along the way and still have to worry about if the mobsters will track them down and destroy their new life, and then it would be curtains. They have to keep their wits about them to make it through this tough situation.

Overall, the play was well written with fun characters and snappy hilarious interactions. There is some breaking of the fourth wall, especially by Pfeiffer, who serves as the narrator for the play. All of the mobsters have fun camaraderie together, something thoroughly embraced by the

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actors. Each character has a funny name, such as Joey ?Bag A Laundry?

Romanelli, Big Sal Vitti and Mikey ?the Bat? DiMaggio.

The new characters she encounters bring their own sense of comic relief.

A shout out to actor Cameron Holder, whose character got laughs every time he hit the stage.

This play shows independent spirit. Since it was first a movie, it kind of is presented that way with many scene changes and much movement of makeshift props to set the scene. A huge kudos to the whole cast and crew for being brave enough to create something brand new.

Every night so far has been sold out. The opening gala night on January 10 was packed and the legendary singer Connie Francis attended. (Sher says she is collaborating with her on a new version of her iconic film ?Where the Boys Are? called ?Where the Men Are.?) Francis made sure to call over Pfeiffer to let her know how much she enjoyed the play and to encourage her, something that left Pfeiffer honored and kvelling. But Francis was not the only one giving praise. She received praise from everyone.

Guests were treated to delicious light bites and music from DJ Freakin Dominick and some even busted out into disco dancing, while others enjoyed champagne, wine and other spirits. It was a lovely evening.

In t he beginning?

For Pfeiffer, this play was pretty personal. After all, she has direct real experience with starting anew here in Florida after dealing with mobsters back in New York. She actually escaped the life of being a mob wife in New York before starting over here in the Sunshine State. Her story was told on the TV show ?I Married a Mobster,? Season 2, episode 3. It is quite the tale.

She took her experiences and used them to create something unique, teaming up with Deni B. Sher to write this story. Sher has a background in theater and screenwriting, and has co-written an award-winning local film called ?Boxed? with Laurel Levey about The Holocaust, as well as others, including a film called ?Grave Errors? and one called ?The Imagined.? Her script ?Evergreen Christmas Wedding,? also begins production soon.

Originally, the play ?From Brooklyn to Boca? was intended to be a movie.

They filmed the pilot and a teaser (directed by Josh Louis) and were in the process of shopping it as a feature film when they decided to go in a different direction and try it as a play. So, they rewrote the script a bit and did a staged reading, later to tweak some more, hold auditions and put together the show. (Side note: In the original pilot, this reporter was in the role of Rhonda, and in the play, was cast in a different role, as the news anchor).

The play was directed and produced by Sharee C. Pemberton, who also has quite the background. This native Floridian went to Chicago to be part of Roger Ebert?s Film Critics?Awards before returning to the state. As a creative director, she also has won the Clio for the iconic ?This Bud?s For You!? campaign. She also has worked with the USO Entertainment Troupe with actor Gary Sinese and received an Emmy for a PBS special. She was the executive producer for the film ?The Letter,? which will be released soon.

As far as her experience in theater, she worked for Fox Theatricals on ?The Producers,? which won a Tony, and has won additional awards for her work as a producer and actress. In addition, she is an author of two books.

As for ?From Brooklyn to Boca,? there are plans for additional runs of the play. Who knows what is next for this comedy.

More about Pfeiffer ? she also is a stand-up comedian on the local South Florida circuit and continues to act in various projects. She can be seen as in a funny sexy role in ?The Beach Bum,? directed by Harmony Korine, with Matthew McConaughey, among many others. ?From Brooklyn to Boca? will be shown at The Studio in Mizner Park in Boca Raton through Jan. 19. For more info. and tickets, visit www.thestudioatmiznerpark.com.

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