SILK
Escaping the past is never smooth.
Silk is the story of Rani (Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Shohreh Aghdashloo), a middle-eastern woman given away by her family and forced into marriage at age 11. Now a somber seamstress living in Glendale, California with her husband, Rani encounters a group of young woman brazen enough to illuminate what life is like outside the confines of her abusive marriage.
No longer willing to spend the rest of her days under the scornful gaze of a man she never loved, Rani seizes a unique opportunity to reclaim the life that was taken long ago when she was forced to become a child bride.
Silk is an original screenplay, written by Catherine Dent & Eyal Alony, and was inspired by the Pulitzer Prize winning photo essay, Too Young to Wed by Stephanie Sinclair. Catherine Dent is one of eight filmmakers chosen to participate in the prestigious program, the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women (AFI DWW), which has launched the career of many working directors. National statistics published by the Directors Guild of America indicate that only 7% of working film directors are women. The AFI DWW can proudly claim that 25% of its alumna have secured professional directing credits since participating in the program.
VIDEOS
Link to trailer:
Link to film:
https://vimeo.com/62886602
TECH NOTES
Total Running Time: 17 minutes
Camera: Shot on an Alexa Arri
Color
Language: English
Place of Production: Los Angeles
Genre: Drama
#WomensRights #HumanRights #ChildBrides #ShortFilm #FemaleFilmmakers
FILM FESTIVALS
A perk of filmmaking is traveling and film festivals. Silk brought me to Las Vegas for the first time and my first picture with Elvis and a pink convertible. 🙂 Also my first time at the Palm Springs ShortsFest and more!
- Sun Valley Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on March 14, 2013, Sun Valley, Idaho http://sunvalleyfilmfestival.org/index.php?n=11&id=74
- Sarasota Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on April 6, 2013, Sarasota, Florida, http://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/
- Louisiana International Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on April 20, 2013, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, http://liff2013.com/screenings/short-film-screening-2.html
- Charleston International Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on April 26, 2013, Charleston, South Carolina, http://charlestoniff.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CIFF-Program-4-1-13.pdf
- USA Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on April 27, 2013, Dallas, Texas, http://www.usafilmfestival.com/images/43rd.USA.Film.Fest.schedule.pdf and WINNER
- Newport Beach Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on May 1, 2013, Newport Beach, California, http://www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com/ and WINNER
- Palm Springs International Shorts Fest – Official Selection – Screening on June 2013, Palm Springs, California, http://www.psfilmfest.org/
- Madrid International Film Festival, screening on July 2013, Madrid, Spain, http://www.madridinternationalfilmfestival.com/ and WINNER
- Big Bear Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on , Big Bear, California
- Orange County Film Society – Screening on
- Louisville International Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on , Louisville, Kentucky
- LA Shorts Fest – Official Selection – Screening on , Los Angeles, California
- NY Shorts Fest – Official Selection – Screening on , New York City, New York
- San Luis Obispo Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on , and WINNER
- Bend Film Festival – Official Selection – Screening on , Bend, Oregon, and WINNER
BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS
(Still Photographer: Christopher Xavier Lozano)
Behind the scenes on our 5th day of shooting with our star Shohreh, 2nd 2nd AD Adi, and PA Melissa, shooting the fabric store scenes in Glendale.
BTS photo from our 1st day at Blue Cloud Movie Ranch to film the flashback Middle East scenes. Our cinematographer Noah and the Arri Alexa camera.
BTS of Day 3, shooting in downtown Los Angeles
Our director Catherine Dent and DP Noah Rosenthal working with our colorist Maxine Gervais (colorist of Harry Potter and more!) and Adam Ohl at Warner Brothers.
My 1st time at the famous East West Studios. Working with Catherine and Eyal and our Music Composer Yunxiang Gao, Music Editor Sharon Smith (Mission Impossible and more!), and Music Engineer Joel Iwataki (Iron Man and more!)
We were blessed to also have Oscar winners Laurent Kossayan (missing from this pic) and Elliot Tyson (Shawshank Redemption and more!) working on Silk’s sound! Pic from Silk’s premiere.
Our executive producers Steve and Susie Owen (one of the cutest and coolest couples I know!!) flew in from England to the Silk premiere!
I’m always stuck between Catherine Dent and Eyal Alony talking to me at the same time j/k. Here we are at the Silk Premiere at AFI. I LOVE working with these two beautiful people!!!
I have to mention how wonderful everyone is outside of work as well. The way they treated not only me, but my daughter, is so special. Thankful.
CREDITS
Producer/Director/Writer I Catherine Dent
Co-Producer/Writer I Eyal Alony
Co-Producer I Grace Santos (f/k/a Grace Feeney)
Executive Producers I Manny Johnson
Executive Producers I Susie and Steve Owen
Cinematographer I Noah Rosenthal
Editor I S. Robyn Wilson
Production Designer I Shamim Seifzadeh
Music Composer I Yunxiang Gao
Rani Shohreh Aghdashloo
Sameer David Diaan
Aida Saye Yabandeh
Tanya Sabrina Perez
Little T Chelsea Rendon
Lobita Lucia Yumay
Young Sameer Wesam Keesh
Young Rani Liad Machmali
Rani’s Father Samir Younis
Rani’s Mother Tamar Machmali
Rani’s childhood friends Hila Machmali
Gabriela Fontanesi
Gina Fontanesi
Sabrina Moradzadah
Amir Harry Elmayan
Hassan Peter Shaker
Yemen Man Arpit Shah
Man driving prius Weston Quivey
Sports Announcer Ezra Knight
Casting Director I Lisa Zagoria
Line Producer I Angela Sostre
Co-Producers I Nikit Doshi and Brian Kirchoff
Associate Producer I Jerome Smith
Unit Production Manager I Erin Bartnick
First Assistant Director I Christy Busby
Second Assistant Director I Nathan Kimball and Bola Ogun
2nd Second Assistant Director I Adi Dardik
First Assistant Camera I Nito Serna and Mark P. Legaspi
Second Assistant Camera I Emily Zenk
Camera Prep I Nick Bianchi
Steadicam Operator I Jens Piotrowski
DIT I Alex Grossfeld
2nd Unit Cinematographer I Edd Lukes
Still Photographer I Christopher Xavier Lozano
Additional Still Photographer I Mylissa Fitzsimmons
Camera Assistant I Esther Biggs
Gaffer I David Hayball
Best Boy Electric I Paul Monroe and Andrew Barton
Assistant Lighting Technicians I Stephanie Hauser and Inga Mitinyan
Grips I Rene Yescas, Alan Tang, and Miao-ju Chien
Costume Designer I Gillian Christie
Wardrobe Supervisor I Melissa Walker
Head Make-up I Jennifer Zide
Key Make-up I Laura Monteleone
Key Hair I Dana Kelley
Art Director I Nicholas Farmer
Graphic Artist I Daniel Giron
Prop Master I Daniella Algarate
Art Assistants I Alfredo Esquerda and Kenji Taniguchi
Script Supervisor I Anne Melville
Studio Teacher I Amber York
Catering I Full Moon Pickels
Craft Service I Gary Matosian
AFI Coordinator I Avi Quijada
Production Assistants I Jill Kantos, Michelle Andrada, Tyler Hohmann,
Arpit Shah, Weston Quivey, and Melissa Goncalves
Digital Colorist I Maxine Gervais
Digital Intermediate Producer I Adam Ohl
Digital Intermediate Editor I Erik Kaufmann
Assistant Editor I Yuki Aizawa
Supervising Sound Editor I Laurent Kossayan
Re-recording Mixer I Elliot Tyson
Assistant Sound Editor I Sarah Bourgeois
Foley Artist I John Roesch
Recordist I Tim Gomillion
Recordist I Ryan Cole
Mixed Stage Engineer I Bill Stein
Production Sound Mixer I Scott Stolz and Mary Jo Devennery
Boom Operator I Brandon Huus
Music Supervisor and Editor I Sharon Smith
Music Scoring Mixer I Joel Iwataki
Cellist I Timothy Landauer
“Flight”
Written by: Yunxiang Gao
Performed by: Amy Keys (vocals), Kamil Rustam, Jean Pierre Arguie
Courtesy of: LaChance Music
THE FILMMAKERS WISH TO THANK:
Anthony Medina Ari and Henia Alony Andrew Meyer Al and Bobbie Meister
Betty Barlotta/Club Tee Gee Chris and Fred Fahey Conrad and Bex Green
Cynthia Grainer Daniel Nordby Deb Aquila Donn Cambern Ellie Brown
The Fontanesi Family Fred Dent Geary McLeod Glen Mazzara
Harris Spylios Hunter Via Jeffery Demunn Jennifer Meister Jennifer Young
Joan Darling Kenny Johnson Keri and Oliver Lieber Michael Chiklis
Nancy Malone Rick Rosenthal Ron Judkin Ron Schmidt Shawn Ryan
Stephanie Sinclair Toni Graphia Vida Ghaffari Virgil Hiltz
Kickstarter Contributors!
My Shield Peeps The Appleton Street Gang Electric Entertainment LA Grip
Cast of Dancing with the Stars and ABC/BBC The Women of the DWW 2012
Salon Mix Maid in the USA Teamsters 630 East West Studios
Stacey Robinson and the 20th-Century Fox Sound Department
Digital Intermediate by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging
Tamara Hahn for the poster design
Bobby Grubic for the Trailer
And of course, thanks SO much to our kickstarter backers! This project couldn’t happen without you!
Adam Pate, Adam Stephenson, Agnes Plotkin, Alice Lin, Allison Burnett,
Ari and Henia Alony, Amelia Graf, Amelia Weintraub, Ann H Lung,
Anne Magnuson, Annemie Maertens, April Harding, Arthur Hardy, Aviatrix,
Barrett Benton, Barry J McLoughlin, Benton Collins, Bobbie and Al Meister,
Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch, Brenda Mazzara, Brendan LeFebvre,
Camille McMennamin, Carol H Blakeslee, Caroline Roberts, Cathie Louis,
Cathy Ryan, Chad Landers, Chad Thevenot, Cheryl Dale Ratcliff, Chris Redish,
Chris Shields, Christine Watson, Chuck and Helene Snider,
Constance Tarbox and Lance Windish, Corinne Razma, Cynthia Casey Sirota,
Daniel Carlson, Daniel Christian Muro, Daniel Nordby, Danielle Cain,
Darien Gee, David, David Patchen, Davide Bertrando, Dawn Cullen Jonas,
Dawn Reavis, Dax Pagan, Deborah A. Carroll, Deborah Krentel, Debra Beadle,
Denise Young, Diana Evans, Diane and Drew Carolan, Diane Reeves, Drew Criner,
Drori Family, Effie Pharmakidis, Eleanor Wall, Elizabeth Craft, Elke S. Laughlin,
Ellie, Eloise Wall, Erit Yellen, Faelens, Fred and Chris Fahey, Gearey McLeod,
George W Lodge, Guru Raj, Gus Levy, Heather Jeffcoat, Ines Häufler,
Isa and David Jacob, Ivan Ronaldson, Ivo Raza, Jacqui and Alex Jacobs,
James Abbott, James Ebner, Jr., James Messer, Janis Wilson, Jason Freelin,
Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, Jeff Allinson, Jeffrey C. Dannenberg, Jennifer O’Brien,
Jennifer & Ron, Jennifer Doerle, Jennifer Meister, Jerome, Jim Levine,
Jo Ann Sweezey, Joe Mapes, Joe White, Jon Bachmann, Jory Felice, JP,
Judy Barrett Litoff, Judy Korin, Karen Kennedy, Karen Rousso, Kate Eggert,
Kathleen M Meskill, Kenny Johnson, Keri Leiber, Kevin, Kimberly Kay, Kris Young,
Kristina, Kyle Francis, Lars Eriksson, Laura Bartak, Laurie and Howard Phillips,
LeeAnn Kozan, Leo Abel, Leon Salem, Leslie Longworth-Weil, Lesofa,
Linda Brumfield, Lisa Fontanesi, Lisanne Sartor, Loretta So,
Louis & Kristen DeAngelo Jr. & Family, Lynn Goodwin, Lynn Heinrichs,
Lynnette Gryseels, Maria Silfverschiöld, Maria Urrechaga, Marie Martinette,
Mark Smith, Mark and Helene Snider, Mark Williams, Martin and Rebecca Cate,
Marty and Kimberly Couret, Mary G. Von Dohlen, Mary Rachel Dudley,
Maryanne Benane, Melanie Jo Olson, Melanie Maria Toney, Michael Chiklis,
Michael Sandoval, Michael Small, Michaela Andrä, Michele Vercoutere,
Mike Gantman, Miriam, MrNoncents, Naomi and Manly Calof, Nancy Banks,
Nichole Cortese, Nick Darken, Nick Lacroix, Nora McFarland, Noreen Nash,
Paige Varney, Peter Liguori, Phyllis Gilbert, Piper Michelle, R.David Koepfinger,
Ray Boucreaux, Rebecca Wisocky, Robert Levy, Robert Schlecht, Romona Ripston,
Rosemary Moran Davidson, Sara Kaye, Sarah Brown, Sarah Waits, Sasha Nahr,
Savta Henia Alony, Scott MacDonell and Megan Oberle, Scottie, Seth Chalfin,
Shawn and Cathy Ryan, Shaz Bennett, Shirley Miller, Stephanie Greiner,
Stephanie Moore, Stephen Samuels, Steve Brewster, Steve Niss,
Strauss Family, Stuart Busby, Susan Gottschalk, Susan Hurwitz-Arneson and Marc Arneson,
Susan Levin, Susie and Steven Owen, Susie Schwartz, Tamar Cole,
Tena McKenzie, Thiru, Timothy Albaugh, Tom Berray, Toni Graphia,
Troy Skwor, Vanita Shastry, Velvet Andrews Smith, Veneeth Iyengar,
Victoria Jorgensen, Viktor van de Draak, Virgil Hiltz, Viviane and Michael Russo,
Walton Goggins, Warren Henry, Wendall Thomas, William Petrick,
William Rubenstein, Wonedwossen Goshu, Yul Spencer, Zaheer Poptani.
