Indie
Well-Rounded Thriller ‘Godspeed’ Plays Los Angeles FRIDAY
In response to the changing dynamics of the film industry, the filmmakers of Godspeed and distributor Lightyear Entertainment have crafted a hybrid strategy for the release of Robert Saitzyk’s acclaimed new film. The film recently premiered in New York and will open in Los Angeles on April 9, while Lightyear will follow with a DVD/VOD release on April 20 (trust me, this is a pretty great film). The film premiered to critical acclaim at a number of film festivals and won the Special Jury Award for Exceptional Artistic Achievement at the CineVegas Film Festival. Please see reverse for screening times and visit www.godspeedthefilm.com for more information.
Charlie Shepard (Joseph McKelheer, The Violent Kind, The Hamiltons) is a modern day faith healer, a man who claims that if you let go and believe, then his power to heal is very real indeed. Living with his young son and wife, Charlie ekes out a meager living from his “healing” sessions in a small Alaskan town. With his marriage failing, and an old drinking habit coming back to haunt him, his family is brutally murdered by unknown assailants. Six months later, Charlie has abandoned his former life and the house his family lived in. Even local fish and game man Mitch (veteran actor Ed Lauter, Seabiscuit) can’t seem to break through Charlie’s desolation. Then, a young, mysterious girl named Sarah (Courtney Halverson) appears in town, and seeks out Charlie. It’s here on Charlie’s journey to Sarah’s remote home, buried deep in the Alaskan wilderness, where he must eventually confront Sarah’s troubled brother Luke (Cory Knauf, The Violent Kind, The Hamiltons) — a dark journey that will ultimately reveal the truth of his family’s killings and lead to tragic, violent consequences for all.
With Godspeed, Saitzyk says that he was “most inspired by the challenge to make a film shot entirely on location in Alaska.” Working with both Joseph McKelheer and Cory Knauf who starred in the Butcher Brothers’ 2010 Sundance film The Violent Kind and The Hamiltons, Saitzyk crafted a film that he describes as “both an intense, dramatic thriller set in the lingering light of the Alaskan midnight sun and also a film that questions the nature of healing, compassion and retribution.”
Shot in and around Anchorage and Wasilla, Alaska, Godspeed was directed and edited by Robert Saitzyk and produced by Houston King and John Flanagan. The screenplay is by Cory Knauf and Robert Saitzyk and the story is by Knauf and Joseph McKelheer. Saitzyk’s previous films include After the Flood and White of Winter, which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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