Indie
Patrick Rea’s ‘I Am Lisa’ Gets Revenge as a Werewolf [Exclusive]
Filmmaker Patrick Rea (Arbor Demon, Belong to Us) is no stranger to the werewolf mythos. His wildly unique feature Nailbiter effectively brought together feelings of claustrophobia and lycanthropy and showed that Rea is an indie filmmaker to keep an eye on.
Recently, Feed the Queen LLC and the producers of the forthcoming feature-length film I Am Lisa announced the completion of principal photography on Rea’s newest werewolf tale, and we’ve got some exclusive pics to show you!
Penned by award-winning Kansas City Star columnist Eric Winkler, I Am Lisa is primed to bullseye the current female empowerment zeitgeist.
I Am Lisa is the story of a young woman who is assaulted by a corrupt sheriff and her goons. Left in the woods to die, Lisa is instead bitten by a werewolf. She begins to exact revenge on her attackers. Can she retain her humanity as she cedes more and more of herself to the wolf?
“I Am Lisa is an homage to every revenge movie I’ve ever seen,” says Winkler. “It was also heavily influenced by any movie that features a strong female protagonist, like Aliens, Kill Bill, and Day of the Dead.”
“A lot of werewolf movies revolve around the protagonist’s struggle with the loss of their humanity,” continued Winkler. “I wanted to give our hero a justifiable reason to give in to that loss of control.”
Director Rea mentions that “I had been wanting to make a revenge film for some time, and thought that the script for I Am Lisa offered a fresh take on the genre by adding the werewolf mythology.”
The film stars Tisch School of the Arts graduate and acting phenom Kristen Vaganos as Lisa.
“The character of Lisa was an attractive role for me because as a small female, I don’t often get to play physically empowered, strong and tough women,” said Vaganos. “I was definitely excited to get into the psyche of someone going through such a powerful, scary, and confusing transformation and then learning to utilize it for revenge.”
“Kristen knocked it out of the park,” said Winkler. “She added layers to the character I never even knew existed, and made her a strong, vibrant woman.”
James Dewees (My Chemical Romance, The Get Up Kids) is set to compose the musical score for Lisa.
The filmmakers wish to bring “Lisa” to audiences as quickly as possible. Editing has begun in earnest, with an intended release date in 2020. The film co-stars Carmen Anello (Exposure), Manon Halliburton (“The Sopranos”) and Chris Bylsma (The Kid).
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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