Filmmaker of the Week by To Tony Productions

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Sasha Sibley and Graham Jenkins, the director and lead actor respectively from the film The Box as they discuss the struggles of making a first time indie feature film and the amazing lessons they have learned as they move forward in their careers.

About Graham Jenkins:

Raised in Washington D.C. Graham started acting and writing in high school. He went on to get his degree in Chicago before moving further west to L.A. He has been a lifelong martial artist and continues to train in his spare time.

Follow Graham on Instagram

About Sasha Sibley:

Sasha Sibley is a 23 year-old filmmaker based in Los Angeles, whose work has screened in numerous film competitions and festivals including Sitges, BIFFF, Beverly Hills, Hard:Line, Dances With Films and NFFTY. Sibley graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2020 with a BFA in Film Production & Screenwriting, and was distinguished with a Gold Lion Award for Best Undergraduate Thesis Film. His debut feature, The Box received distribution in 2021 through Midnight Releasing, with streaming on numerous VOD platforms including Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, & DirecTV.

Follow Sasha on Instagram

For more on The Box you can head to the official website for the film here.

Stay up to date with To Tony Productions and we'll see you next week.

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with French filmmaker Julie Rohart as she discusses her work with Marvel, Disney, and her latest short film Here Comes the Wolf.

About Julie:

Julie Rohart is a female writer and director based in Paris working worldwide. Her latest work includes a full Multi Cam Film of the Disney musical show The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands screening at the Walt Disney Studios Park studio theater for 3 months. She recently directed her first two short films Under my shell and Here comes the Wolf who already won 8 awards and have 15 official selections around the globe.

Her work on OZLO «All I Had » music video was awarded as BEST DIRECTOR at the Underground International Music Video Festival, Best Music Video at the Reale Festival and selected in the official selection at the last Mallorca Evolution Film Festival. 

She was 2003’s valedictorian at EFAP School where she graduated of a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts and Communication. She has strong skills in cinematography, using natural lights to create intimate imagery that highlights the actors’ reactions. 

Her professional background includes experience as production stage manager and director’s assistant with Glenn Casale, Julie Taymor, Franco Dragone, Sam Mendes, Roman Polanski on several Broadway shows adaptations in Paris: The Lion King, Cabaret, Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Sister Act, etc. 

In 2013, Julie naturally transitioned into writing her own scenarios and directing films. She soon collaborated from Paris, London, Los Angeles, New York and Montréal with brands and talents such as: Disney, Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marvel, Robin Wright (Omaze), Sony Music, Vantage Productions, Stage Entertainement, etc.

You can find Julie online at her Instagram as well as Website.

Thanks as always for listening and be sure to stay connected with To Tony Productions for all the latest on the show and film reviews.

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with London based producer Jean-Philippe Le Coq who talks about his upcoming film Forever 27 and the struggles that come with balancing career goals, family, and making a passion project come to life.

About Forever 27:

Inspired by the life of the 27 club members but also every troubled artist in the history of music Forever 27 explores the influence of media, fame and the music business on the tragic end of these famous young artists.

To contribute to the film's crowdfunding campaign click here.

To follow online: Instagram, Twitter and Website.

As always thank you for listening and be sure to connect with To Tony Productions!

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Joe Badon, the visionary filmmaker behind Sister Tempest and The God Inside My Ear, as we discuss his film and art inspirations, as well as his latest work The Wheel of Heaven:

Joe Badon is a filmmaker, illustrator and musician from New Orleans, Louisiana. He's written and directed two feature films: Sister Tempest (2020) and The God Inside My Ear (2018). He's illustrated storyboards for a number of films including Keanu (2016) and Desiree (2015). Joe has also written and illustrated a number of comic books including Terra Kaiju and The Man with Ten Thousand Eyes. His latest film The Wheel of Heaven is currently seeking funding through Kickstarter. 

You can follow Joe online over on his Facebook, Website, Instagram, and Sister Tempest website.

His Kickstarter campaign for The Wheel of Heaven is live now and can be found here.

Don't forget to follow To Tony Productions online for daily updates on the blog and Instagram.

As always thank you for listening and Cheers!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with writer/director/producer Jacob Cooney about what it means to get your film made, navigating family life as a filmmaker, and the happy accidents that help shape a career toward success.

About Jacob:

An award-winning filmmaker, Jacob most recently directed the feature film BLOOD CIRCUS, which was released by Gravitas Ventures. Along with “Blood Circus”, Jacob also directed the feature films PITCHING TENTS for Meritage Pictures, which was released theatrically in 2017, and THE ASSAULT for Grindstone Entertainment/Lionsgate.

Writing credits include the films THE BOOK OF ALAN for Pantheon Entertainment, THE BANISHING for Haven Entertainment, ISLE OF THE DEAD for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, APOCALYPSE POMPEII, AGE OF TOMORROW, FLIGHT 42, FLIGHT 666, and BITTEN for the SyFy Channel, BLUE LINE for Lionsgate Entertainment, ALPHA HOUSE for Broken Films, WANT for State Street Pictures, ILLUMINATING PRESTON for Zeeworks Entertainment, as well as the television pilot THE LAKES for Lionsgate Television.

You can find out more on Jacob through his Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Be sure to head over to To Tony Productions for more on our series as well as film reviews five days a week!

Thanks so much for listening and cheers!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Pauline Pelsy-Johann as we talk about navigating the film industry as a female filmmaker and the how life influences our stories in many enlightening ways.

About Pauline:

Born in the countryside in France (Seine-et-Marne region), she grew intermittently between Paris and an island in Brittany. Her parents are actors, theater directors and writer. She is a master level educated film student and has been teaching cinema for many years now. Over the course of her career she has produced several documentary and narrative films. Her most recent work entitled Over the Sky which was just completed in late 2020.

You can find out more about Pauline by visiting her Facebook, Website, and Instagram.

You can see more about Over the Sky here.

As always be sure to follow To Tony Productions for all the latest film reviews and interviews.

Cheers!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Andres Hernandez Covarrubias as he talks about his deep love for art of all kinds and navigating the world of filmmaking in modern day Mexico.

About Andres:

Director, screenwriter and editor. He was born in Xalapa, Veracruz. Graduated from the Escuela Veracruzana de Cine Luis Buñuel. He studied an editing post grade at the International School of Film and TV in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba (EICTV) and a screenplay workshop at the Film Training Center (CCC) in Mexico City.

He was part of the Mezcal Jury at the 31st Guadalajara International Film Festival (2016); he was also a jury for the youth award at the Bogotá International Film Festival (2018). His short films, ‘The Night is Young’ (2014), ‘Binary’ (2015), ‘The Pool” (2016) and ‘Doppelgänger, Inc. (2017) have been selected at both national and international festivals.). His most recent short film is Gratification (2020, multiple prize winner and nominated in many international film festivals).

You can find out more about Andres through: Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, IMDB, and MUBI.

Stay up to date on our blog and all things Filmmaker of the Week over at To Tony Productions!

Cheers and thanks for listening!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Elcid Asaei as he talks about his filmmaking career to date and how he has worked with consistency since 2010:

Elcid is an award-winning director and writer based in London. His films often range socially orientated, bold and thought-provoking subject matters across narrative and experimental formats.

Passionate about visual storytelling, Elcid followed an MA in Film Theory at UCL with a spell in journalism and photography, before making his filmmaking debut with the short documentary, 'Revolutionary Roads', which premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fest and won Current TV’s Short Cuts prize. Elcid has since created several visually striking shorts, from ‘PIRANHA’ to ‘UNSKIN’, with each project successively more ambitious.

In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 lockdowns, Elcid created a global arts community video diary for creatives to share their voices with each other, and ‘We Are Not Alone’, is shaping up to be a historical and cultural record of the crisis. Elcid also went on to write and direct ‘Lost for Words’, a dramedy short film inspired by and set during the pandemic, which has garnered a lot of positive publicity, with the latest mention in the renowned Cent Magazine.

You can find more on Elcid on Instagram - Personal Page, Productions Page, and Lost for Words Film.

For a breakdown of his web extensions click here.

Stay up to date on all things Filmmaker of the Week and beyond over at To Tony Productions!

Cheers and thanks for listening!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Oliver Rogers, as he discusses his process of indie filmmaking and producing a feature film with a budget of under $3,000:

Oliver is an independent film maker from the UK who made his first feature film at the age of 21 for just £2,000. 

He has worked with a variety of big and small people along the way including Paul Cooper and Lloyd Kaufman of Troma films.

 

You can find out more on Oliver over on his Website and IMDB.

 

Stay up to date on all things Filmmaker of the Week and beyond over at To Tony Productions!

 

Cheers and thanks for listening!

Daniel Hess

In this episode of Filmmaker of the Week we sit down with Alexander Vanegas Sus

After deciding to dedicate the rest of my life to filmmaking, I left my previous career in Italy behind and moved to the United Kingdom in 2016. Here, I began a degree in film studies at the University of Kent and In 2019, I graduated with first-class honours. The academic study of film helped me further my understanding of the medium as a whole. Thanks to this, I discovered a complete appreciation for all things film, from its history to filmmaking techniques, from market analysis to the comprehension of sales and distribution methods. My aim is to create new and exciting films that challenge our understanding of standard cinematic practices.

To follow Alexander online you can check out his Instagram, LinkedIn, and Website.

Stay up to date on all things Filmmaker of the Week and beyond over at To Tony Productions!

Thanks for listening and cheers!

Daniel Hess