Press Press Press

The Ithaca Times just ran a cute little story about us.
Check it out!

When Ithaca College student filmmakers Zia Anger, Ashley Connor and Billy Feldman set out to capture the tender portrait of a young boy who wants to become a vampire last March, they couldn't have anticipated how far the quirky, touching, and at times disturbing short film would take them. But, last week, against the odds, the trio's heartfelt and genuine effort was awarded first prize in the student film category at of the little known yet highly respected Rhode Island International Film Festival. But the award represents much more than just a prize for Anger (the film's director), Connor (the film's directory of photography) and Feldman (the script's bard)-it stands as a testament to months of stress, frustration and unconditional commitment to a project that each collaborator truly believed in. In that sense, the real vindication for their efforts is the film itself, not the award it won them.
Loverboy represents the product of three aspiring filmmakers at their best. It has the aesthetic of a theatrical studio release (thanks to a grant from Panavision), and the casual, natural elements of an art-house film. In Loverboy, each piece works seamlessly into the next. And films like these, where everything just works, aren't made without sacrifices, especially when they're being made by students with empty pockets and limited time. "I missed Christmas with my family in California so we could all work on the Panavision grant application over winter break," says Connor. "I had a 45 pound camera on my shoulder for most of the shoot, so yes, I yelled a couple of times and shed a few drops of blood. But," she jokes, "the blood was really only to pacify the vampires."
"I was so stressed out that I got strep throat (while editing)," says Feldman. "I remember lying on my mattress during the really hot week in may. I couldn't get up. I slept almost three weeks straight and I kept thinking the movie was not going to get done before the final screening."
But the film did eventually get finished, on time, and premiered as an Ithaca College thesis screening, where it was received to some of the highest accolades in the school's illustrious recent memory. It was after this generous reception that the trio decided to take the film on the road.
A film that calls itself Loverboy and focuses on a disillusioned lad with a passion for sucking blood is not your typical student-film fodder. But the combination of Feldman's eerie script, Anger's effortless direction and Connor's haunting camerawork won over the hearts of audiences in Rhode Island with a unique blend of elements that transcends the posturing, immaturity and indulgence that often marks student work.
"I was speaking to another filmmaker who said our film escaped the tropes that so many student films fall into," says Feldman. "You know, being pretentious, confusing, or too long. I said, 'are you sure we're talking about the right movie?' Just kidding. I thanked him. The conversation with that guy actually made the festival for me."
Of course it didn't hurt to have some pretty impressive acting talent on board.
Jax Grey, a local boy who plays the part of vampire wannabe Myles, takes what could have turned into a comical role, and creates a portrait of a conflicted young man who we want both to run from and to hold-to scream at and to nurse back to health.
"The part of Myles was written with Jax Gray in mind," says Feldman. "He's one of the most brilliant people I've ever met. He has a dark side, or I think it's more accurate to call a sagaciously cynical side. He's like a 900 year old trapped in a nine-year-old body."
Enthusiasm for Grey's brilliance is a unanimous sentiment among the group.
"The day I met him he performed a Queen song and a song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show for Zia and I." Says Connor. "That's when my eyes were opened to the fantasy rock child that is Jax Grey."
Myles' mother, is played with equal brilliance by Lynn Sher, a New York City based actress the crew contracted under the advantageous climate of last winter's acting strike. Her rendition of the film's eponymous title song, Queen's "Loverboy", is as unnerving, heartbreaking and harrowing a moment as you'll find in a short film.
All of these elements work to create a truly unique and enthralling experience. But even so, no one ever expects to win in a student film category; the independent, unrestrictive climate encourages an eclectic variety that leaves the group way to wide open for that. So despite the group's confidence in their picture, the win came as quite the surprise, which made for a rather impromptu and awkward set of acceptance speeches.
"Accepting the award was funny," says Feldman. "Zia had the microphone first and said, 'I just want to thank everyone, because before this festival the most exciting thing to happen to me was falling off my bike.' Then I took the microphone and said 'I just want to thank everyone, because before this festival the most exciting thing to happen to me was watching Zia fall off her bike. It was also funny because no one laughed...Ashley didn't say anything."
"I'm pretty sure I looked embarrassed," responds Connor, "sweaty and red. I'm behind the camera for a reason. When the mic was passed my way, I kindly made it clear that no words were escaping from my lips."
After the film's initial success, the group plans on shopping it around elsewhere, seeing if there's any magic left to be squeezed out of the thing-wringing it for all its worth in this precarious world of art.
Connor, who has another year left of school says she sees herself "living in her parents' nonexistent basement in five or 10 years," while Feldman plans on moving to Brooklyn where he figures he'll struggle just to make ends meet.
"We are submitting to Ann arbor, Boulder, Upstate New York, and more festivals if we can get some money. Give us money!" he says. "I mean yeah... it's hard just graduating."


Don't we sound like a bunch of fun loving filmmakers..
-Billy