LOVERS GOES INDUSTRY 2023
THE QUEER ACTOR
ORIGINAL TITLE: The Queer Actor (working title)
DIRECTOR: Mark Blane PRODUCTION COMPANY: Pulsar Studios (Portugal) PRODUCERS: Dinis Henriques, Mark Blane + Liff Creative (Portugal), Luís Nunes CO-PRODUCERS: Seeking European Co-Producers COUNTRY: Portugal/USA RUNNING TIME: 90’ GENRE: Thriller, Horror, Dramedy STATUS OF THE PROJECT: - Late Development - Summer/Fall 2023: Location scouting, some castings, and meetings took place on location in Portugal with director in-person. - Attached cast: Nadia Mohebban (Iran/USA), Anilson Eugenio (Angola/Portugal), Paula Guedes (Portugal/Germany), and Mark Blane (USA) - In Talks with A-List American Casting Directors Goals at Lovers Goes Industry: To meet co-producers/production companies and secure financing from European companies, investors or EP's. DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY - Passing Through (USA, 72’, 2023) - Digital - Producer - Assassino Americano Amnésico (Portugal, 28’, 2023) - Ghost Bike (USA, 20’, 2021) - Little Voice (USA, TV Series, 2020) - 6 Episodes - Actor, AppleTV+ (EPed JJ Abrams) - Cubby (USA/Portugal, 85’, 2019) - The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson (105, 2017) - Co-Writer, Producer / Distributed by Netflix ONE-SENTENCE SYNOPSIS Recently traumatized by a violent incident on a New York sitcom set, American actor Lou Karagiannis journeys to Portugal to shoot a buzzy historical drama at a Portuguese palace in the mountains with a crew of local villagers, a British pop star, and a disgraced American auteur director all plunging into the hellscape of indie filmmaking haunted by a mysterious ancient entity. SYNOPSIS On a New York television backlot, Lou Karagiannis, a comedic actor, finds himself in a clandestine affair with a crew member on the set of a popular streaming multi-camera sitcom. Fate takes an unexpected twist when his agent delivers a career-changing offer: a leading role alongside a British pop star in a riveting gay historical drama set in the enigmatic landscapes of Europe. But before he departs, Lou is traumatized by witnessing his colleague's gruesome death. Days later, he finds himself en route to Portugal, entangled in the complexities of both tragedy and fortune. Amidst the echoes of death, our protagonist must confront his inner demons while delving into the pretentiousness of his Cannes award-winning director—a weathered Texan curmudgeon, once erased by the industry, now welcomed back to direct a queer love story. Other key players include Nasrin, the director's Iranian assistant, Diogo, a young local turned actors' liaison and chauffeur, Baekhyun, the fame-obsessed Gen Z South Korean producer, and Ana, the butch American who owns the Portuguese palace and estate they are filming on. Within the folds of a Portuguese village, a tapestry of internationals gathers to breathe life into a cinematic retelling of two ill-fated lovers ensnared in the aftermath of the Holocaust. These tormented men, once freed from concentration camps, were condemned anew to prisons, bearing the weight of unfathomable sentences. As Lou immerses himself in this haunting narrative with his eccentric co-star, reality blurs, and his sanity teeters on the edge. With the mystique of a film shrouded in inexplicable funding, Lou grapples with an unraveling psyche when the American news cycle catches hold of the chilling details of his colleague's death. Desperately clinging to the reins of a career meticulously cultivated over a lifetime, this queer actor struggles to assert control. A relentless public inquiry into the death of his colleague inches closer, casting suspicions on him. Full on panic reaches the Portuguese set when a body is found on the property and pop star/co-lead Dash Cloud invites his agent and style team from London to be with him. In this thrilling tale of deception, paranoia, and cinema production, Lou must investigate a haunting ancient curse all while confronting the shadows that lurk within his own soul. Will he emerge unscathed, or succumb to the anxiety that threatens to consume him? DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT It's been rejuvenating having come out of an immersive summer in Portugal scouting locations and meeting with production companies and actors during my latest rewriting phase. Originally hailing from the midwest (not far from Chicago), I am the middle child of parents who own a 90-year-old camera repair shop. I grew up stocking shelves with rolls of film while obsessing over DVD and VHS special features like deleted scenes and director's commentary. I exercised my storytelling skills by writing and producing my own plays in my family's tornado shelter, casting my brother and sister, and myself in the lead role, obviously. Influenced by my own struggles in the industry as an actor and filmmaker, this movie (tentatively called The Queer Actor) delves into the emotional turmoil and psychological torture of a gay actor cast in a historical drama alongside a Harry Styles-esque co-star. To make any movie, we are haunted at every corner by the crippling realities of capitalism, sex appeal, and mainstream trends. In a landscape where queer stories often face hurdles, my screenplay explores the scary depths of acceptance and validation in Hollywood, infused with ancient imagery and historical persecution themes. The cast is international and diverse, clashing when it comes to class and religion. What if Ruben Östlund shot a commentary of class and sexuality on the set of Call Me By Your Name with a little bit of Get Out drizzled on top. That's my sophomore feature. Okay...throw in some Blair Witch too. My connection to Portugal dates back to a transformative semester abroad and then years later connecting with producers and sound artists who would end up co-producing my first feature, a dark comedy shot on 16mm in Brooklyn, where I've been living for the last 10+ years. With that studio's support (including a wonderful post production phase in person at their brick and mortar location outside Porto), my debut feature Cubby (2019) found great success at European festivals, paving the way for this new venture. We premiered to charmed audiences in Torino and then went on to play the First Feature Competition at Brighton International Film Festival as well as a packed screening at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto where I was shortlisted for the Innovation Award. Festival selections followed in Stockholm, Madrid, Lecce, Bologna, Cardiff, Dublin, Barcelona, Amsterdam and more signifying that my work had a European edge and captive audience. New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco embraced the film too through major festival runs. My little movie had a publicity tour and wide reach that went above and beyond anything I could have expected even having a North American theatrical run in NY and LA. While this new film is so different, the DNA is similar. Ensemble cast with a grimy and odd texture. Grounded in naturalism with horror elements, it's a departure from my dialogue heavy cringe comedy. Through 'The Queer Actor,' I aim to challenge industry norms, telling a powerful story of identity and acceptance in the world of cinema. DIRECTOR’S BIO Mark Blane is a Brooklyn-based director, actor, and screenwriter from Indiana. He is most known for his 16mm feature film debut CUBBY (2019), which had its World Premiere In Competition at Torino LGBTQI. CUBBY, which played sold out screenings at NewFest (New York Centerpiece), Outfest, Frameline, and TIFF Inside Out, starred Golden Globe/Emmy nominee Patricia Richardson alongside Mark in the lead role. Susan Stover (producer of HIGH ART and WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE) called it a "fierce writer-director debut” and Jonathan Caouette (Cannes Queer Palm and Golden Camera nominee) said Mark's performance was "kaleidoscopic and engrossing" naming him a "next generation wunderkind filmmaker." Mark's films have been funded in part by Kodak, Leslie Lohman Museum for Lesbian & Gay Art, Gotham Narrative Lab, Bay Area Video Coalition, and Brooklyn Arts Council. His work has been reviewed by the LA Times, New York Times, IndieWire, Irish Times, FilmThreat and more. Mark co-wrote and produced the Netflix Original THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON directed by Academy Award nominee David France. Mark's other writing and directing credits include: GHOST BIKE (LA's Pan African Film Festival 2021) starring Tamara Tunie, and Portuguese short ASSASSINO AMERICANO AMNÉSICO (World Premiere in Shorts Competition at Torino LGBTQI 2023) starring Paula Guedes. As an actor, Mark can be seen in 6 episodes of the JJ Abrams produced AppleTV+ show LITTLE VOICE, directed by Jessie Nelson (I AM SAM) and Chris Storer (THE BEAR). Most recently, Mark produced Mike Doyle's second feature film, PASSING THROUGH, starring Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan. Mark's second feature film, a dramatic thriller currently in development, will be entirely shot in Portugal in 2024. Mark is repped by Tyler Kahl at Allegory, and Nelson Paredez at The ESI Network. He is a proud member of The Producer's Union and SAG-AFTRA. PRODUCER’S BIO Dinis Henriques is a sound designer and producer based in Porto, Portugal. He is co-owner of the sound studio and production company Pulsar Studios alongside Tiago Cardoso. With over 100 credits, standouts include Co-Producing HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION (TIFF, Cairo, Hamptons, and Silver Pardino winner at Locarno), WE ARE THANKFUL aka SIYABONGA (Slamdance, Locarno), A NOSSA TERRA, O NOSSO ALTAR (over 15 festival awards), and CUBBY (Chlotrudis 2020 Winner of the Buried Treasure Award). PRODUCTION COMPANY Pulsar Studios (Portugal) |