Warner Bros. Emerging Film Directors Workshop Highlights Work of Its Inaugural Class in Short Film Festival
The films and filmmakers and films include:
“Urban Myth: Nest” by Kristin Burke: A young mother discovers a homeless woman is nesting in her house in this horror short.
Burke has worked as a movie costume designer for 25 years, working on such movies as New Line Cinema’s “The Conjuring.” She has written, directed, edited and produced three original short films.
“Good Morning” by Elaine Mongeon: A young woman cares for her ailing father amidst a zombie infested world.
Mongeon was an associate producer on the Amazon Studios series “Red Oaks” and the Warner Bros. Pictures release “Magic Mike XXL.” She has worked with director/producer/writer Gregory Jacobs, director/executive producer Alex Graves, and producer Arnold Kopelson on various films and television series.
“Luna” by Xu Zhang: A drama set in an upscale Shanghai brothel, where a famed prostitute/undercover Communist spy plays a dangerous gambling game with an unexpected guest—a secret assassin and undercover Communist posing as an official with the government.
Zhang earned her MFA in Film & TV Production at University of Southern California, during which time she worked on more than 20 short films, directing several of them.
“Sensum” by Alexis Korycinski: A husband with a secret penchant for S&M who gets into a car accident and undergoes an experimental new procedure that lets him control his pain level.
Korycinski spent her first few years after college producing documentaries and directed her own in 2011. She has also directed and produced three original narrative short films.
“Resurrect” by Justin Floyd: A film director gruelingly pushes a washed-up actress to her physical and mental breaking point to get the best performance of her career in this neo-noir short.
Floyd is a graduate of Fullerton College and participated in the Inner City Filmmakers program (ICF) and the Sundance Film Festival Ignite Fellowship.
“Each of these films and the talented directors behind them is unique, thoughtful and provocative,” said Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “The level of creativity and dedication brought by Justin, Kristin, Xu, Elaine and Alexis is awesome, and we’re excited for them to continue honing their craft and telling great stories. I’m proud that Warner Bros. is helping to give voice to the next generation of filmmakers through our Film Directors Workshop.”
Announced in March 2016, the Emerging Film Directors Workshop provides aspiring directors the ultimate opportunity to showcase their work to the film community. There were over 5,000 applicants to the Emerging Film Directors Workshop, with each applicant submitting their idea for a short film. After an intensive review process, these five candidates were selected.
More information on the program can be found at http://filmworkshop.warnerbros.com/ .