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ZULY NO LIMITS
TYPE: Documentary
GENRE: Documentary
STATUS: Production
LOGLINE
No Arms-No Legs-No Limits! Her life seemed over before it even began, when bullying and sexual abuse screamed for suicide. What one remarkable woman can teach us all about the alchemy of adversity, despair, and compassion.
SYNOPSIS
Born without limbs into crushing poverty, Colombian artist Zuly Sanguino began painting by the age of four. She endured some of the worst circumstances imaginable. Ostracized socially, she suffered severe bullying and sexual abuse, which led her to the brink of suicide. A fateful invitation from a pastor to speak publicly changed her course forever. Zuly No Limits is a story of transformation from abused, desperate teen to remarkable artist & speaker. It will explore the issues of childhood bullying, sexual abuse, disabilities, social exclusion, & the life-changing impacts of empathy.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Zuly continues to develop her painting talent as well as her gift of speaking - inspiring and lifting groups she addresses with her encouraging words. We aim to take her moving story to the worldwide audience it deserves, and create future opportunities for her in the process. Using cinéma vérité, we will explore Zuly’s life story including through the use of re-enactments, interviews, and locational immersion. Part of the film will be on location in Colombia and the viewer eventually will experience her advances in the artistic realm visa vis collaborations with famous artists, and exhibits for Zuly and other artist family members at major museums and galleries in California, Hawaii, Florida, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, New York and Detroit. In all of these locations we have established opportunities for exhibits and/or speaking events. In the finished film we will experience Zuly’s No Limits lifestyle through her personal interactions with the artistic and motivational communities throughout her travels to the various locations. The feel of the film will transverse a spectrum, beginning with the dire circumstances of her early life and moving into Zuly’s present day overcoming and triumph.
KEY CREW
BRENT OWENS - Director/Co-Producer
Brent Owens has been in the Motion Picture industry for over thirty years. He has worked in key capacities as Producer, Writer and Director. Mr. Owens’ film credits include seven broadcast specials which were featured on HBO's award-winning, top-rated series America Undercover He wrote, produced and directed these specials in their entirety. Mr. Owens also produced and directed The Bronx: A Cry for Help, an award-winning documentary aired on PBS (public television) in the United States and on several international stations, including Channel 4 in London. It placed first in the Black International Cinema Film Awards in Berlin, 1991.
SAM POLLARD - Co-Producer
Sam Pollard is an accomplished feature film and television Producer, Director, and Editor whose work spans over thirty years. Mr. Pollard co-produced Four Little Girls, a feature-length documentary about the 1963 Birmingham church bombings which was nominated for an Academy Award. He edited a number of Spike Lee's films including Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Girl 6, Clockers, and Bamboozled. Mr. Pollard worked alongside Spike Lee co-producing a number of documentaries for both the small and big screen. These include Spike Lee Presents Mike Tyson, a biographical sketch for HBO, and When the Levees Broke- a four part documentary about New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina that won multiple prestigious awards. Mr. Pollard has won six Emmys and four Peabody Awards to date.
RAY HOLLOWELL - Co-Producer
Ray Hollowell began his career in video in 1982. His content has been viewed on major networks worldwide. In 2009, Mr. Hollowell founded PlanSEA.org (now Sea Inspiration), a 501c3 non-profit video production company based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Through Sea Inspiration, his goal is to create television programming to educate and encourage young people and their families to be good stewards of the marine environment. The Sea Inspiration team facilitates ocean adventures for Make-A-Wish Foundation children and wounded U.S. military service members, demonstrating how the ocean can have a healing, therapeutic effect on all people, despite their age or ability.
WILLIAM KIDSTON - Associate Producer
William Kidston is an award winning photographer and three time Los Angeles Emmy recipient for his roles as Television Cameraman & Filmmaker. With over 30 years’ experience, Mr. Kidston’s credentials have continued to expand and include covering the Academy Awards, Emmys, Grammys, Women in Film, and Nights of 100 Stars. Celebrities like Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep and other notable individuals have not escaped his lens.
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