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The Next Page
TYPE: Narrative Feature
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
A father and son cope with pediatric cancer, reconcile with their past trauma and build a new future.
SYNOPSIS
"The Next Page" is about a boy cancer stuggling to survive and his father's struggle to fulfill his son's only wish. It tests the bond between a father and a son who wants to have a relationship with his mother, who abandoned him as a toddler, to the dismay of his father.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
While the film aims to express the difficulty and courage required to deal with life-threatening illness, it also seeks to explore the dynamic of a father-son relationship that remains traumatized by the abandonment by the mother. It hopes to present a coming-of-age story for both the father and son as they deal with factors that they often cannot control.
KEY CREW
Francisco Salazar - Director/ Writer
Francisco Salazar has directed a number of short films, including "Adrift," “Messenger” and “Conciliation.” The films were selected into various film festivals including the Long Island International Film Expo, the Sunscreen Film Festival, Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival and Big Apple Film Festival. He has also worked as a producer of a number of shorts, including “Last Game” which was selected at the Asians On Film Festival, New York City Filmmakers Film Festival and International Festival of Manhattan. He also recently produced the short film “Late Text,” which had its world premiere at the Indie Spirit FIlm Festival.
He has also worked extensively as an Assistant Director and most recently he worked on the award winning short film "Mother of the Week" starring Emmy Winner Jennifer Jiles. He also worked on the feature film “Spell” starring Novella Nelson (“The Devil’s Advocate” 1997) and produced by Patrick Cunningham (“Martha Marcy May Marlene,” 2011).
Francisco has also worked with distribution under the companies: FilmBuff and Latin Post. Francisco holds a Masters in Media Managment and Studies at the New School and a BA in Film Production/Studies with a Minor in Italian at Hofstra University. “THE NEXT PAGE” marks Francisco’s feature debut as writer/director.
David Salazar - Director/ Writer
David Salazar, Director/Producer, “The Next Page”, has directed several short films with his brother including “Conciliation,” "Adrift" and “Messenger.” These films have went on to screen at the Long Island International Film Expo, the Sunscreen Film Festival, Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival and Big Apple Film Festival. David has also worked as producer on “Last Game,” “Late Text,” and “Closing In.” He recently served as Director of Photography on the short film "Infinite."
In addition to his work as a director and producer, David has also worked in a number of capacities in the film industry including Production Manager on the feature film “Spell.” He edited the documentary "Buffalo Nation: The Children are Crying," which was recipient of the Best Documentary Award at the Long Island Film Expo. He is currently working on the upcoming documentary feature "The Life and Art of Matt Sesow."
Additionally, he has worked as a Camera Assistant for Verizon, and MasterCard. He also worked as Digital Imaging Technician for the program “Critical Debrief” featuring renowned American attorney Kenneth Feinberg.
David has also worked extensively with an upstart Theater Company Shades of Grey as violinist and performed the New York premieres to “Peace/Piece of Mind” and “Sterntaler.” David holds a Masters at the Fordham University in Media Management and a BA in Film Production/Studies and Journalism at Hofstra University. He currently works with Latin post as feature reporter and producer of the web series' Sport Domination and Reel Salazar. “THE NEXT PAGE” marks his feature debut as a Writer/Director.
Janice Villarosa - Producer
JANICE VILLAROSA (Director/Producer), born in the Philippines, is a dual citizen of the Philippines and the USA. She currently spends her time between the two countries.
Janice is a versatile filmmaker who has produced and directed numerous films including her recent “Shunned.” The acclaimed documentary has went on to win Best Documentary at the Long Island International Film Expo and Laughlin International Film Festival. It also won the Spirit of Independent Award at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and won the Van Gogh: World Cinema Documentary Feature at Amsterdam Film Festival. At the Canada International Film Festival it won the Award of Excellence and was also nominated for Best Documentary. It has also been nominated for the Jury Award at Kansas International Film Festival and Halekulani Golden Orchid Award at Hawaii International Film Festival. The film made its world premiere at the Toruno Gay and Lesbian Film festival and was the opening night film for the Cebu International Documentary Film Festival. The film has been selected to over 16 international film festivals.
Janice has also directed: “Pagtuo (Faith),” “Deep Water” and produced “Aether,” “Please,” “My Friend Charlie Whight”, and “A Day in the Country”. These films went to various international film including where “My Friend Charlie Whight” won ‘Best Jury Award’ at Long Island International Film Expo and was an official selection at Dam Short Film Festival. “A Day in the Country” won Ron Howard’s Canon Imagination Contest and premiered along films directed by Eva Longoria and Jamie Foxx. Her recent short film, “Heaven’s Door”, dealing with sexual discrimination and domestic violence, received a ‘Certificate of Award of Merit from Lucerne International Film Festival.’
Donna McKenna - Casting Director
DONNA MCKENNA, CSA, is an established international casting director and producer who is well known for discovering unique new talent as well as recognizing the seasoned professional who has the desire to take risks and play against type.
Donna holds a seat on the board of the Nassau County Film and Television Foundation and the Suffolk County Film Commission. She is frequently invited to host audition/film workshops for the SAG-AFTRA NYCAP programs and teaches at many acting schools worldwide. In 2013 she was invited to teach a workshop at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and is currently in the process of becoming a member of the Casting Society of America.
She has cast over 25 independent feature films, 9 short films and 4 web series. Some of her films have been invited to screen at renowned film festivals including the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival. Her recent film "Trust Me, I’m a Lifeguard" premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Recently she cast and produced the film "Leaves of the Trees" which stars Academy Award Nominee Eric Roberts, Emmy Award Winner Armand Assante, Sean Young and Federico Castelluccio and was filmed on location in Sicily. Academy Award Nominees Eric Roberts and Cathy Moriarty star in her film "A Cry From Within" which was recently acquired by Breaking Glass Entertainment and is slated for release in March. She also cast the dramedy Excuse Me for Living which stars Emmy Award Nominee Jerry Stiller, 3 time Emmy Award Winner Dick Cavett, 2 time Emmy Award Winners Christopher Lloyd and Tom Pelphrey. The film was released by Dada films.
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ACCOLADES
UPDATE - June 16, 2015
We have begun Casting The Film with Auditions Running Through July
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