Rendezvous (2019 film)

Last updated
Rendezvous
Poster72dpi rendezvous.jpg
Film Poster
Directed bySeth Kozak
Written bySeth Kozak
Produced bySeth Kozak
StarringKatarina Morhacova, Chris Kerson, Mike Sutton, David Lago, Francis Jue
CinematographyMichael Cole
Edited byBob Kovacs
Music byAnthony Marsh
Release date
  • 19 November 2019 (2019-11-19)
Running time
15 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Rendezvous is an American suspense-thriller short film, written, directed, and produced by Seth Kozak. [1] The film follows the journey of Catalina Wright, played by Katarina Morhacova, as she encounters fatal arrangements made by her politician husband. [2]

Contents

The film was released on November 19, 2019. [3]

Plot

A New Hampshire Congressman attempts to clean-up his darker side in preparation for brighter opportunities in politics. Arrangements with a foreign specialist are made to off his much younger wife, while he is away on business. The scheme is suddenly threatened when she changes her weekend plans, opting to visit her mother in Maine. When icy road conditions limit her travel, she takes refuge in an historic inn. However, the instinct that pushed her toward safety may have betrayed her, as she suspects the inn's only other resident is a man hired to kill her. [4]

Cast

Production

Pre-production

The treatment for Rendezvous was developed while writer, Seth Kozak, was serving in Iraq in 2003. [5] [6] The screenplay for Rendezvous received multiple awards and nominations from film festivals (2013-2014), giving it traction to launch the production. The script received accolades from WorldFest Houston, the Beverly Hills Film Festival, The Indie Gathering, and the Bare Bones International Film Festival. [4] [7]

During the initial crowdfunding campaign, [8] the project gained the attention of IndieWire and was given the distinction of "Project of the Day." [4] Kozak teamed with Damian Veilleux and Michael Cole of Catharsis Pictures, a Waterville, Maine-based production company, while on a diplomatic assignment with the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. [8] [9]

Producers used the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. [10] The campaign achieved 162% of its funding goal. A total of 83 official backers endorsed the picture through the site. Notable backers include Kjell Lindgren, and Alex Vindman. [7]

Casting and filming

International actress and model, Katarina Morhacova, was offered the lead role after wrapping her performance in Claudia La Bianca's feature The Journey of a Dragonfly . Corbin Bernsen was originally attached to play the role of Congressman Zachary Wright. The role was eventually recast with Mike Sutton. [7] David Lago has a supporting role as a police officer. [4] [7] Chris Kerson was cast as the hitman. Francis Jue plays Chris, an executive butler-type.

Producers collaborated virtually between Romania and Maine to shoot the first half of the film during April 2014. [8] [9] After the initial shoot, Catharsis departed the project causing it to be shelved for three-and-a-half years. [5] [6] With a new team, Kozak was able to get cameras rolling again in the Fall of 2017. Locations in Stafford, Virginia and Villanova, Pennsylvania were used to shoot Lear Jet and mansion interiors. In November 2018, a three-day shooting schedule picked up the remaining shots in Maine and New Hampshire.

Post-production

Bob Kovacs edited the film in Annandale, Virginia. Special effects editing was worked by Daria Liubimova in Russia and Robert Pilko in Israel. LA-based colorist, Adrian DeLude, of Company 3, mastered the color grading. [4] [7]

Anthony Marsh of Production Station sound design services in Australia, developed the music score and conducted the film's sound design and sound editing. [11] [12] The soundtrack includes the song "Running Up That Hill", by the British alternative rock band Placebo. [2] Howard Pearl was a consultant on the film. [4] [7]

Reception

Critical response

Jolly Moel, of Screen Critix, gave Rendezvous 4/5 stars on the merits of its film noir classicism. [13] The film received an average reviews from other film critics. [14] [15] [2] [16] [17] [18] Film Threat called her performance "a highlight of the film," regarding it as the foundation that held the other performances together.

Rendezvous was an official selection to more than 25 international film festivals in eight countries. The film was selected to screen in the 53rd WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. IT was an official selection to the 21st Bare Bones International Film Festival, receiving a nomination for Best Short Romance. [19] [20] Lead actress Katarina Morhacova was recognized with multiple awards. [1]

Accolades

List of awards and award nominations
Festival/EventCategoryAwardResult
53rd WorldFest Houston International Film Festival Best Short Suspense-ThrillerPlatinum RemiWon
21st Bare Bones International Film Festival [20] Best Romance ShortGold MedalNominated
Pre-production awards and nominations
14th Beverly Hills Film Festival Best ScreenplayGolden Palm AwardNominated
15th Bare Bones International Film Festival Best Short ScreenplayBronze MedalWon
46th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival [21] Best Short ScreenplaySilver RemiWon

Official festival selections

Festival/EventCountry
21st Bare Bones International Film Festival [19] [20] Flag of the United States.svg USA
53rd WorldFest Houston International Film Festival [6] Flag of the United States.svg USA

Related Research Articles

The term independent animation refers to animated shorts, web series, and feature films produced outside a major national animation industry.

<i>Film Threat</i> American online film review publication

Film Threat is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André Seewood. In 1997, Film Threat was converted to a solely online resource.

Jamil Dehlavi is a London-based independent film director and producer of Pakistani-French origin. Since he became a filmmaker in the 1970s, his work has been widely screened internationally, notable films including Jinnah (1998), about the partition of India and the birth of Pakistan, which won the Grand Prize at the Festival of the Dhow Countries, Best International Film at the World Film Awards in Indonesia, the Gold Award at Worldfest Flagstaff, Best Foreign Film at Worldfest Houston, and was nominated for a Golden Pyramid at the Cairo International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Baker (filmmaker)</span> American director, producer and screenwriter (born 1971)

Sean Baker is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing independent feature films about the lives of marginalized people, especially immigrants and sex workers. His films include Take Out (2004), Starlet (2012), Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017), Red Rocket (2021), and Anora (2024), the last of which won him the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. He is also known for co-creating the Fox/IFC puppet sitcom Greg the Bunny (2002–2006) and its spin-offs.

ShortsTV is a worldwide network dedicated to short films. ShortsTV has over 13,000 titles in its catalog and has been a presenter of the Oscar Nominated Short Film releases since 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Carmichael (filmmaker)</span> American film director, writer, and animator

Emily Carmichael is an American film director, screenwriter, and animator. Her short films have screened in competition at Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Slamdance, and other US and International film festivals. Carmichael co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 science fiction sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising and the 2022 film Jurassic World: Dominion.

<i>The Babadook</i> 2014 horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent

The Babadook is a 2014 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her feature directorial debut, based on her 2005 short film Monster. Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear, the film follows a widowed single mother who with her son must confront a mysterious humanoid monster in their home.

Pamela B. Green is a two-time Emmy-nominated, award-winning American film director and producer known for her work in feature film titles and motion graphics. She is the director, writer, editor and producer of the documentary Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché. In 2020, she was awarded the Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year award at the FOCAL International awards for her work on Be Natural.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">April Phillips</span> Writer, producer, singer living in New Zealand

April Phillips is an actress, writer, singer, director and producer of film and theatre. She was born in Coventry, England, but resides in Wellington, New Zealand. Her production company, Godiva Productions Limited, was named after the Lady Godiva legend of her hometown of Coventry.

<i>Autumn Never Dies</i> 2020 British film

Autumn Never Dies is a 2020 short comedy film directed by Chris Quick. It stars Duncan Airlie James and Nicollete McKeown and is the sequel to 2012 short film The Greyness of Autumn. The film was written and produced by Andy S. McEwan and Chris Quick and released by Suited Caribou Media and Pentagram Productions UK.

Lawrie Brewster is a Scottish indie filmmaker, director and producer, known for his 2013 film Lord of Tears, which won the Audience Award at the 2013 Bram Stoker International Film Festival. He is also the director of Hex Media, a horror film production company that he runs with writer Sarah Daly, with whom he frequently collaborates, as well as technicians Michael Brewster and Tom Staunton.

<i>Always Shine</i> 2016 American film

Always Shine is a 2016 American psychological thriller film written by Lawrence Michael Levine and directed by Sophia Takal. The film stars Mackenzie Davis and Caitlin FitzGerald as two friends going for a weekend retreat to Big Sur. It also stars Levine, Alexander Koch and Jane Adams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachelle Henry</span> American actress and filmmaker

Rachelle Henry is an American actress and filmmaker. She played the role of Sandy Hobbs in the TLC series Escaping the Prophet and Lissa Golaski in Depth, the film prequel to the video game Soma, by Frictional Games. She is also known for directing and producing short films with social influence and coming of age themes, including Missing,Defining Moments, and Almost Boyfriends.

Dana Offenbach is American film and television producer and director. She is the founder of CinemaStreet Pictures, LLC. Her credits include feature films, TV, shorts, television commercials, awards show segments, public service announcements, interstitial programming, documentaries and music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival</span> Annual Film Festival held in Houston, Texas, United States

The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1968, is an annual film festival held annually in April in Houston, Texas. Notable festival alumni include John Lee Hancock, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side, as well as Steven Spielberg, Randal Kleiser, Ang Lee and David Winning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Kerson</span> American actor

Chris Kerson is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for his roles as Nails in True Detective and Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson in Gotti.

Matthew Puccini is an American filmmaker. He is known for his short films that deal with LGBT-related subject matters. These include The Mess He Made (2017), Marquise (2018), Dirty (2020) and Lavender (2019). His films have played at several festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs ShortsFest, and Outfest Los Angeles. His work has also been featured on Topic and The Huffington Post.

Jonathan Wysocki is an American writer, director and producer of independent films. He is known for his feature film Dramarama (2020), and for his award-winning short films A Doll's Eyes (2016) and Adjust-A-Dream (2014).

<i>Shelby Oaks</i> 2024 American film by Chris Stuckmann

Shelby Oaks is a 2024 American supernatural horror mystery film produced, written, and directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature directorial debut. It stars Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Charlie Talbert, and Emily Bennett. The film is also produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rendezvous | Film Threat". 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rendezvous Short Film Review". OC Movie Reviews. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  3. ↑ "Rendezvous". Kickstarter. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Indiewire; Indiewire (2014-01-28). "Project of the Day: 'Rendezvous'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  5. 1 2 "Rendezvous". Indiegogo. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  6. 1 2 3 reporter, Abby Tow, culture. "OU alumnus Seth Kozak discusses 'Rendezvous' ahead of debut in virtual Clean Shorts Film Festival". OU Daily. Retrieved 2020-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rendezvous". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  8. 1 2 3 "Lake Region Reader February 2014, page 13". Issuu. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  9. 1 2 McGinnins, Zach (February 5, 2014). "SIU Alum Kickstarts Script". The Daily Egyptian, Vol 98, Issue 15, pp. 1,4. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ Buck, Sharon (29 January 2014). "You Could Be in a Movie Here in Maine!". B98.5. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  11. ↑ "Silver Awards: August 2019". Independent Shorts Awards. 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  12. ↑ "Production Station Audio Post Production Newcastle". production-station. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  13. ↑ "Rendezvous (2019) short film review" . Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  14. ↑ "Rendezvous". 22 INDIE STREET. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  15. ↑ "Rendezvous". IndyRed. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  16. ↑ "Rendezvous (2019) short film review" . Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  17. ↑ Olson, Chris (2019-12-23). "Rendezvous short film review | Movie Reviews UK". UK Film Review. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  18. ↑ "Short Film Review: Rendezvous: An Engaging Thriller That Subverts The Crime Genre - Indie Shorts Mag" . Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  19. 1 2 "2020 OFFICIAL SCREENINGS". www.barebonesfilmfestival.org. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  20. 1 2 3 "SHORT MOVIES UNDER 30 min". barebonesfilmfest00.tripod.com. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  21. ↑ "2015 Remi Winners – Worldfest-Houston". worldfest.org. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.