World Premiere of “MEDIATION” at NewFilmakers LA - January 11, 2014
AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER
FRANCISCO LORITE
AND PARTNERS
FREDDY RODRIGUEZ & BILL WINETT
ANNOUNCE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF
BRAND NEW FILM/TV PRODUCTION COMPANY
TOP REBEL PRODUCTIONS
WITH WORLD PREMIERE OF
“MEDIATION”
AT NEWFILMMAKERS LA
Los Angeles, CA - Award-winning filmmaker Francisco Lorite has teamed up with partners Freddy Rodriguez and Bill Winett to create Top Rebel Productions, a brand new Los Angeles based film/TV production company that will world-premiere its first project, the short feature “Mediation” at the upcoming NewFilmmakers LA Film Festival on January 11, 2014 at the AT&T Center, the presenting venue, in downtown Los Angeles.
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) is a non-profit organization, that began over ten years ago in New York at the famous Anthology Film Archives, designed to showcase innovative works by emerging filmmakers from around the world. The fest provides the Los Angeles community of entertainment professionals and film goers with a constant surge of monthly screening program rich with selective documentaries, short and feature films delivered from the next generation of filmmakers. Many well known films have debuted and been discovered at NewFilmmakers including Too Much Sleep, Zero Day, & Blair Witch Project.
“Mediation” tells the story of a divorce mediation that spirals completely out of control for a husband (Freddy Rodriguez), his soon-to-be ex-wife (Marley Shelton) and their court-appointed mediator (Marilyn Sanabria). The short, written and directed by Lorite, and starring Freddy Rodriguez (“Six Feet Under”), Marley Shelton (“Mad Man”, “Scream 4”) and Marilyn Sanabria (“Between”), will also screen in New York a month later, on February 11, as part of the NY edition of NewFilmmakers.
“Mediation” is the first project coming out of the Top Rebel Productions stable. It presents and sets the creative tone for the company’s overall production direction focusing on dark films & TV series including crime dramas and thrillers.
Top Rebel Productions is the brainchild of Francisco Lorite, Freddy Rodriguez and producer Bill Winett who have joined forces together around their desire and passion to tell stories they care about on their own terms, and inspire audiences. The trio is already at work, developing a slate of film and TV projects for 2014 and beyond.
The no-budget piece ended up screening over 150 times in the US alone and got sold for broadcast. It also won five awards -including the prestigious Imagen Award for Best Theatrical Short, “Best Cine Latino” at the DC Film Festival, “Best Edited Short” at the 2005 Manhattan Short Film Festival, and a Special Jury Honor presented by Edward James Olmos at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
Shot in four days on a $1,170 budget, post-produced on a laptop and executed without a crew, the short received much press because of its visual flair as well as Francisco’s unusual guerilla filmmaking approach: He asked his actors to be his crew, and to pitch in $100 each to jump-start the film .
In the end, Lorite created more than a buzz with his multiple-award winning “Cuco Gomez-Gomez is Dead!”; he created a phenomenon - a short that enjoyed the life of a feature film and definitely served as the ultimate Hollywood calling card for Lorite.
Thanks to Cuco’s success, Francisco was hired to write and/or direct a series of comedy specials and various TV pilots. He also started taking on writing assignments from producers, while continuing to independently create his own material such as the revenge film “Random”, and the dark thriller “Fierce”.
“Mediation” marks the official launch of Top Rebel Productions, and shows that excellent production can be accomplished with little budget.
Currently navigating a career inside Hollywood’s coveted inner-circle, “Mediation” is already receiving praise with agents, managers and major film studios alike.
Fans and movie fiends will have chance to watch the much talked about short film when it debuts next year in Los Angeles at the NewFilmmakers Film Festival (www.NFMLA.org).
