Michael Fitzgerald (Alexei, The Tsarevich)

2 In 1918, caught in the turmoil of the Russian civil war, Alexei Romanov,
young prince hemophiliac, tries to warn his family of an imminent danger, but the
Bolsheviks are after him.
The Romanov’s story is an extremely moving story that has never been told through
the point of view of Alexei who was beloved and respected by all. Their tragic end
deserves to be told so that we do not forget the fundaments of one of the most
powerful country in the world. After the family was executed, the red army defeated
the white army and Lenine was in power to create the USSR.
The Tsarevich already raised interests in European and U.S markets and will be sent
to festivals all around the world.
Alexei and his bodyguard, Klementy are talking a morning walk in the fields of
Yekaterinburg. After a conversation where we learn that the imperial family is being
held prisoners, the two companions hear a gun fight in the near forest. In Alexei’s
room, his mother comes to reprehend him for his morning expedition. The heir tries
to tell his mother about the conflicts surrounding their imprisonment but the soviets
watch them carefully. The mother leaves to get the family ready for the house
transfer, after a red guard asks her to. Alexei senses that a danger is coming and gets
on a mission to warn his family. Along the way, Yakov, the secret policeman in charge
of their imprisonment and a soviet guard, will make his journey a long and difficult
quest.
This emotional, touching and inspiring story of a young boy, suffering from
hemophilia, that fights his weaknesses and the Red Army to defend the one he loves,
will transcend you. It’s a story that inspired Russia for decades, having a great range
of characters and emotional depth to it, but nobody really knows the truth
3 Alexei Romanov (Michael Fitzgerald): (12 August
1904 – 17 July 1918) was the heir apparent to the throne
of the Russian Empire. He was the youngest child and the
only son of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra
Feodorovna. He was born with hemophilia.
Character description: Caucasian, puny, tall, well
educated and mannered, brown hair and eyes. Alexei is a
very clever and mature child that his driven by his golden
heart and his rebel attitude.
Klementy Nagorny (Jase Lindgren): (1889-1918)
was a sailor in the Imperial Russian Navy and one of two
sailors to Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. Nagorny
voluntarily accompanied Emperor Nicholas II and his
family into exile after Nicholas abdicated the throne in
response to the February Revolution.
Character description: Caucasian, (30’s) tall, strong,
navy, low class. He is a loyal, rock of a man with a soft
inside that would do anything to protect Alexei.
Yakov Yurovsky (Micah Fitzgerald): (1878-1938)
was an Old Bolshevik best known as the chief executioner
of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, his family, and four
retainers on the night of 16/17 July 1918. He was a
Chekist, a member of the Soviet State security.
Character description: Caucasian, (40’s) mid sized,
mid class, average looking, bearded. Yakov is an idealist
and an extremist, cold hearted with a strong
determination.
Alexandra Feodorovna (Cristina Franco): (6 June
1872 – 17 July 1918), was Empress consort of Russia as
spouse of Nicholas II. Born a granddaughter of Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom and daughter of the
Grand Duke of Hesse, Germany, she was the career of the
Hemophilia disease.
Character description: Caucasian, (46), brown hair,
elegant, refined, pale, long hair. Alexandra is a frantic and
obsessed woman that loves her children too much which
leads her to be over protective and compulsive when her
emotion takes over.
4 Nicolas II (Mark Moses): (18 May 1868 – 17 July
1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of
Finland, and titular King of Poland. He is known as Saint
Nicholas, the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox
Church. His reign saw Imperial Russia go from being one
of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and
military collapse.
Character description: Caucasian, (50) brown hair,
tough, slim, proud and bearded. He is a loving father lost
in the politic turmoil that hits Russia. Easily influenced, he
is not a loved emperor and is considered weak because of his poor choices.
Red Guard Gregoriy (Steve Humphreys): Fictional,
he represents the typical communist guard that enrolled
himself in the army for an ideology and to provide for his
family. He is neutral and obeys the orders. In a way, he
symbolizes Derevenko, the other sailor nanny of Alexei
who betrayed them.
Character description: Caucasian, mid 30’s, strong,
military, is uneducated but attentive. Gregoriy is
emotionless, feeling the sense of duty and patriotism. He
looks up upon Yakov and the Bolshevik leaders.
Red Guards (Zack Sayenko) and (Will Kleist):
Fictional. Ethnicity ambiguous, East Europeans not
Russians, they are a different from all the other character
as they are more exotic. Although those roles are nonspeaking, they are feature in different scenes and move the
story forward. Character description: Military, very
low class, unaware, obeying but showing disrespect for the
higher classes, manipulated by the Bolsheviks to do dirty
tasks.
OLD GUARD (Johnny Mask): Fictional. Caucasian,
mid 60’s, unknown origin, military, he is a very mysterious
character. He appears in a crucial moment serving as a
threshold to Alexei’s journey. He is a wise but adamant
man that follows the rules. He is so spooky and mysterious
that we could wonder if he really exits or represents
Alexei’s fear, symbolized as an apparition.
5 The four sisters grand duchesses:
Anastasia (17), Olga (18), Maria (19) and
Tatiana (21) are kind, toffee-nosed, and
emphatic women. They were energetic
and friendly but could not stand the
exile. They are very close to their mother
and to their little brother Alexei of whom
they take care and play with.
Character description: Four slim,
good looking, cute and charismatic
woman with very elegant traits. They are
with long hair, blonde or brunette, with a
pale skin, preferably similar to
Alexandra.
Arina Khoryakova, Anne Griffin
Lizzie Zerebko, Ally Ioannides
6 Original Title
The Tsarevich
Genres
Short, Dark Drama
Date of Production
From 28th of June until 3rd of July
Aspect Ratio
2:35
Running time
15 min
Original Language
English
Subtitles
No Subtitles
Original Shooting Format
R3D (red digital)
Screening Formats
Blue Ray & MOV
Sound Formats
Dolby Digital 5.1
Production Company
Alena & Geoffroy
Phone:
(818) 239-9453 Alena Burova (Producer)
(818) 926-1624 Geoffroy Faugerolas (Director/Producer/Screenwriter)
E-mails:
[email protected] (Directors/Producer/Screenwriter)
[email protected] (Producer)
Official Websites:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322090/ (IMDB)
www.geoffroy-faugerolas.com/films/the-tsarevich
www.alena-burova.com/films/the-tsarevich
7 Geoffroy Faugerolas – Director/Writer
Geoffroy is an eclectic Director /
Producer, in quest to bring the
strongest and most meaningful
stories.
Geoffroy directed the cuttingedge short Alice, wrote and
directed The Tsarevich with Alist actor Mark Moses and
produced the short film
Memoire starring A-lister Dean
Winters.
Geoffroy has received news
coverage for his work including
in The Huffington Post, has experience working on music videos for known artist
such as Pascal Obispo or Fun and has directed and produced more than a dozen
shorts screened in festivals around the USA.
Educated around the world, Geoffroy grew up in France, studied at HEC Montréal
in Business Administration, at the New York Film Academy for an Associate in
Filmmaking and is graduating with a BFA from Pepperdine University in Media
productions
8 Mark Moses (Nicholas II)
Mark was born in New York City, but grew up in Evanston,
Illinois. He was a football quarterback at high school. Moses
currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Annie
LaRussa and their two sons. Mark W. Moses is an American
actor, known for his roles of Paul Young on Desperate
Housewives and Herman "Duck" Phillips on the AMC series
Mad Men.
Michael
Fitzgerald
Tsarevich)
(Alexei,
The
Michael is a 15 year old sophomore originally from Ft.
Lauderdale. He came out to Hollywood 1 year ago to pursue
acting. Michael has already booked national and international
commercials.
He has worked on several short films including, Army Brat
Blues, The Crystal Ball, and The Nightmare. Michael studies at
2nd city and loves improv and comedy. Michael loves
competitive soccer, and enjoyed playing in Italy last year.
Jase Lindgren (Klementy Nagorny)
Jase Lindgren has always had a fascination with Russian history
and is thrilled to be part of bringing this unique story to life. He
studied music composition and Russian language at Oberlin
Conservatory and moved to LA five years ago to pursue acting
and filmmaking. Jase has had the great fortune to work on some
amazing projects in both film and theatre as well as beginning
his own directing career.
As an actor, Jase has been fortunate to travel internationally
from Broadway to Romania and Seattle to Iowa.
9 Alena Burova - Producer
Alena Burova is a film producer based in Los Angeles. She
recently produced Alice, The Tsarevich starring Mark Moses
and Memoire starring Dean Winters.
Alena is a distinctive producer that has the business skills to
successfully manage a production to completion, financially and
budgetary. She graduated from the University of Westminster in
Contemporary Media Practice Course with a B.A (hons) in
London, United Kingdom. Also completed an accelerated and
intensive One Year Certificate in Film and TV production in
Los Angeles.
Matt Milan – Music Composer
Matt Milan has a unique composition style that
sets him as one of the most innovative of his
generation. He has composed music for films
playing across the country, through numerous
film festivals
When he was young, he studied classical singing
at the conservatory, “Alfred de Vigny”, in Paris,
France for a few years. Not too long after, he
went to the International Conservatory Of
Music in Paris, where he still practiced classical singing and started piano and musical
theory lessons. He stayed several years until he decided to move to the Russian
conservatory “Rachmaninov”, to pursue the same field in which he received a degree
in classical singing, piano and musical theory.
Sasha Verner – Opera Singer
At a very young age, Sasha Verner was enthralled
by performing arts and dreamt of being on stage.
She pursued her musical studies in Paris at the
Russian conservatory Serge Rachmaninov with
Nadia Wroblewska, where she passed the upper
degree with high honor. She attended a master
class with the great Romanian mezzo-soprano
Viorica Cortez who admires her stunning sensitivity
and
her
real
sense
of
interpretation.
Sasha is now in concert across Europe where she
interprets some of the most famous Operas.
10 Jack Elliott – Director of Photography
Jack Elliott was born in Texas and grew up
between Colorado and Iowa. At age 7 he got his
first camera, a Leica R4, from his father Jeff Elliott
also a photographer whose works were featured in
publications such as ELLE magazine and galleries
across the US and Europe.
At age 16 he enrolled in university to study
photography for two years before going to the UAE
to study cinematography. His works include short,
feature and documentary films as well as music
videos for MTV Arabia and MTV Europe
traveling to Uganda, Dubai, Algeria and China to
shoot before moving back to the US where he is
currently based. The feature films he shot have
screened in festivals such as Seattle International Film Festival and Goteborg
International Film Festival among other festivals.
Johnny Mask as Old Guard Aleksandr
11 Ipatiev House (Prison House)
Forest:
12 13 L to R: Jack Elliot and Geoffroy Faugérolas
The three red guards and Yakov prepares the next scene
Mark Moses going through Make up
14 - What have inspired you making ‘The Tsarevich’?
Being a passionate of history, I grew up on fascinating epic tales that depicted
mysterious stories and prodigious heroes. Those real human stories encouraged our
civilization to strive for the best and I felt the need to film a unique and truly touching
story.
While visiting Saint-Petersburg, I fell in love with the legend of the Romanovs and
Rasputin during a trip to their palaces. The life of this family has been haunting me
since then. The chain of events that led to the creation of USSR is covered by blood,
drama, and mystical that has influenced millions of people, including myself. I wanted
to transmit the story of Alexei that nobody had yet filmed. The courage and
intelligence of this young boy had to be seen on the screen. The respect and
connection I had for this golden-hearted prince motivated me through out the
production.
- Which character would you apply to yourself?
As stated previously, I connected spirituality and morally to the innocence of Alexei.
Seen by many as a victim of its time, I saw this character as a valiant, clever and
loving teenager. The more I would read his diary, the deeper I would feel his pain: he
had compassion and wanted to help his people. The youngest of a large family, I
understood Alexei’s mission and had empathy for his devotion. I wrote his point of
view with the help of my own experience growing in a very united family. As I was
imagining his burden, I would put Tchaikovsky music and immerse myself in his
head. As Alexei rides the bike in the green Russian field, I remembered my youth in
the green French field and how I missed the fresh air of the morning mist. This
allowed me to rely to Michael Fitzgerald playing the role of Alexei, and created an
amazing energy of collaboration and creativity.
- Why is Mark Moses the Tsar?
Mark Moses represents the strong American paternal figure – a caring father, a loving
husband. His various role over his career has depicted him has an ingenious but tough
visionary. Those are the qualities Nicholas II carried. Mark endorsed perfectly the
role of the Father – he did what he thought necessary to protect his family. Mark was
our top choice for the role of the Tsar as his strength resides in an authoritative eye
look and a masculine posture that embodies the Emperor.
- What was artistically your best moment during the shoot?
When the entire family and their executers were presents in the room with 20
crewmembers, the house was tremendously charged. The emotion of the different
characters and the crew watching them perform brought the movie to a new level. It
wasn’t a film anymore – it was a lifetime experience: The legend of the canonized
family was happening in front of our eyes.
- What is your favorite scene and why?
15 During the climax, the young prince has to choose between his family and the Empire
of Russia. It is an incredible Cornelian dilemma that shows his maturity and the
complexity of this character. The pain that the Tsarevich has to go through is
remarkable and touched me. The threshold that he has to cross represents the switch
to adulthood that any of us can rely to.
- What does ‘The Tsarevich’ means to you?
Having a large family, I can rely to Alexei and the choice he has to make. The
Tsarevich loves his family but profoundly cares about the Russian people, putting him
in a no-win situation. The courage that it takes to make a sacrifice of this importance
motivated me to put this story on screen. It was important to me to explain the
creation of USSR that provoked so many years of tension: I see it as the one night that
changed the course of history.
- Did you try to be political with your idea?
The Tsarevich offers a broad range of idea that represents the political parties present
at the time. The movie doesn’t endorse or support any of the party but instead, show
the audience the different ideology that created the conflict. The communism is
shown through the point of Yakov Yurovsky, secret police member, and the Red
Army. They are not represented as villains but people who do what they think to be
good for their people. The Imperialists are shown through the point of view of
Klementy Nagorny, the bodyguard that stands with the family until his last breath.
The Old Guard is a mystical character that represents the opinion of the public, a
third view of the war: against the civil war.
- Special thanks?
My mother, Marie-Ange Faugerolas, for her unconditional support and faith in the
project, she pushed my creativity and allowed me to go over the emotional boundaries
of the characters.
My brother Matt Milan who composed and did the production design, working days
and nights to achieve the most artistic, esthetic and emotional contribution I could
have dreamt of. Also, my brother, Gerault De Marion, who developed the visual style
and authenticity of the project by transcending the script as an Art Director. My
sister, Sasha Verner, who sang the moving and heart-breaking aria that tremendously
intensifies the emotion of the dramatic end. She had the difficult task to put herself in
the shoes of the family.
This ambitious project could have never seen the light without the full support and
investment of my complete family and my marvelous producer Alena Burova. Thanks
to all the people who believed in me and supported our vision, including Lisa de
Marion, Sherry Robb, Nikki Bohm, Jimmy Williams, Tereza Nelson and Lada
Burova.
16 Cast:
Michael Fitzgerald - Alexei, The Tsarevich
Micah Fitzgerald - Yakov Yurovsky, Commissionner
Jase Lindgren - Sailor Nany Klementy
Mark Moses - Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias
Cristina Franco - Alexandra, Empress Consort of All Russia
Steve Humphreys - Red Guard Gregoriy
Zack Sayenko - Red Guard Vladimir
Johnny Mask - Old Guard
Will Kleist - Red Guard 3
Ally Ioannides - Grand Duchess Anastasia
Lizzie Zerebko - Grand Duchess Maria
Arina Khoryakova - Grand Duchess Tatiana
Anne Griffin - Grand Duchess Olga
Production Crew
Director/ Producer/Writer - Geoffroy Faugérolas
Exec. Producer / Producer – Alena Burova
Exec. Producer / Co-writer – Marie-Ange Faugérolas
Co – Producer – Camila Madeiros
1st Assistant –N/A
2nd Assistant Director – Diane Abad
Director of Cinematography – Jack Elliott
Camera Operator – Andre Chesini
1st AC – Eric Aguilar
2nd AC – Ozum Bobaroglu
Gaffer – Donald Brownloaw
Key Grip – Wade Cords
Best boy – Chris Frank
Grip – Omba Ngandu
Grip - Sergey Komarov
Production Designer – Matt Milan
Art Director – Gerault De Marion
Costume Designer – Jimmy Williams / Tereza Nelson
Wordrobe Assistant – Reina Guzman
Set Decorator – Valentin Pittard
Key MUA artist – Carmen Sprague
Assist. Make-up – Lily Von Isenberg
Photographer –Ashley McInerney
Production Assistant – Alejandro Cortes
Production Assistant – Jason Bell
Assistant Production – Nikki Bohm
Assistant Production – Sherry Robb
Post-Production
Film Composer – Matt Milan
Film Editor – Geoffroy Faugerolas
Singer – Sasha Verner
Sound Editor – Michael Huang
VFX - Danielle Romero
Total Film Crew – 31 crewmembers and 13 casts
Total People On Board is 44
17 18 Trailer:
https://vimeo.com/73063963
Facebook page (extra media):
https://www.facebook.com/The.Tsarevich
IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322090
Official Website:
http://geoffroy-­‐faugerolas.com/films/the-­‐tsarevich/
Producers website: http://alena-burova.com/ Opera Singer:
http://sasha-verner.wix.com
Composer:
http://Matt-­‐Milan.com
EXTAR MEDIA
Behind the scenes:
www.geoffroy-faugerolas.com/films/the-tsarevich
https://www.facebook.com/The.Tsarevich