the road within - Well Go USA Entertainment

Presents
THE ROAD WITHIN
RUN TIME/FORMAT
101 minutes / DCP and Blu-ray
RATING
Not yet rated
RELEASE DATE
April 17, 2015
PUBLICITY CONTACTS
WellGo - Crystal Decker Orren / [email protected] / 972-265-4317
NY / LA – Brooke Blumberg / [email protected]
STILLS, POSTER, TRAILER DOWNLOADS
www.WellGoUSA.com/Press
SOCIAL SITES
https://www.facebook.com/theroadwithin
https://twitter.com/TheRoadWIthin
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SYNOPSIS
After the passing of his mother, Vincent (Robert Sheehan), a young man with Tourette’s, finds himself at a center for those
dealing with similar psychological disorders. Soon, he finds company in Marie (Zoë Kravitz), a young woman at the center for
her anorexia, and Alex (Dev Patel), his OCD-stricken roommate. These unlikely companions, with clashing personalities,
find themselves on a three-day journey, making for hilarious antics and unexpected new friendships. With Dr. Rose (Kyra
Sedgwick), the head of the center, and Vincent’s father (Robert Patrick) in pursuit, Vincent, Marie and Alex find they’re
perfectly capable of living their lives according to their own rules, while breaking some others in the meantime in this coming
of age road comedy.
LONGER SYNOPSIS
As a young man isolated in his efforts to hide his Tourette’s—Vincent is suddenly forced into the world when his mother
passes away. Vincent finds himself at a center for those dealing with similar psychological disorders after his absent father
sends him away to avoid responsibility and any disruption in the midst of his political campaign. There, he meets his
roommate, Alex, who is anything but pleased to share his space, which is kept in perfect order because of his OCD. Feeling
more alone than ever, Vincent finds a friend in Marie, who has made her return to the center because of her anorexia.
Together, Vincent and Marie set out to escape the center run by Dr. Rose, and steal her car in the process. But nothing is
easy for Vincent and as he and Marie are about to set out on their drive to the ocean to spread his mother’s ashes, Alex
stops them in their tracks, threatening to end the trip before it begins. Instead, Alex finds himself kidnapped and a backseat
passenger on a three day journey that becomes a life changing experience none of them saw coming. With Dr. Rose and
Vincent’s father in pursuit, the three young adults find they’re perfectly capable of living their lives according to their own
rules, while breaking some others in the meantime.
A coming of age road comedy in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine, first time director Gren Wells adapts an honest script based
on the original German feature, Vincent Wants to Sea. The result, THE ROAD WITHIN, brings humor and poignancy to the
story of three young adults searching for their own version of life. Robert Sheehan (Vincent), Dev Patel (Alex) and Zoë
Kravitz (Marie) star alongside Kyra Sedgwick (Dr. Rose) and Robert Patrick (Robert) in the film, which hits close to home for
Wells.
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THE CAST
VINCENT
Robert Sheehan
ALEX
Dev Patel
MARIE
Zoë Kravitz
ROBERT
Robert Patrick
DR. ROSE
Kyra Sedgwick
MONICA
Ali Hillis
PRIEST
James Calvert
NURSE
Louisa Kendrick
THERAPIST
Ross Gallo
BOY #1
Cooper Roth
BOY #2
Jayce Dempsey
CAMPAIGN AIDE
Eleanor Wells
JOE
Joe Unger
MATT
Eric Matheny
THE FILMMAKERS
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Gren Wells
PRODUCED BY
Bradley Gallo
Michael A. Helfant
Robert Stein
Brent Emery
Guy J. Louthan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
William C. Gallo
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Christopher Baffa
EDITED BY
Terel Gibson
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A CONVERSATION WITH WRITER/DIRECTOR GREN WELLS
Tell us in your own words, what THE ROAD WITHIN is all about.
THE ROAD WITHIN is about a young man named Vincent who has Tourette’s. At the beginning of the film we see he
has lost his mother who was his primary caregiver. His estranged father is forced to step in but he’s in the middle of
running for political office and, to avoid embarrassment, puts his son in a clinic that is overseen by the unconventional
Dr. Mia Rose. Once there, Vincent falls in love with an anorexic girl named Marie, and together they decide to steal
Dr. Rose’s car - but end up having to kidnap his OCD roommate, Alex, when he threatens to turn them in. Soon,
Vincent’s father and Dr. Rose are in hot pursuit as Vincent, Marie and Alex go on this life-changing road trip to deliver
his mother’s ashes to the ocean.
What inspired you to tell this story?
I like characters that are outsiders and that are completely different. I grew up a giant nerd and was always the one
on the outside looking in. I used to ride horses and when I was fifteen I had a bad fall where a horse stepped on my
face. And trust me; no one wants to be friends with a girl who has a hoof print in her face. So I’m drawn to characters,
who are just a little off, a little left of center. Though I actually think Vincent’s dad and doctor are ten times more
messed up than Vincent, Marie or Alex - combined. It’s just one of those things that because the kids’ disorders are
on the outside, it’s more apparent and something we can label. But with his dad and doctor, their issues are hidden
deep on the inside, so they get a pass from society.
Other than the obvious language and scenery, how does this film differ from the original?
The original film is gorgeous and it won the German Golden Lola Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor. I remember
seeing the trailer online and thinking, I know how to make that movie. And so my husband, who is a producer on the
film, encouraged me to see if the rights were available in the U.S. and we got them. The main thing I wanted to do
differently is to go darker and deeper with the characters. Florian David Fitz did an amazing job with the structure,
though I moved a few things around to create a little bit more emotional impact. But the biggest thing I did was
explore the depth of the characters more. In adapting the film, I did a lot of research into Tourette’s and OCD. I was
anorexic myself, years ago, and therefore had a personal understanding and insight into Marie, which helped me
round out the characters while applying my research.
You mentioned you did quite a bit of research, could you tell us more about that in terms of making the film?
I worked with the Tourette Syndrome Association in depth and specifically this one young man named Jaxon Kramer.
He was our Tourette’s consultant on the film and was there every day. I actually moved Robbie Sheehan in with him
when he came to town for about a month. Before that, he had been working with Robbie and me for six months prior
to shooting just to make sure that his performance was spot on. Robbie lives in London, and while he was there
worked with the Tourette’s Action Society.
In terms of understanding OCD, we went to the Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders and worked with Dr. Eda
Gorbis, as well as interviewed several of her patients. There was one man, Chad Fess, who actually lives in Chicago
and I tracked him down. Dev and I Skyped with him and he was so incredibly giving and lovely about telling his story.
I took Zoe out to the Monte Nido Eating Disorders and Exercise Addiction Treatment Center where we interviewed a
bunch of young girls who are anorexic. I also shared my experiences with the disorder with Zoe. And when it came
time for Zoe to lose weight for the role, we obviously got her a dietician because I didn’t want to send a young actress
down that rabbit hole because I know it can get very serious, very quickly.
We were very lucky in that we got so many amazing people who wanted to help out with the film because they all
wanted to educate others about their disorder. And this is a great way to get the information out there. For instance
with Tourette’s, most people, including myself, didn’t know that when they yell phrases and curse words, it’s actually
Coprolalia - which only about 10% of people with Tourette’s suffer from. So there are just little things like that which
we learned and as we’re out talking about the film that we can share and t try to bring these disorders to a conscious
level for people.
It takes a certain kind of actor to take on these roles. Tell us about casting Vincent.
In casting Vincent, I met with almost every actor in Hollywood and I didn’t make anyone audition at first because no
one should know how to tick—it shouldn’t be something in your back pocket as an actor like, “oh by the way, I do
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Tourette’s.” So I just sat down for coffee with them and was looking for more of an energy that would bring forth the
authenticity. I met a lot of incredible actors, but I was looking for something so specific. I started worrying what if I
don’t find the character that’s in my head—but then Robbie walked in the door in November of 2012 and I knew right
then and there that he was the guy.
What was casting like for the rest of the characters?
It was really important to me to not have five white people running around in this film, just because I feel like it’s our
job as filmmakers to represent real life. I joke that with my own family, when we get together, we look like a freaking
United Colors of Benetton ad because my older sister adopted a biracial baby, my younger sister adopted from
Ethiopia, my brother married a Korean and has two Korean kids and my husband and I are adopting two girls from
Kenya.
With Dev, I had written the part with him in mind because I love his energy. I kept bugging his manager to sit down
with him - and to just get me off her phone sheet, she finally set up a meeting. Alex is arguably my favorite character
in the movie and Dev absolutely kills the part.
Then with Zoe, she just came in and had the attitude of Marie, because this character had to be tough - yet hiding an
intense vulnerability. And it was very important for me to find an actress who, in losing the weight, had a good head
on her shoulders because that is potentially risky ground. I told her I was going to check in with her every week after
we wrapped to make sure she was putting the weight back on, and she was of course like, “Give me a break, I love to
eat, I’ll be fine.”
With Kyra, I met with her pretty early on and she was always my number one choice. And actually, she’s the one who
suggested Robert Patrick. I’ve nicknamed him RFP for Robert “F- ing” Patrick because he’s just awesome, I love him.
Tell us about Vincent.
Vincent is an extremely lonely character, especially at the beginning of the film. He doesn’t have any friends, his
mother was his only friend and all of the research I did on Tourette’s indicated that the biggest problem with the
disorder is that you feel so isolated and alone because you don’t even have control of your own body. It’s incredibly
alienating. There are so many places you can’t go because if you start ticking in what’s supposed to be a quiet place,
you have to get up and leave, especially when you have Coprolalia (like Vincent) and you start swearing. We
imagined Vincent was a kid who probably had friends and was outgoing until he developed Tourette’s when he was
about eight years old. From there it got worse and worse to the point where he’d been kicked out of school for fighting
because if you can’t fight with your words, what do you do? You fight with your hands. Now that he’s with Marie and
Alex, he’s come a long way and learns that it’s okay to laugh at himself. That you don’t have to take yourself so
seriously.
What is his relationship like with his parents?
Well, his mother was the one person in the world who loved him no matter what, even though she couldn’t really
handle it and took to drinking. When she dies, Vincent is lost. His father left the family years before, because he
wasn’t able to handle his son’s disability. His wife handled it a little better in that she stayed, but she also drank
herself to death. Unfortunately, the divorce rate of parents with kids with disabilities is extremely high because it’s
incredibly difficult on the relationship.
Upon arriving at the center, Vincent meets Marie who has her own issues. Tell us about Marie.
Anorexia is a disorder that I know about first-hand. You keep everything inside and you think that you’re fooling
everyone (and yet you’re fooling no one). So Marie gives off a feeling of not caring, but she’s actually hiding an
intense vulnerability. Her back-story is that she was a dancer and obviously the constant dieting to be thin got to be
too much and she’s been in and out of facilities for the past five to six years. She’s been to this particular center once
or twice before with Dr. Rose, and the last time she got so thin that her heart stopped. When we meet her, she’s been
in for two months and she’s gained some weight back - but the scary thing is that when you put even five pounds
back on, you look in the mirror and all you see is fat.
With Marie, everyone thinks that she’s the one that’s most put together, but it turns out she’s the one in need of the
most help. She’s so secretive that if anyone starts to get close to her, she just shuts down. I love it at the end when
Vincent says, “I can’t make you better,” because he knows he couldn’t save Marie in the same way that he couldn’t
save his mom. She has to get better on her own.
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Are we at a place where Marie is finally making that decision at the end of the movie?
It was interesting having people watch and be really curious about what happens to her at the end because she’s so
used to hiding everything and not having anyone close to her for the fear that they’ll know her true secret. I hope it’s
her lowest point and she gets better. But I believe that’s what’s great about movies, because you can actually talk
about it and make your own decision as to whether or not she gets better. That’s the terrifying part of this disease some people get better and some people don’t.
As Vincent’s roommate—Alex unintentionally brings a bit of levity to the film. Tell us about Alex.
I probably did the most work on this character, because I did feel like we needed some levity in this film and he just
provided great commentary. I think Alex is wickedly smart, almost too smart for his own good, but part of his OCD is
that he thinks he doesn’t have a problem—or at least that’s how he likes to portray it. I have some OCD tendencies
myself and I think that, similarly, Alex just thinks that his rituals make sense and that even though they’re ridiculous, in
his mind, they’re for the greater good. They are what get him through the day. Now, if you really pushed him, as
Vincent and Marie do in the film, you see that he is really unhappy and he’s essentially locked himself away in this
clinic because it’s easier than dealing with daily life on the outside. At least here, everyone, though they may not like
him, leaves him alone. Well, everyone but Marie. They have a very brother-sister, love-hate relationship. The way
they are together reminds me of my family: the more we make fun of you means the more we love you. I think that he
is just somebody who has to acknowledge that he does also have.
Dr. Rose, Kyra Sedgwick, is really supposed to be helping these young adults out, but you see that she
actually has the greatest impact on Vincent’s father.
Her whole principle is kind of mixing everyone together, which is a very European style in terms of putting anorexics
with Tourette’s with OCD’s because the idea is that, the more you listen to other people’s problems, the more yours
might not seem so bad. So she’s definitely not conventional because it’s not necessarily an American way to do
things.
I think that she’s brilliant and has the greatest of intentions, but I just don’t know how effective she is because she’s
not really acknowledging her own troubles. This is a woman who’s basically saying to Marie, “you can’t starve
yourself to death but I can smoke myself to death.” But what makes her addiction any better than Marie’s?
But she does end up helping Vincent’s dad and helping him realize the error of his ways. By putting up a mirror to
Robert, she helps him realize that Vincent is a whole lot more like him than Robert ever imagined.
Talk a bit about their road trip, and the significance of it. How it becomes more of a symbolic journey for them.
These are kids that have been told their whole lives that they can’t do anything, that they’re basically useless. It
should have only taken 12 hours to get to the ocean (and it takes about three days), because the whole journey is the
destination. While it starts out as being about spreading Vincent’s mother’s ashes, it’s not necessarily about that
anymore. It becomes about these people realizing that they can live on their own. That they don’t have to be behind
the closed walls of a clinic.
Now, that isn’t to say everyone should just go out and be free. There are people that obviously need to be in centers,
especially in certain low points in their lives. But I think that for these characters, they realize that they can stand on
their own two feet. I like the message of them learning to live for themselves and realizing that they are a whole lot
more powerful than anyone has ever given them credit for.
For those who know someone affected by these disorders, what is the message you want to get across in
the film?
This is going to sound corny, but that you’re not alone. Everyone is different; everyone has things about themselves
that they don’t like. In this movie, it’s obviously Tourette’s, anorexia, and OCD, but honestly it could be anything. Like
I said, a horse stepped on my face. And you have to learn that everyone is different and it’s okay to embrace those
differences because they are what make you unique.
How would you respond to any criticism about how you portray these disorders in the film?
I would want to know their perspective. This film is telling one story, about three specific individuals. But no two
disorders are alike. With Tourette’s, everyone’s tics are different, what triggers them varies. Most of the time it’s
anxiety of some sort that really sets them off - but it could be anything.
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With OCD, anxiety is also a trigger but it’s also completely random. Some people believe if they tap their toothbrush
against the sink four times, the president won’t die. It literally makes no sense.
We were very conscious about portraying these disorders in a way that was motivated and not just, “oh, let’s put a tic
here.” We had a trigger in mind and usually we tried to do it whenever Vincent’s dad was mentioned because that
was the cause of a lot of anxiety for him. With Alex, giving him certain triggers like when he’s driving is actually very
real and called a harming ritual, where they actually believe they’ve run someone over. But with all of the research we
did, there was great care to make sure we were respectful of the people who suffer from these disorders.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
I think it’s a feel-good movie with amazing performances, not dissimilar to Little Miss Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire,
Juno – movies, which make audiences laugh and cry.
So I want people to go and have a good time and celebrate these characters’ differences and their own.
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CAST
ROBERT SHEEHAN – Vincent
Robert made his acting debut in Aisling Walsh’s acclaimed feature film Song For A Raggy Boy. Since then he has
appeared in a number of feature films including A Dublin Story, Ghostwood, An Creatur, Summer of the Flying
Saucer, Season of the Witch, Cherrybomb and Killing Bono, and for television in Foreign Exchange (Magma Film/9
Network Australia) and as Prince Louis in Young Blades (Insight/PAX TV). He has also appeared in The Clinic
(Parallel Films/RTE), Bel’s Boys (ITV), Rock Rivals (Shed Productions/ITV), Bittersweet (RTE), all three films in the
BAFTA award winning Red Riding trilogy (Revolution Films/Channel 4), multi IFTA award winning Love Hate (for
which he was twice nominated for Best Actor) for RTE/Octagon Films, BAFTA award winning Misfits (for which he
was also BAFTA nominated for Best Supporting Actor) for Clerkenwell/E4, The Borrowers for Working Title/BBC, Me
and Mrs Jones for BBC/Hartswood Films and The Accused for BBC.
He was recently seen on screen in The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones directed by Harald Zwart for Constantin
Films/Sony Pictures, in Anita B for Jean Vigo Italia and in The Road Within for Troika Pictures.
On stage he appeared at the Old Vic Theatre in the title role in The Playboy of the Western World, directed by John
Crowley.
He most recently completed filming on features Jet Trash for Sums Films, Moonwalkers for Partizan Films and
Geostorm for Electric Entertainment/Warner Bros.
DEV PATEL – Alex
Patel recently wrapped shooting the 3rd season of Alan Sorkin’s THE NEWSROOM, which will premiere this
November on HBO. He will next be seen in theaters March 2015 starring opposite Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie
Smith, Bill Nighy, and Richard Gere in John Madden’s THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL for Fox
Searchlight. He will also be seen in theaters next year starring opposite Hugh Jackman, Sharlto Copley and
Sigourney Weaver in Neill Blomkamp’s CHAPPIE for MRC/Sony.
He was last seen on TV starring opposite Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer in the second season of HBO’s Golden
Globe nominated series THE NEWSROOM, created by Aaron Sorkin. Patel was nominated for a 2013 NAACP award
for Best Supporting actor for his portrayal of “Neal” in the show.
Patel was last seen in theaters starring opposite Dame Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Maggie Smith in
John Madden’s Golden Globe and SAG nominated film BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL for Fox Searchlight. The
film was also a worldwide commercial success. He also starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s THE LAST AIRBENDER for
Paramount. Patel catapulted to success in 2009 when he starred in the Academy Award winning film SLUMDOG
MILLIONAIRE and received rave reviews for his performance and garnered a number of award wins including the
National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, The British Independent Film Award for Most
Promising Newcomer, The Broadcast Film Critic’s Choice Award for Best Young Actor, and The Chicago &
Washington Film Critics’ Awards for Most Promising Performer. Patel also starred in the cult hit SKINS for the BBC.
ZOË KRAVITZ – Marie
Zoë Isabella Kravitz was born in Venice, CA. Kravitz’s love and interest in acting developed from classes she began
taking while in school. Wasting little time, she started working on two films during her senior year in high school: No
Reservations alongside Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart; and The Brave One, directed by Neil Jordan,
starring Jodie Foster and Terrance Howard.
Kravitz was featured in X-Men: First Class co-starring Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy and
Kevin Bacon, where she played the character of Angel Salvadore. She has also appeared in lead roles in the films It’s
Kind of a Funny Story, co-starring Zack Galifianakis, and Emma Roberts, and Divergent where she played the role of
Christina alongside Shailene Woodley. Next up, Kravitz is set to reprise her role as Christina in Insurgent, the second
installment of the Divergent Series, and co-star alongside Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury
Road. She also recently filmed The Road Within with Robert Patrick, Kyra Sedgwick and Dev Patel, and Good
Kill opposite Ethan Hawke and January Jones, which recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Zoe just
wrapped shooting on acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Gerardo Naranjo’s untitled next film about a roadie on tour with a
punk band, co-starring Dakota Fanning, and Dope, which is being produced by Forest Whitaker and executive
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produced by Pharrell Williams. Zoe will also co-star alongside Emile Hirsch in Vincent-N-Roxxy, which will begin
shooting this winter.
Outside of her film endeavors, Kravitz has kept busy with various projects. LOLAWOLF is a band fronted by Kravitz,
which also includes two members of Reputante – James Levy and Jimmy Giannopoulos (who produced the record).
Their EP debuted via Innit Recordings in February 2014, and their debut album Calm Down was released on October
25, 2014. Zoe recently served as one of the faces of Coach’s Dreamer’s campaign, and also as the face of Vera
Wang’s Princess perfume. Kravitz also starred in Jay-Z’s music video of his single “I Know” off his American
Gangster album. In addition, she was featured with Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Tyrese Gibson, George Lopez,
John Leguizamo and several other celebrities in Will.I.Am’s “We Are the Ones” music video during President
Obama’s campaign.
Kravitz is the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. She currently resides in New York City.
ROBERT PATRICK – Robert
Robert Patrick is an actor who’s worked with some of the top actors and directors in his field for the last 20 years. His
breakthrough role came as the legendary T-1000 in Terminator 2 and since then, he has worked on iconic films and
television shows including Die Hard 2, Wayne's World, Last Action Hero, Fire in the Sky, Cop Land, The Faculty,
Walk the Line, Bridge to Terabithia, Spy Kids, Flags of Our Fathers and on the television hits The Sopranos, The
Outer Limits, Elvis, The Unit, The X-Files and Sons of Anarchy. He can currently be seen as Agent Cabe Gallow in
the ensemble “fun-cedural” SCORPION for CBS which was recently given an early second season renewal as it was
the #3 new television show of 2014.
On the small screen, Robert was a series regular on Season 6 of HBO's TRUE BLOOD and appeared in the final
season. He was also in the final season of SONS OF ANARCHY, did a cameo role on the cult favorite COMMUNITY
and had a supporting role in Season 1 of Robert Rodriguez’ From Dusk til Dawn for the El Rey Network. His recent
films include Universal Picture’s IDENTITY THIEF with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, Warner Bros
GANGSTER SQUAD in which he played a member of Josh Brolin’s “squad” going up against Sean Penn as Mickey
Cohen, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE opposite Clint Eastwood, LOVELACE opposite Sharon Stone and Amanda
Seyfried and Universal's remake of ENDLESS LOVE with Alex Pettyfer and Focus Features' KILL THE
MESSENGER, opposite Jeremy Renner. He will next be seen in THE ROAD WITHIN opening April 2015 with Kyra
Sedgwick, Dev Petel, and Zoe Kravitz.
He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Barbara and their two children.
KYRA SEDGWICK – Dr. Mia Rose
Kyra Sedgwick has conquered success on stage, screen and television. She has received multiple Golden Globe
nominations (2007 win for THE CLOSER), Emmy nominations (2010 win for THE CLOSER), SAG nominations as
well as two Independent Spirit Award nominations, a Theater Award, Los Angeles Drama Desk Critics Circle Award
and a Dramalogue Award.
Sedgwick continues her relationship with TNT, serving as Executive Producer on the new supernatural medical
drama, PROOF. The series stars Jennifer Beals, as a skeptical, hard science, female surgeon who struggles with
family issues, including a tragic death. Mathew Modine and Joe Morton also star in the series. PROOF was created
by and will be written by Rob Bragin, who Executive Produces with Sedgwick, along with Tom Jacobson and Jill
Littman. The show will premiere in June 2015.
Sedgwick recently wrapped a supporting role in the independent feature, TIME OUT OF MIND, where she plays a
homeless woman opposite Golden Globe winner, Richard Gere. Directed by Oren Moverman and shot in New York
City, the film follows a homeless man (Gere), as he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. IFC will release
the film in August 2015.
Sedgwick will next be seen in several independent features, including Barry Levinson’s. THE HUMBLING, opposite Al
Pacino and Mandy Patinkin. The story centers on the sexual relationship between a suicidal actor and a younger
woman. This film is set for a 2014 release.
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Sedgwick also stars in the independent drama AFTER DARKNESS, which makes the feature directing debut of Batan
Silva, (previously First AD for Terrence Malick, Julian Schnabel, and Alejandro Gonzalez). The film focuses on a
family, who comes together during the last days of the end of the world. However, when family secrets surface,
staying together proves to be increasingly impossible. The film is currently in post-production.
Next, Kyra co-stars in Gren Wells independent feature, THE ROAD WITHIN, as “Dr. Mia Rose” opposite Dev Patel,
Zoe Kravitz and Robert Patrick. This comedy drama follows a young man with Tourette's Syndrome who embarks on
a road trip with his recently-deceased mother's ashes.
This Fall, Sedgwick stars alongside Sylvester Stallone, Thomas Jane and Terry Crews in John Herzfeld’s REACH
ME. All US rights to the film were acquired by Millenium Films at the recent Cannes Film Festival.
Last year, Sedgwick appeared in a cameo role in the independent feature KILL YOUR DARLINGS, starring Daniel
Radcliffe and Michael C. Hall, with John Krokidas directing.
Over her seven season tenure, Sedgwick’s role as “Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson,” on TNT's first
original series, THE CLOSER, garnered her a Golden Globe Award in 2007 for "Best Dramatic actress" - television,
four Emmy nominations and a win for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series” in 2010, seven SAG
nominations, and a 2009 People Choice Award for "Favorite TV Diva". The series concluded its seventh and final
season on TNT August 13th, 2012.
In late 2012, Sedgwick was seen in THE POSSESSION, directed by Ole Bornedal (“Nightwatch”, “Just Another Love
Story”). Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays Sedgwick’s husband and together they try to find a way to end the curse laid upon
their young daughter by an antique box. Lionsgate released the film on August 31st, 2012 which held the number one
spot at the box office two weekends in a row.
In early 2012, Sedgwick portrayed New York reporter, “Suzie Morales,” in the Summit feature film MAN ON A LEDGE,
opposite Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks. Directed by Asger Leth, the film follows the story of an ex-cop and
now wanted fugitive standing on the ledge of a high-rise building while a New York Police Department hostage
negotiator tries to talk him down.
Sedgwick previously co-starred in Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's GAMER, opposite Gerard Butler and Michael C.
Hall. The film is set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, mulit-player online
gaming environments. Lionsgate released the film on September 4th, 2009.
Prior, she starred in THE GAME PLAN alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The story revolves around a rugged
superstar quarterback Joe Kingman (Dwayne Johnson), whose Boston-based team is chasing a championship.
Sedgwick played Stella Peck, Kingman's sports agent. Disney released THE GAME PLAN on September 28th, 2007.
She also starred in Think Films's LOVERBOY. Directed by Kevin Bacon, Sedgwick helped develop and co-produced
the film, which co-starred Matt Dillon, Campbell Scott and Marisa Tomei. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance
Film Festival.
She starred in Nicole Kassell's , THE WOODSMAN, produced by Lee Daniels, opposite Kevin Bacon and Mos Def. It
had its world premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival (in competition), receiving rave reviews. It was also
showcased in Cannes as part of the 2004 Director's Fortnight line-up, and won the Jury prize at the Deauville Film
Festival.
Sedgwick received a 2005 Independent Spirit Award nomination for "Best Actress" for her work in Lisa Cholodenko's,
CAVEDWELLER, for Showtime. Sedgwick, who developed and produced the film, plays “Delia,” a rock singer who
returns to her Georgia hometown hoping to regain custody of the two daughters she left with her abusive ex-husband
(Aidan Quinn).
The actress also appeared in Joseph Sargent's Emmy nominated SOMETHING THE LORD MADE, for HBO.
Sedgwick co-stars alongside Alan Rickman, Mos Def and Mary Stuart Masterson. She plays the role of “Mary
Blalock,” the wife of Alfred Blalock, who performed the first open- heart surgery procedure.
In 2002, Sedgwick co-starred with Parker Posey in Rebecca Miller's independent film, PERSONAL VELOCITY,
winning the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Other credits include the Emmy
nominated TNT movie, DOOR TO DOOR, opposite William H. Macy, Helen Mirren, and Kathy Baker, Fisher Stevens'
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film JUST A KISS, Showtime's BEHIND THE RED DOOR, opposite Kiefer Sutherland and Stockard Channing,
SECONDHAND LIONS, co-starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Haley Joel Osment.
Other films include John Turteltaub's PHENOMENON, opposite John Travolta, WHAT’S COOKING, which opened
the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, SINGLES, LEMON SKY, HEART AND SOULS
and Showtime’s LOSING CHASE, which she executive produced and starred in, opposite Helen Mirren.
Sedgwick's theater credits include The Culture Project's New York production of "The Exonerated", a triumphant run
of Nicholas Hytner's "Twelfth Night" at Lincoln Center, "Ah Wilderness!" for which she won the Theater Award, and
David Mamet's "Oleanna", which garnered her a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a Drama League
Award.
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FILMMAKERS
GREN WELLS - Director / Writer
Gren Wells was born in Louisville, Kentucky and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. After attending Manhattanville
College in Purchase, NY, Gren moved to New York City where she starred in six indie films over a two year span, one
of which, MAN ABOUT TOWN, won Best Short Film at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. After moving to Los
Angeles, Gren became a stand-up comic and wrote her first feature script called EARTHBOUND (aka A LITTLE BIT
OF HEAVEN) that sold to 20th Century Fox. EARTHBOUND later found a home at The Film Department, starring
Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lucy Punch, Romany Malco
and Peter Dinklage.
Gren has since sold numerous film and TV projects that include: COVER GIRL (currently in pre- production with
Dignity Pictures), HOW TO TELL HE'S NOT THE ONE (Paramount), BOYFRIEND IN A BOX and DIARY OF A MAD
BRIDE (Warner Brothers), SOUTHERN COMFORT (Walt Disney Studios), SPY VS. STU (Dignity Pictures), THE
PINK PI'S (ABC), BROOKLYN PRINCESSES (NBC), SKIRTS (Fox), PRISONER OF X (Showtime), FAT SELLS
(HBO), THE COLLECTION and TRENDING (The CW), and GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA (ABC Family).
BRADLEY GALLO – Producer
Bradley M. Gallo has over 15 years of media and entertainment industry experience including film, television,
commercials, digital/social media and journalism. He currently serves as Chief Creative Officer for Amasia
Entertainment and has CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR starring Nick Jonas, Isabel Lucas and Dermot Mulroney,
directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, in post production. He is currently in pre-production on MR. RIGHT starring
Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick to be directed by Paco Cabezas. Bradley is also producing various other projects
including THE CALL 2.
Gallo served as the Head of Production and Development of Troika Pictures for two years, which recently released
THE CALL starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, directed by Brad Anderson. Prior to joining Troika Pictures, Gallo
was a freelance producer/writer/on-air personality. In 2010 he finished up a fellowship at CNN in New York City where
he produced numerous shows including Anderson Cooper and American Morning and was a reporter for CNN.com.
In 2010, Gallo received his Masters Degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, specializing in
broadcast journalism.
Before journalism school, Gallo was an independent television producer. His producing credits include; Ultimate
Fighter on Spike, Bobby G Adventure Capitalist on Mojo, and Under Fire on Court TV. He also produced two national
commercials for 1-800-Flowers. In 2007, Gallo was a top 10 contestant on the reality show America’s Next Producer.
Before working in television, Bradley wrote several screenplays, including ATTRACTIVE DANGER and ONE STEP
CLOSER, which won numerous awards. At the beginning of his career in film, Gallo wrote, directed and produced the
feature film MAGIC ROCK. Gallo graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and
minor in business.
Gallo is a member of Film Independent and has served as Chairman of the Board of the non- profit Cody Foundation
helping kids through experiential learning.
MICHAEL A. HELFANT – Producer
Helfant has 30 years of entertainment industry experience in film, television, video and digital media production,
financing and distribution. He is co-founder of both Amasia Entertainment, an international production/financing
company, and Troika Pictures, which Helfant co-founded to develop, produce and finance a slate of youth-oriented
motion pictures. In addition to producing recently released THE CALL, directed by Brad Anderson starring Halle Berry
and Abigail Breslin, Helfant is currently producing CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, starring Nick Jonas, Isabel
Lucas and Dermot Mulroney, directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. Amasia Entertainment provided financing for
each of THE CALL, CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR and THE ROAD WITHIN. Next up, Helfant is producing MR.
RIGHT, starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick, and THE CALL 2.
Prior to forming Troika Pictures, Helfant was President and COO of Marvel Studios, overseeing all of the studio’s live
action and animation activities in film, television and video. During Helfant’s tenure at Marvel, the studio launched a
new slate of self-financed films including IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
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Prior to joining Marvel, Helfant was the Chief Operating Officer of Beacon Pictures, a major independent motion
picture production company whose feature film releases included OPEN RANGE, RAISING HELEN, LADDER 49,
THE GUARDIAN and THE WATERHORSE. Prior to Beacon, Helfant was Senior Executive Vice President of
Miramax/Dimension Films, overseeing the SPY KIDS, SCREAM and SCARY MOVIE film franchises, among other
films. At Miramax/Dimension, Helfant was responsible for all of Dimension’s business activities including
production/financing, merchandising/licensing and interactive/new media. Before Miramax/Dimension, Helfant was
Executive Vice President, Head of Business Operations and Acquisitions at Interscope Communications, Inc. (THE
HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS, JUMANJI, RUNAWAY BRIDE, WHAT DREAMS MAY
COME and PITCH BLACK). Before joining Interscope, Helfant served as Senior Vice President of Sovereign Pictures,
Inc., an independent international production/financing/distribution company involved with such films as REVERSAL
OF FORTUNE, THE COMMITMENTS, MY LEFT FOOT and CINEMA PARADISO.
Helfant’s other feature film production credits include: Executive Producer of BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT,
VERY BAD THINGS and TALES FROM THE CRYPT:RITUAL; Co-Producer of THE ASSOCIATE; and Co-Executive
Producer of KAZAAM.
Helfant started his career as an entertainment attorney with Loeb & Loeb in Century City. He is a graduate of the
JD/MBA program at UCLA, and taught entertainment strategy and finance for many years as an adjunct lecturer at
the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Helfant currently serves on various boards, including the advisory board of MovieClips.com, and several charitable
and non-profit organizations including Film Independent, the Advisory Board of the Harvard School of Public Health,
and the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Helfant also
served for many years on the board of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and the UCLA Entertainment Symposium
Committee.
Michael and his wife Loretta Naughton Helfant have three children, Arianna, Jenna and Jacob.
ROBERT L. STEIN – Producer
Robert produced and financed last year surprise hit THE CALL starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin and directed
by Brad Anderson; He has two films in post-production CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR starring Nick Jonas and
Isabel Lucas and directed by Elizabeth Allen, and THE ROAD WITHIN starring Robert Sheehan, Dev Patel and Zoe
Kravitz, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Patrick, directed by Gren Wells. Stein has a long and distinguished career in
managing the talent side of the industry. He In 1981, Stein formed Leading Artists Agency. In 1990 he founded United
Talent Agency and in 1996 he was recruited by the William Morris Agency as Head of Worldwide Motion Pictures
Group. In 2003 the Gores Brothers recruited Stein to help build Paradigm Talent and Literary Agency. Stein’s client
list of playwrights, screenwriters, directors and actors, novelist included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ray Romano, Kevin
James, Rob Reiner, Paul & Chris Weitz, Frank Darabont, Martha Coolidge, Boaz Yakin, Tim Story, Chuck Russell,
Joe Ruben, Matt Williams, William Friedkin, David Auburn, Robert Altman, Robert Harmon, Robert Mulligan, Marsha
Norman and many others. As an agent, Stein was instrumental in putting together over 250 films such as Witness,
The Shawshank Redemption, About A Boy, The Mask, The Green Mile, The Minority Report, Fresh, Terminator 3,
Fool For Love, Clara’s Heart, American Pie, Collateral, Collateral Damage, End of Days, Eraser, The Barber Shop,
Scorpion King, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and many more. Stein’s accolades include: Founder American Film
Institute Third Decade Council; Board Member of American Cinematheque: California State Commissioner; Board
Chair and Trustee for the California Science Center, Exposition Park. Stein is a partner in Nexgen Partners, a
multimillion real estate development company. He is married to Erin Mulcahy Stein, attorney, Board Member United
Friends of the Children and Executive Director of the California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women.
BRENT EMERY – Producer
BRENT EMERY started his entertainment career at New Line Cinema in television development, where he worked
closely with the feature department searching for projects and talent that would translate to the small screen. During
this two-year process, he cultivated his taste for features and ultimately left New Line to pursue a feature career at
Destination Films.
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While at Destination Films, Mr. Emery’s close work with then CEO, Steve Stabler, (Dumb And Dumber, Kingpin,
Beverly Hills Ninja), led to a position at Commotion Pictures as a Creative Executive. There, Mr. Emery took his first
strides as a producer with the action-sports documentary Keep Your Eyes Open and two kid-flicks for MGM, Just For
Kicks and Recipe For Disaster (both staring Dylan & Cole Sprouse).
After two years at Commotion, Mr. Emery moved to Maverick Films as Vice President of Development. Within months
of joining the company, he and Maverick pushed Agent Cody Banks into production at MGM; and a few months later
they followed it up with the eponymous sequel, Agent Cody Banks II. While at Maverick, Mr. Emery rose from Vice
President of Development to Executive Vice President of Production and Development and was the primary executive
responsible for overseeing the day-to-day development of a slate of films he and Maverick assembled. These
included dozens of studio and independent projects, such as Twilight for Summit Entertainment, Percy Jackson and
the Lightning Thief for Fox 2000, Stepfather for Screen Gems, Material Girls (starring Hilary & Haylie Duff) for MGM;
My Sassy Girl (starring Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford) for Gold Circle Films, and Hit and Run for MGM.
After nearly seven years at Maverick, and prior to starting his own company, Mr. Emery held other executive posts
including Head of Production for MBST Entertainment and most recently as U.S. Head of Co-Productions for ECI, a
global entertainment company focused on Chinese Co-Productions.
A sampling of the current production and development slate at his Coup d'Etat Films include such properties as The
Stanford Prison Experiment, to be directed by Kyle Alvarez (C.O.G., Easier With Practice); Late Bloomer (starring
Elijah Wood) and Cover Girl both with Dignity Films financing; The Winchester Mystery House with Integrated Film;
and the epic docu-series Pulitzer with eOne financing.
Mr. Emery is a member of Film Independent and currently consults for various high-net worth individuals advising on
their media investments.
GUY J. LOUTHAN – Producer
Guy J. Louthan has had extensive US and international experience as a feature film producer over a period of more
than twenty-five years. Over the last twelve years he has specialized in international co-productions quickly becoming
an expert in the application and implementation of national, international and regional subsidies, tax incentives and
soft money structures to help package and produce feature films. As a producer for hire Guy has actively developed
and then implemented cost effective financial and physical production plans for a large number of European and US
based companies including Columbia Studios, Universal Films, Sony, Warner Brothers, New Line, 20th Century Fox,
Paramount Studios, Fox Searchlight, Miramax, Dimension, Focus Features, HBO Films, Killer Films, ABC, NBC,
Pearson Television, All American Television, Spike and many others. Guy has also been credited as a producer on
more than 50 feature films. Most recently producing the feature films, THE ROAD WITHIN and THE CALL. Prior to
this guy produced THE LOVERS and THERE BE DRAGONS both directed by Roland Joffe as well as PU-239 a
feature film on which he was credited as producer alongside George Clooney and Steven Soderberg. Originally from
Scotland Guy currently splits his time between homes in London and Los Angeles.
CHRISTOPHER BAFFA – Director of Photography
CHRISTOPHER BAFFA, ASC (Director of Photography) has worked in the motion picture industry for 25 years,
following his 1990 graduation from the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. He began his
career working in a variety of capacities within the electric and camera departments before achieving his first
theatrical director of photography credit in 1994.
Christopher has been quite fortunate in sharing his time between television projects and theatrical feature films. He
photographed Ryan Murphy's RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, the film adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' novel starring
Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Gwenyth Paltrow, Brian Cox, and Joseph Fiennes, as well as the Warner Bros.
comedy “Unaccompanied Minors,” starring Lewis Black. Christopher’s other feature film credits include New Line
Cinema’s hit comedy NEXT FRIDAY starring Ice Cube, Sony Picture’s IDLE HANDS, with Seth Green and Jessica
Alba, SUICIDE KINGS starring Christopher Walken, Henry Thomas, and Denis Leary, and the recent independent
films GROWING UP AND OTHER LIES, and THE ROAD WITHIN.
In television, Christopher recently completed the NBC Series event CROSSBONES starring John Malkovich. Prior to
that, his television credits included the pilot and subsequent seven seasons of FX Network’s Golden Globe winning
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drama NIP/TUCK, the pilot and first three seasons of the multi award-winning FOX series GLEE, as well as the first
season of the VH-1 dramatic series HIT THE FLOOR. He also photographed the pilot episodes for TNT's original
dramatic series THE CLOSER, starring Kyra Sedgwick, as well as FX’s drama AMERICAN HORROR STORY
starring Jessica Lange. His additional television credits include two seasons of the Warner Bros.’ series POPULAR,
as well as ABC’s THE D.A. and BAILEYS MISTAKE and the EASTWICK, PRETTY HANDSOME, and ODD JOBS
pilots.
Christopher was awarded Variety’s Ten Cinematographers To Watch Award in 1999, and honored with an invitation
to become a member of the American Society of Cinematographers in the spring of 2007.
Christopher was married in July of 2006, and resides in Los Angeles with his wife Azita and their son Mason, and
daughter Joan. In his off time, his hobbies include art collection, archaeology, and interior design study.
TEREL GIBSON – Editor
Terel Gibson graduated from Emory University in 1997. After graduating, he moved to New York and immediately fell
in love with the art of film editing. He got his film education working with some of the legends of the field. Terel has
collaborated on such films as The Cider House Rules (1999), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and The Fighter (2010).
Since branching out on his own, he has worked on numerous films as lead editor. The Road Within marks the 4th of
these endeavors and his first time working with director Gren Wells.
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