Our New Film: Justine

We're very excited to be crowdfunding our new project, a film based on the Marquis de Sade's Justine!  

Want to be a part of this amazing new movie, "More Sadistic than De Sade himself"? Then check out our campaign at the link right here! 

We have tons of amazing perks in return for your contribution, like downloads, DVDs, signed books, and there are also ways for you to have a say in the content of the film!!!

Olalla: The IndieGoGo Campaign

Just a few days ago, we began shooting the contemporary scenes for Olalla, my fourth feature film as director. I also am the protagonist in this film. Cool beans! You can read more about the shooting of the film on the Olalla Facebook Page.

So, last week we launched the IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for the scenes set in the late 1800's. In particular a huge blow-out AWESOME scene in which Olalla is dragged out of her home by a mob of angry villagers, chained to a cross, whipped, and burned at the stake. Intense, I know. And that scene involves a ton of extras in period costume, a great location, and a lot of production. So, we're trying to raise funds to make it the most awesome, intense scene ever!

We've kept the cost low for the contemporary scenes by working with a small crew, sourcing a great location from a friend, and cutting corners where we could. Even as such, those scenes still look big-budget! Because we're that good. See for yourself in this production still, below. Awesome, right?!

Notice the nice lighting here. And this is raw, without post-production.

We really want to make the huge cross/whipping/burning-at-the-stake scene the best ever to be seen on the big screen, so please consider helping us do that by taking a look at the campaign! We have tons of perks for your contribution, like a pre-sale of the Download/DVD (at a discount), autographed photos, the book (by Robert Louis Stevenson) signed by Amy Hesketh (me), t-shirts, copies of the script signed by Amy Hesketh (me) and other cast members, an Associate Producer credit, an opportunity to have Amy Hesketh (me) shoot an interview just for you (answering your questions), the chance to be an extra in the big "burning at the stake" scene, an Executive Producer credit, and much more! It's all really good stuff. Seriously, there's something for everyone, for every budget.

So far we've reached over 10% of our goal. You can help us reach 100%!!!

Here's a link to the campaign right here!

And here's the pitch video below, telling you more about what we're trying to do. 

It's also funny, so I urge you to watch it.

Fantastic Review of Le Marquis de la Croix in the Beverly Hills Outlook!

Mila Joya and Jac Avila in Le Marquis de la Croix

"(Le Marquis de la Croix)... is a master class in film direction, courtesy of Hesketh herself.". Nice! Right?

You can read the full review by clicking right here!

I'm very pleased with this review, it really could not be better. A big thank you to Charles Lonberger for this. Quite frankly, he understands my films 100%.

Haven't gotten your copy of the movie yet? You can find the DVD Here, or the Download Here!

A fabulous review of Barbazul will be coming out in the same publication very soon, I can't wait to share the link!

The Official Theatrical Trailer of Dead But Dreaming!

The 25th of July Dead But Dreaming (Muerta Pero Soñando) hits Bolivian movie theaters! Below is the fantastic trailer of Jac Avila's latest masterpiece, featuring yours truly and many other talented actors, such as Veronica Paintoux, Mila Joya, Jac Avila, Jorge Ortiz, Claudia Moscoso, Rhobess Pierre, Beto Lopez, Eric Calancha, and many more!

Use the toggles below to watch it in HD, it's worth it!

My First Video Blog Post: Location Scouting for Dead But Dreaming

Cliffs outside of La Paz

I had a great time yesterday location scouting for the remaining scene for Dead But Dreaming. The fresh air was wonderful.

Over the past few months, Jac was editing Dead But Dreaming, made his first cut, and decided that something was missing. Yesterday we made the first step in filling in that fantastic puzzle piece.

The scene will be somewhat elaborate, it's the story of how Mila Joya's character, a slave who is falsely accused of theft, whipped and crucified for the enjoyment of her mistress's guests, becomes a vampire.

The location we found is about an hour outside of La Paz, in a beautiful valley. You can watch the video below, right here:

1st Review of Le Marquis de la Croix

Le Marquis de la Croix

Bolivia 2012
produced by
Amy Hesketh, Jac Avila, Roberto Lopez L. for Decadent Cinema
directed by Amy Hesketh
starring Mila Joya, Jac Avila, Amy Hesketh, Eric Calancha
written by Amy Hesketh

review by
Mike Haberfelner (re)searchmytrash.com

A young tourist (Amy Hesketh) stumbles into a museum dedicated to the (long deceased) Marquis de la Croix (Jac Avila). She catches the guide (Eric Calancha) depicting the last years of the Marquis, when he was held in solitary confinement - well, solitary confinement in theory at least, actually, against a healthy sum of bribe money, he was given an endless supply of beautiful young condemned-to-death female convicts to torture and kill at his leisure ...
The Marquis's latest victim is Zynga (Mila Joya), a young gipsy who might be innocent of the crime she has been accused of, but her innocence only attracts the Marquis all the more to her, as he forces her to fellate him. whips her, strips her naked, puts her on the rack, humiliates her in every way imaginable, and whips her some (well, a lot) more, until he has broken her spirit and she begins to feel her torture and humiliation as normal and accepts him as her master. And then he crucifies her ...
Of course, this story can't be verified or falsified, as it only exists in the Marquis's memoirs, which might be 100% made up. Then again, this could happen to everybody, even our young tourist ...

One thing up front: Le Marquis de la Croix is not a film for everybody, as it doesn't shy away from showing exactly what it's talking about - which means you see a naked woman being tortured and humiliated, a lot. And while Mila Joy does look just gorgeous in the nude, you might not want to see her treated that way ... but on the other hand, at the end of the day, this is just a movie of course.
With the obvious out of the way, Le Marquis de la Croix, despite its very graphic content, is more than just mere torture porn, as in its off-screen narration (by the Marquis himself) it mines the de Sade-like philosophy of its villain and gives fascinating insights into his depraved mind - but in a twisted way that reminds one of Nietzsche's "if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
So once again, this film isn't for everybody - but if you can stomach it, it's also a quite fascinating little film.

Oh, and if my review at all got you interested, you may want to get the movie from here:http://movies.vermeerworks.com or http://vermeerworks.com/store/dvds/

review © by Mike Haberfelner

A Critique of Martyr in English and Spanish

What follows is the first critique of Martyr. I find it insightful and very well written and think that it's my duty to share it with you.

The first presentation of Martyr was at the University of Connecticut by invitation of the professor Dr. Gigliotti. The audience were students of Cinema and literature.

On of those students sent Jac Avila a letter containing his impressions. It was the first critique that Martyr received.

Concerning the feature film you showcased for our Film and Literature class.

I thought I would give you at least one person’s humble opinion.

I am fascinated by artistic visions. An artist myself, I am always intrigued to see one’s passions brought to life, that progression of intention, strife, and outcome. Clearly, your film is a labor of love. There is a line delivered fairly early on in the movie, something to the effect, “You’ll appreciate freedom when it’s taken away from you.” The line stuck with me because, in Camille’s case, I found it to be just the opposite. Her entire journey is in pursuit of freedom, something she obviously lacks; although the methods she chooses in procuring it are certainly interesting ones: she forsakes a relationship of stability and love for one of uncertainty and torment. That these turn into a sort of liberation speaks volumes about a deeply affected psychology. She is quite the interesting character, to say the least.

Personally, I am drawn to religious commentaries and the unholy marriage of pain/pleasure, both of which are sprinkled liberally throughout your film. I feel the strongest parts of the work, however, are the ones that deal with neither. I am speaking of the one on one conversations between Dave and Julian, Camille and Tadeusz, etc.; their rumination of everyday living, love and loss keep the work grounded. (They also inject some humor into otherwise dire matter.) Here the humanity, the universality of painful existence, is allowed to shine. That isn’t to say I don’t feel the graphic scenes are unsuccessful. To the contrary, the “one on ones” are effective precisely because of their juxtaposition with depictions of animalistic impulses and cruelty. You cut from such bloody, ghastly extremes back to delicate interactions seamlessly. In short, I feel it is this balance of convention/excess, love/hate, acceptance/rejection that propels the film along.

While I am not that acquainted with the story of Eulalia, I am still able to appreciate Camille’s quest, the lengths she is willing to go to feel fulfilled. Many, no doubt, will find such lengths disturbing. I don’t see them as all that divorced from the lengths the artist takes to deliver his or her creations to the masses. Anything worth creating tends to stem from hardship, heartache, woe, and suffering. I mean, I’ve written a lot of songs and painted a lot of pictures, and I don’t recall a damn one of them coming from an abundance of happiness.

In any event, I want to thank you again for having allowed us to participate in the film’s first screening. I wish you much success with its distribution and festival showings. Take care.

Sincerely,

Joe Clifford

(Version en Español)

La primera presentación pública de Martyr fué en la Universidad de Connecticut por invitación del profesor de cine Dr. Gigliotti. La audiencia eran sus estudiantes de cine y literatura.

Uno de los estudiantes se dió la tarea de enviarme sus impresiones. Esta es la primera crítica que recibió Martyr.

Sobre la película que mostraste a nuestra clase de Cine y Literatura.

Pense que por lo menos puedo darte la humilde opinión de una persona.

Me fascinan las visiones artísticas. Como artista, siempre me intriga ver como uno lleva a la vida una pasión, esa progresión de la intentión, la lucha y el resultado. Ciertamente, tu pelicula es una labor de amor. Hay un párrafo en el diálogo bastante temprano en el film, algo así como: “Se aprecia la libertad cuando te la quitan”. Esa linea se me quedó porque, en el caso de Camille, he visto que es lo opuesto. Todo su recorrido es en busca de libertad, algo que obviamente no tiene: aunque los métodos que elige para encontrarla son realmente interesantes: deja una relación de estabilidad y amor por un camino incierto y lleno de tormento. El hecho que eso se convierte en un tipo de liberación dice volúmenes sobre una psicología profundamente afectada. Ella es un personaje interesante, es lo mínimo que se puede decir.

Personalmente me atraen los comentarios religiosos y la impia unión entre el dolor y el placer, ambos liberalmente repartidos en todo tu film. Pero pienso que las partes mas fuertes del trabajo, sin embargo, son aquellas que no tienen que ver con ninguno de esos puntos. Me refiero a las conversaciones uno a uno entre Dave y Julien, Camille y Tadeusz, etc.; sus reflexiones de la vida diaria, el amor, la perdida mantienen el trabajo bien fundado. Tambien inyectan algo de humor en un asunto terrible. Aquí la humanidad, la universalidad de una existencia dolorosa, sale a relucir.

Lo que no quiere decir que las escenas gráficas no funcionen. Al contraro. Los uno a uno son efectivos precisamente por la yuxtaposición con representaciones de impulsos animales y crueldad. Tú cortas de tan sangrientos y horripilantes extremos a las interacciones delicadas sin ningún problema. En resumen, siento que es este balance de convencional/exceso, amor/odio, aceptación/rechazo es lo que empuja al film hacia delante.

Aunque no estoy familiarizado con la historia de Eulalia, todavía puedo apreciar la busqueda de Camille, los extremos a los que está dispuesta a llegar para sentirse completa. Muchos, sin duda, verán estos extremos inquietantes. Yo no los veo tan alejados de los extremos a los que un artista llega para llevar sus creaciones a las masas. Cualquier cosa que merece ser creada, tiende a surgir de las dificultades, angustias, lamentos, sufrimientos. Me explico, he escrito muchas canciones y he pintado muchas pinturas y no recuerdo ninguna maldita de ellas emergiendo de una abundancia de felicidad.

De cualquier manera, quiero agradecerte nuevamente por permitirnos participar de la primera presentación de la pelicula. Te deseo exitos con la distribución, festivales y presentaciones. Cuidate.

Sinceramente,

Joe Clifford