Hard to Love
Writer/Director: Anne Norda
Producer: Stephanie Bell
Cinematographer: David Mahlmann
Editor: Craig Nisker
Synopsis:
Ever try to resurrect an unworkable relationship? When Rosa decides to dig up her zombie husband, Rodrigo, and "untangle the curse" that sent him to an early grave, she bumps into unexpected obstacles. After bringing him home, Rosa cooks for him, cleans for him, sings for him, even attempts to renew their intimacy, but Rodrigo's participation just isn’t what it used to be. “Uncommunicative” is a euphemism in this disastrous relationship. Rosa soon discover that life with a zombie is not only very difficult, but dangerous to one's health.
Web Site: www.stopimnotdeadyet.com
Biographies:
CREW
DIRECTOR - Anne Norda
Anne is a writer, filmmaker and photographer. Her debut feature film, Red is the Color of with Irina Bjorklund (The American) which she wrote, directed and produced won “Best Feature Film” at both the La Femme Film Festival and the Oxford International Festival, garnered international distribution and is available on Netflix. She studied photography and filmmaking at the Parsons School of Design in Paris and New York and was a Fulbright scholar. Anne was the editor of Accent Thai Magazine in Bancock for one exhilarating year. Anne is preparing to direct her second feature film, the comedy/horror Stop, I’m Not Dead Yet! The concept trailer for the project recently won The Bleedfest’s Inana Award. She is a freelance writer for MovieMaker Magazine, has a blog on their online edition, and teaches an ongoing creative writing workshop called “The Write Brain Workshop.” Anne is the creator and co-director of The Script-a-thon, a national screenwriting competition. She is a published poet and a produced playwright, and is collaborating on her first musical theater piece, Trouble, an adult fairy tale. Anne holds both a Finnish (E.U.) and US citizenship.
PRODUCER - Stephanie Bell
Stephanie is an award-winning producer of film and theater in Los Angeles. She began her collaboration with Writer/Director Anne Norda in 2010. Stephanie is currently filming the sci-fi feature "Inverse" and has a number of other feature films in development. She co-produced the feature, "7 Songs" and produced over 10 short films (three of which have won Best Short Film awards). She also collaborated with Oscar nominated writer José Rivera on The Winged Man, starring Ugly Betty’s Ana Ortiz, for the prestigious AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Stephanie has over 14 years of experience in production, business & legal affairs, and finance, working for companies such as Paramount Pictures, Interscope Communications, and Franchise Pictures. While at these companies, Stephanie worked on films such as Mission Impossible II (John Woo, Director), Bringing Out the Dead (Martin Scorsese, Director), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton, Director), and The Pledge (Sean Penn, Director), among others. She has also produced for the highly popular webseries, www.Manvsfilms.com. Stephanie’s pitch for her feature film, The Devil of Appalachia (currently in development), was chosen by AFM and The People’s Choice Awards as a finalist for their inaugural Favorite Film Pitch Competition. To date, Stephanie is the only woman chosen to compete since the contest was launched. Stephanie began her career as an actress, studying with Oscar winning director, Mike Nichols, at his The New Actors Workshop conservatory. She performed Off-Broadway, regionally, and in film before turning her attention to producing.
CAST:
Luis Robledo - RODRIGO
Luis Robledo’s experience in front and behind the camera spans across two decades and several state lines. As an actor, he learned the foundation of his craft over several years in the theater, in Boston, MA with the critically-acclaimed company, The Harrison Project. Eventually setting his sights on TV and Film, Luis made his move to LA in 1997. After many testing years, Luis began to build a solid reputation as a performer within the casting community. His TV Guest Star credits include: Six Feet Under, The X Files, The Shield, CSI:Miami, as well as a recurring role in the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated PBS series, American Family: Journey of Dreams. His latest work on the Silver screen is as Staff Sgt. Gilberto Solares in the multi-award-winning spy-thriller indie, A Lonely Place For Dying, featuring Oscar-nominee, James Cromwell, and indie favorite, Michael Wincott . After several years, Luis‘ restless nature led him to explore other facets of filmmaking: writing, directing and editing. His first short film, El Taxista has been an official selection of 17 festivals world-wide and has received 4 awards and 5 nominations to date. In 2010, Luis founded the Center for the Cinematic Arts—half production company, half education center. The first class to be offered at the the CFCA is THE ACTOR’S GYM, an on-camera class, designed to replicate the “On-Set” experience and allow the actor to face, work out, and overcome the challenges that are specific to the film medium, most often not taught in traditional acting classes. As a production company, the CFCA has created 3 PSAs for the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, airing on CBS, as well as several mini-documentaries for the Wild Burro Rescue & Preservation Project.
Marisilda Garcia - ROSA
It has been a busy year for Marisilda since she arrived at Los Angeles from her native Texas three years ago. She earned a role in the five time award winning short “El Taxista”, written and directed by Luis Robledo as well as a lead role in Tim Clarke’s Cornhole: The Movie while living in Kentucky in 2007. She plays the lead roles in both “Abigail’s Reality” and “Hard to Love,” a supporting role in the award winning short, “Paperboy,” and stars in several commercials both in English and Spanish. Additionally, Marisilda is the driving force behind “Sorry, Nelson” a Latin-edge band and winner of “best Band” at Indie Fest USA 2008 as singer/songwriter and currently touring the Los Angeles area. She also serves as managing partner of the Center for Cinematic Arts, a performing arts center/production company in Los Angeles.
Biographies:
CREW
DIRECTOR - Anne Norda
Anne is a writer, filmmaker and photographer. Her debut feature film, Red is the Color of with Irina Bjorklund (The American) which she wrote, directed and produced won “Best Feature Film” at both the La Femme Film Festival and the Oxford International Festival, garnered international distribution and is available on Netflix. She studied photography and filmmaking at the Parsons School of Design in Paris and New York and was a Fulbright scholar. Anne was the editor of Accent Thai Magazine in Bancock for one exhilarating year. Anne is preparing to direct her second feature film, the comedy/horror Stop, I’m Not Dead Yet! The concept trailer for the project recently won The Bleedfest’s Inana Award. She is a freelance writer for MovieMaker Magazine, has a blog on their online edition, and teaches an ongoing creative writing workshop called “The Write Brain Workshop.” Anne is the creator and co-director of The Script-a-thon, a national screenwriting competition. She is a published poet and a produced playwright, and is collaborating on her first musical theater piece, Trouble, an adult fairy tale. Anne holds both a Finnish (E.U.) and US citizenship.
PRODUCER - Stephanie Bell
Stephanie is an award-winning producer of film and theater in Los Angeles. She began her collaboration with Writer/Director Anne Norda in 2010. Stephanie is currently filming the sci-fi feature "Inverse" and has a number of other feature films in development. She co-produced the feature, "7 Songs" and produced over 10 short films (three of which have won Best Short Film awards). She also collaborated with Oscar nominated writer José Rivera on The Winged Man, starring Ugly Betty’s Ana Ortiz, for the prestigious AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Stephanie has over 14 years of experience in production, business & legal affairs, and finance, working for companies such as Paramount Pictures, Interscope Communications, and Franchise Pictures. While at these companies, Stephanie worked on films such as Mission Impossible II (John Woo, Director), Bringing Out the Dead (Martin Scorsese, Director), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton, Director), and The Pledge (Sean Penn, Director), among others. She has also produced for the highly popular webseries, www.Manvsfilms.com. Stephanie’s pitch for her feature film, The Devil of Appalachia (currently in development), was chosen by AFM and The People’s Choice Awards as a finalist for their inaugural Favorite Film Pitch Competition. To date, Stephanie is the only woman chosen to compete since the contest was launched. Stephanie began her career as an actress, studying with Oscar winning director, Mike Nichols, at his The New Actors Workshop conservatory. She performed Off-Broadway, regionally, and in film before turning her attention to producing.
CAST:
Luis Robledo - RODRIGO
Luis Robledo’s experience in front and behind the camera spans across two decades and several state lines. As an actor, he learned the foundation of his craft over several years in the theater, in Boston, MA with the critically-acclaimed company, The Harrison Project. Eventually setting his sights on TV and Film, Luis made his move to LA in 1997. After many testing years, Luis began to build a solid reputation as a performer within the casting community. His TV Guest Star credits include: Six Feet Under, The X Files, The Shield, CSI:Miami, as well as a recurring role in the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated PBS series, American Family: Journey of Dreams. His latest work on the Silver screen is as Staff Sgt. Gilberto Solares in the multi-award-winning spy-thriller indie, A Lonely Place For Dying, featuring Oscar-nominee, James Cromwell, and indie favorite, Michael Wincott . After several years, Luis‘ restless nature led him to explore other facets of filmmaking: writing, directing and editing. His first short film, El Taxista has been an official selection of 17 festivals world-wide and has received 4 awards and 5 nominations to date. In 2010, Luis founded the Center for the Cinematic Arts—half production company, half education center. The first class to be offered at the the CFCA is THE ACTOR’S GYM, an on-camera class, designed to replicate the “On-Set” experience and allow the actor to face, work out, and overcome the challenges that are specific to the film medium, most often not taught in traditional acting classes. As a production company, the CFCA has created 3 PSAs for the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, airing on CBS, as well as several mini-documentaries for the Wild Burro Rescue & Preservation Project.
Marisilda Garcia - ROSA
It has been a busy year for Marisilda since she arrived at Los Angeles from her native Texas three years ago. She earned a role in the five time award winning short “El Taxista”, written and directed by Luis Robledo as well as a lead role in Tim Clarke’s Cornhole: The Movie while living in Kentucky in 2007. She plays the lead roles in both “Abigail’s Reality” and “Hard to Love,” a supporting role in the award winning short, “Paperboy,” and stars in several commercials both in English and Spanish. Additionally, Marisilda is the driving force behind “Sorry, Nelson” a Latin-edge band and winner of “best Band” at Indie Fest USA 2008 as singer/songwriter and currently touring the Los Angeles area. She also serves as managing partner of the Center for Cinematic Arts, a performing arts center/production company in Los Angeles.
