RAWSTOCK Experiments with Synergistic Cinema 5/19

Always pushing the boundaries of the film genre and redefining grindhouse cinema, RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival opens its sixth season at ACT with the much anticipated debut of an entirely new experiment called "synergistic cinema" designed to challenge six up and coming local filmmakers through a single film project, Every Day is a Journey.

Every Day is a Journey is a serialized story told in six, five-minute chapters written/directed by six distinct and unique local filmmakers, each using the characters and story threads introduced in the previous chapter. Similar to the old schoolyard game of story improv, where each person contributes a sentence to create an unpredictable tale, each filmed episode of Every Day is a Journey will be taken over by a new creative auteur. The initial chapter, written and directed by RAWSTOCK Co-Founders Justin Freet and William (WT) Russell, combines the worlds of small-time grifting and self-help gurus, and where it goes from there is up to each successive writer/director: Nik Perleros, Ben Rapson, Christian Palmer, Jason Reid, and Ian Connors.

While each chapter of Every Day is a Journey will advance the story set forth by the preceding writer/director, each chapter must also serve as a standalone short film, posing a secondary challenge to the creative teams.

"William Russell and I were inspired by the serials created in 2004 by Los Angeles screenwriters Dan Harmon (Heat Vision, Jack) and Rob Schrab (Monster House), and thought we should create a film version of what they initiated; an experiment we're calling ‘synergistic cinema'," said Freet. "The varied filmmaking styles create a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience for our fans and give each writer/director an opportunity to approach films in a new way."

Each chapter of Every Day is a Journey will sequentially premiere at each RAWSTOCK event, starting May 19, with the final two chapters and the film shown in its entirety at the grand finale screening in December (date to be announced).

The RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival will also feature the return of RAWSTOCK favorite Mitch Magee with The Bartender, visionary animator Micheala Olsens with Fuzzy Insides, and newcomer Ben Rapson with Teething, as well as all-new visceral short films from around the world, including the Canadian grindhouse tour-de-force film Hobo with a Shotgun by Rob "Yer Dead" Cotterill.
The RAW Lounge, sponsored by Bulliet Bourbon, will open for cocktails at 7:30 p.m. Screenings begin at 8:00 p.m. An after party at Liberty Bar will follow each screening. Tickets are $10 and available at the ACT Ticket Office, 700 Union Street, Downtown Seattle, (206) 292-7676 or online at www.acttheatre.org.

About the Writers/Directors
Ian Connors is a Seattle-based cinematographer and producer of 8 Rivers Films (established in 2004). In the past few years, he has directed and shot large budget marketing and training videos, documentaries, and narrative films. He has also documented several stories for The Discovery Channel and covered Northwest Medical Teams International in New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Justin Freet is a Seattle-based filmmaker and co-founder of the RAWSTOCK Film Festival. Freet created RAWSTOCK in 2004 as a showcase for visceral, irreverent local and national films. RAWSTOCK has grown in the past six years into an experience unlike any other film event in Seattle. Freet is the writer/director of the first chapter of Everyday is a Journey.

Christian Palmer is a Seattle-based filmmaker, writer, and actor. His short films include The Collie and the Lamb, Carefully Timed Explosions and Forcefields. His feature-length directorial debut William Never Married will premiere in 2010. Recent acting credits include Linas Phillips' Bassackwards (Sundance 2010) and CAlvin Lee Reeder's The Oregonian.

Nik Perleros is a Seattle-based actor, graphic designer, photographer, and filmmaker. He is extremely excited to be directing the second episode of RAWSTOCK's Every Day Is A Journey. This will mark the first short film produced by his new group of collaborators, Three Steaming Kettles. Last March, his short film Hangman screened as part of the RAW Artists showcase in Long Beach, CA. In development: a feature film written with fellow Balagan Theatre company member Chris Bell and a TV-show pilot with Chris and Davey Young.
Ben Rapson is a Seattle-based director, primarily of silent short films. He is the co-founder of Breathing Media, and his latest short, Teething, will be showing at the May 19 RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival. In addition to directing, Rapson is also a coordinator on productions such as Megan Griffiths' feature The Off Hours and MTV.com's web series $5 Cover: Seattle, written and directed by Lynn Shelton.

Jason Reid is a Seattle-based director, producer, and editor of 2R Productions. He has amassed a large body of creative work over the past eight years consisting of one narrative feature film, two documentaries, numerous short films, and music videos. He has also directed corporate video projects for Microsoft, Costco, and Nordstrom.

William (WT) Russell is an Everett-based filmmaker and is co-founder of the RAWSTOCK Film Festival. His films include the dark comedic gems Breakfast With Friends and Helper Monkey.

About RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival
RAWSTOCK Short Film Festival launched in 2004 as a showcase for raw, irreverent local filmmakers. Created by native sons William Russell and Justin Freet, RAWSTOCK focuses on cutting-edge animation, dark comedy, and grindhouse style action. Now in its sixth year, RAWSTOCK has grown to encompass movies, music, and comedy from all over the world. Event coordinators include Freet, Russell, Dylan Noebels, Darrius Scheider, Jason Reid, Jon Garn, and many more invaluable contributors.

About ACT - A Contemporary Theatre
Located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serving a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences, ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is the only local theatre dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate, and engage in dialogue on today's thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor.

ACT gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Season Sponsors ArtsFund, ACT Foundation, The Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and The Shubert Foundation, along with Producing Partners 4Culture, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Nesholm Family Foundation, the Peg & Rick Young Foundation, and PONCHO.