'A Turn of the Blinds' Plays Media Theatre's June Film Festival 6/8

Hamme Productions is proud to be a part of the Media Theatre's Ten Nights in June 2011 film festival! Join us for a screening of the award-winning, feel-good short film for all ages, A TURN OF THE BLINDS.

John Rim, a former Archmere Academy football coach is Joseph Aruffo. He never acted a day in life, but when his daughter, Brookhaven local, Mary Beth Rim asked him if he would star in her next film, he was positively delighted. Admittedly nervous at fist, Mary Beth, along with her producing partner Sara Painter were amazed at how well John was in front of the camera. A natural! Mary Beth and Painter were both 2000 graduates of West Chester University and formed Hamme Productions in 2010. In June, they shot the short film A Turn of the Blinds in Delaware County.

A Turn of the Blinds was shot in the summer of 2010 with a cast and crew made up of entirely local talent and Drexel University film graduates. "This short film reflects the wonderful essence of the area: the native dialect, the local business ethic and general hard-working attitude of the salt-of-the earth people who live here. It's a story about finding love at any age." - Mary Beth Rim, Writer & Director

Starring John Rim and Marcia Hepps, and featuring The Wire's Brian Anthony Wilson, Michael Broussard, Sara Painter and "Billy V from Fox TV" Bill Vargus, this fifteen-minute short shot under a professional Screen Actors Guild agreement. The film's outstanding crew features cinematographer Zac Rubino, makeup design by Julie Desiderio and wardrobe by Gina Scarnati. Music by Kevin Smith and Harry Bakow.

"My vision was to make it simple," says Mary Beth Rim, writer and director, "tell a story focusing on heart, honesty and a timeless magic. Some storytelling has a habit of getting lost in today's ‘innovative' filmmaking movie magic tricks. I did not want A Turn of the Blinds to fall into this category. This story needed to be told simply and well, we need to feel as if these characters and their issues could exist in any town, in any time. Inspiration came from The Godfather, Moonstruck, and believe it or not Lady and The Tramp. A Turn of the Blinds is the little movie with great big heart!"

Mary Beth and Sara Painter (Executive Producer) are currently submitting the film to festivals all over the world in hopes of securing funding for the full-length version of this film, and the production of their next one, already in pre-production in Delaware County.

A TURN OF THE BLINDS Synopsis: It is the holiday season in a 'timeless' town outside Philadelphia, and we meet a sweet 60 year-old local accountant with many friends, but no family. He is happy by himself, but something is missing. When he interviews for a secretary position, three odd ball characters show up at the interviews and Joe is left feeling more alone than ever. Will he find the right person? A feel-good film for all ages, A Turn of the Blinds is a short film that captures the belief that good things happen to good people. If, they are patient enough and have faith.

CAST:
John Rim (Joseph): A lifelong Delaware county resident, Rim sings with numerous choirs, and is on the most-wanted list to sing at weddings and funerals. He performs locally and regionally as a pianist and vocalist in many venues. A Turn of The Blinds is John's first film.

Marcia Hepps (Betty Drinker): Marcia Hepps has acted from The Sundance Institute in Utah to Bread and Puppet Theatre in Vermont. She has studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and has a BFA from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MFA from Brandeis University. She is currently teaching at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Notable roles include Sheila in Joe Egg, Sonya in Uncle Vanya, Bananas in House of Blue Leaves and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.

Michael Broussard (Benny) : Michael Broussard began his performing career back in 2003, when he wrote, directed and starred in the hit Philadelphia Fringe Festival show, Altar Boy: The Musical. After studying with Jose Aviles and Heather Krause at the Walnut Street Theatre, he decided to make this performing thing his full time job. Notable film roles include the crazed stalker in the horror short Dixie, the Nerdy School Photographer in the MTV hit music video "Bang Pop" by the band Free Energy, and Benny Filbert in A Turn of the Blinds. Onstage Michael was in the play Insurance at the Freedom Theater, Domestic Relations at the Adrienne, and in Altar Boy. In addition to his work as an actor, Michael also fronts a 50s-style rock n' roll, blues, swing and country band, Crazy Man Crazy, and he hosts and produces "The Five Minute Follies."

Sara Painter (Flora): In L.A., Sara co-founded a sketch comedy group called WATCH TV! and appeared in CSI: Miami and the web series The Spencer Howard Show. Sara's films include: Limitless, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Lovely Bones. Plays include: The Unexpected Guest, Emmitt Otter's Jugband Christmas and Dangerous Liaisons. Recent stage appearances in Philadelphia were with Vagabond Acting Troupe, the Waitstaff, and in Hedgerow's A Christmas Carol, and Dial M For Murder. Sara is co-founder of Hamme Productions and teaches an acting class for toddlers in Media. www.sarapainter.com

Brian Anthony Wilson began his 'adventures in filmdom' back in 1997 with Kevin Costner's epic, The Postman. Since then he has been fortunate to work on over 50 exciting & intriguing Film/TV projects, including: Snake Eyes with Gary Sinese, Keeping The Faith with Edward Norton & Ben Stiller, Shelter with Julianne Moore, The Fields with Cloris Leachman, Law Abiding Citizen with Jamie Foxx & Gerald Butler, Limitless with Bradley Cooper, Another Happy Day with Ellen Barkin & Ellen Burstyn and all 5 Seasons of HBO's critically acclaimed series, The Wire, as Homicide Detective Vernon Holley. Brian's first love is Theatre and you can catch him onstage in the Arden's Production of Superior Donuts in March 2011.

Bill Vargus is best known for his work as a sports anchor in the Philadelphia area, most recently on Fox 29, where he worked for 12 years from 1997 to 2009. Known to many viewers simply as "Billy V," he won Emmy awards for "Best Sports Anchor" in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2008 and 2009. He also has anchored sports at NBC10 in Philly, WOR in New York and the CBS affiliate in Buffalo. He had also previously acted in films and commercials, and returned to that passion fulltime in 2009, resulting in his role as "Allen" in A Turn of the Blinds.

Mary Beth Rim (Director): Rim started as an actor and can be seen starring in many independent features, including Got Papers, Evil in the Bayou, Tales from the Grave, Broken Angel, and Commack Road. Rim went on to open a successful L.A. Management and Production Company called Chaotik Management. In 2009 after moving to Pennsylvania, Rim co-founded Hamme Productions with Sara Painter. She currently resides as the CFO for Fun Little Movies, Laugh MD, and The MoShow in Los Angeles.

Zac Rubino (Cinematographer) is a filmmaker living and working in Philadelphia PA. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Drexel University where he studied film and video. Zac has since enjoyed a diversified shooting career lensing everything from short films to documentaries, music videos, and commercials. In 2010 he co-founded Expressway Grip, a full service Grip and Lighting equipment rental house. This recent venture embodies his roots in the industry as a Lighting Technician on over a dozen feature films. It is here that he continues to work and learn alongside many of the areas most talented filmmakers.

(Sound Design) A graduate of Drexel University's Film and Video program, Laura Rachfalski works both in production and post sound, most recently mixing A Turn of the Blinds as well as doing foley work for the local horror feature, The Fields. Laura supplements her freelance work with a job in the broadcast design department at QVC. In her free time she produces the rowdy, Philadelphia-based film review podcast, Farce/Film.

Maggie Ruder (Scenic Design) graduated from Drexel University in 2009 with a BA in Graphic Design, and a minor in Sociology. Maggie enjoys working with a combination of film and design, and has been working as a designer, art pa and art director since 2008.Maggie recently spent six months working as an Art Director for Bigfoot Studios in the Philippines. www.mjr-d.com

Megan Rose Collaborating with Hamme Productions as the Line Producer on A Turn of the Blinds has been Megan's first time working on the "other" side of the camera. A Pennsylvania native, Megan now lives and works in Los Angeles, California as a film, T.V., commercial and theatrical actress. Most recently she can be seen punchin' and kickin' in the new Billy Blanks fitness infomercial PT 24/7. Www.meganrosefilm.com

The cast of A TURN OF THE BLINDS includes: Michael Broussard, Brian Anthony Wilson, Bill Vargus, John Rim, Marcia Hepps, Sara Painter and a cameo by Mary Beth Rim.