New York, NY, – Vincent Pastore, aka “Big Pussy” in the award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos,” has been signed to star in Gotham-based Pavaline Studios’ upcoming short. The film will be scripted by the winner of Pavaline’s Filmmakers Network Mafia Short Script Competition, the first in a series sponsored by the recently established indie studio.
Pastore who has a long list of film and television credits, has been working in back-to-back features, including the currently shooting “Thunder Doyle” and “The Ocean.” “I am very happy to be a part of this competition,” Pastore expressed. “I have always been a strong supporter of independent films and look forward to reading many interesting scripts.” Paul Borghese, having worked with many Italian actors, including Pastore, has been set to helm the project.
With a February 21st submission deadline (including free entry for all contests by January 31st), the contest winner for the Mafia Short Script Competition will be announced in April, and production slated for late spring. Joseph James, Jr., Executive Producer for Pavaline Studios, has added a sense of importance for the entire slate of short films to be produced this year. “We value our short films and their writers the same way we do our features. We will use marquee lead actors in our shorts and support their submission to leading film festivals as well.”
Pavaline Studios has been active in the development marketplace, including its partnership with DreamAgo, an international script-to-film development association. In addition to soliciting screenplays through Pavaline.com’s open door submission policy, the East Coast studio has participated in last year’s IFP Emerging Narrative in NY, co-sponsored events at the AFI/AFM, and was a favorite exhibitor at the Screenwriting Expo in LA where they registered nearly 1,000 screenwriters to the website.
About Pavaline: Pavaline Studios was founded, in April 2008 in New York City, as a creative environment with an innovative approach to finding, developing and producing films that matter. From New York City, Pavaline works with strategic partners across the world, representing every aspect of filmmaking. For more information about the Pavaline Studios slate, advisory team and production process, log onto www.pavalinestudios.com
Q&A; with Marc Dahan, Head of Pavaline Studios
Cinema Without Borders: When was Pavaline formed and what would you say prompted its creation?
Marc Dahan: I formed the company in early 2008. Prior to that, I was curious about why there hadn’t been an entity set up to house writers and filmmakers from all over the world to cultivate their talent, and also help them produce projects. You see, there’s a massive need there. Talent exists globally, yet most filmmakers haven’t the access to production to make it real. I wanted to bridge that gap. I turned to David Allensworth, who had helped to launch a channel for Rainbow Media and who was previously a development exec at VH1 to help shape the nebulous of the idea into a real plan. It didn’t take us long to build a strategy and a studio.
CWB: How would you say Pavaline differs from other production companies?
Marc Dahan: I’d say in four distinct areas: We have an open door submission policy for one; bi-monthly short script competitions where we make the winning script – that definitely puts us in our own class; we have accredited industry professionals that are advisors to the online network and active in all our productions – of course, this ultimately ensures our slate is top notch; and we’ve created a production management platform that digitally manages the processes of development, production, and post – what’s great is that it makes each project more efficient and transparent for all decision-makers.
CWB: As filmmakers and veterans of the industry, in what direction do you see the film industry taking and where does Pavaline fit into the future of filmmaking?
Marc Dahan: Content sourcing and content creation is quickly becoming accessible to filmmakers from anywhere in the world via the web, and Pavaline has positioned itself at the heart. With our relationships at all levels of production, financing, and distribution, we have a real system to manage the process of finding great projects and seeing them to fruition.
CWB: Where is Pavaline based, and do you envision a global outlook for it?
Marc Dahan: Pavaline is based in mid-town New York City. And we already have a global reach. We have representatives, partners, advisors, and even members to our filmmakers’ network in 29 countries on all continents. For instance, we are privileged to have a partnership with Dreamago, based out of Paris. They are the equivalent to the Sundance Institute, but in Europe. We’ve also co-sponsored events at several fests, like AFI/AFM in 2008 and the upcoming Berlin Film Festival, we were a popular exhibitor at the Screenwriting Expo in LA, we participated in IFP’s Emerging Narrative, and we’ll be at Locarno in Switzerland this summer. So, we’re really active both online and offline on a global level.
CWB: What advice would you give aspiring filmmakers?
Marc Dahan: Even though it is a necessity to have a passion for your work, you need to know that you must be willing to collaborate with others to get it done. It is a team effort. You must put together a team you trust and infuse them with your passion.
CWB: What type of genres does Pavaline look for in creating its development slate?
Marc Dahan: One thing we can say for sure is that we are looking for stories that make a difference, make us think. In the meantime, we will produce 6 short films in 2009 from our short script competitions that are specifically based genres. Mafia is the first one; then one on the environment, urban, political, horror, and finally comedy. Of course, we’re not limited to those for our overall feature film development slate.
CWB: Is there one thing you would like to accomplish this year?
Marc Dahan: Along with producing at least 6 shorts, we expect to be greenlit on a financed feature film production or two. And our filmmakers network, early this year, will be fully integrated with Blogs, Webinars, and Forums. It’s very exciting indeed.
With the exciting projects that are on the move for Pavaline Studios, below is their current newswire involving their first screenplay competition.