This 'Once Upon a Riot' rough cut sizzler was created in just hours prior to and for a special invitational event at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles, California.
'From Under The Bridge' actors Piper Reese, Sara Wolfkind, Chris Cimperman and Ryon Thomas traveled to Royal Oak, Michigan with writer/director Paul James to attend the sold-out 'Royal Starr Film Festival' screening at the Emagine Theater on September 9th, 2022. On September 18th, Paul received a message from the festival team informing him the film had won the ultimate Grand Jury Award for 'Best Short Film'. With so many people in attendance, including many of Paul's Michigan friends, the screening, nomination and win were especially significant and special. The film has now won over 25 awards, including 7 'Best Film' awards.
"Thank YOU! Royal Starr Film Festival for nominating and selecting ‘From Under The Bridge: When Bullies Become Trolls’ as your Grand Jury Award Winner for ‘Best Short Film’. We are sincerely honored, thrilled, delighted and proud… not only for the award and recognition, but also to have been selected and be able to attend your fabulous film festival. Your organization is truly exceptional and both Luke and Billy have been wonderful throughout. Cheers to YOU! We would also like to thank everyone who came to see the screening, our sensational cast and crew, and all our dedicated supporters." - Paul James ‘Once Upon a Riot’ sneak peek and BTS images from the UK shoot… featuring the 1992 ‘Jam Sandwich’ Police Car provided by Cars On Film (@carsonfilm_actionvehicles ). Drone team on the day were Netsky (@netsky.uk ).
. . . . . #onceuponariot We are sincerely proud, honored and ecstatic to announce; ‘From Under The Bridge’ has been selected to screen in Royal Oak, Michigan at the Royal Starr Film Festival (@royalstarrff ) in September, 2022. Paul James spent many years in and around this beautiful city and state, and he is thrilled to be able to bring the film to the big screen for all his friends and supporters. The festival runs from September 8th - 18th at the Emagine Movie Theater. The exact date and time will be announced as soon as it has been published. Congratulations to the entire 'From Under The Bridge' team and thank YOU Royal Starr Film Festival.
The 'Once Upon a Riot' official poster has been released! Poster design by Akton (Brendan Ryan and David Sacha). Original concept by Paul James.
Enjoy this 'Once Upon a Riot' sneak peek taken from the UK footage...
Dreamotion Studios and Broken Flames Productions are absolutely delighted to announce; Sam Hollis has been cast in the role of 'Lee Cooper' on the 'Once Upon a Riot' film project. Sam's audition journey was very unique, in that he originally read for the role of 'Justin' when the production was seeking an American actor in the UK. And although that particular role was eventually cast in the United States, Sam wowed the director and producers with his diverse skills and ability, and he was invited to audition for the role of 'Lee'. Which, as you can see, went exceptionally well. Sam's casting story illustrates the audition path may appear to end abruptly, or take you an unexpected detour, but it doesn't necessarily mean your journey towards being part of the project is concluding. Sometimes, the path may twist and turn, or you may be invited to take an alternative route. But the destination, although perhaps different from the original vision, may still be glorious or even exceed the original expectations. In this case, Sam's talent and overall fit for the role resulted in him being cast as 'Lee'. And we are excited to work with him.
Congratulations and welcome to the cast, Sam! Sincerely and with happy hearts, Paul James (writer/director), Connie Jo, Ella and Maya (producers). We would also like to thank the many wonderful and talented actors who submitted and auditioned for this role. We truly wish we had roles for you all. Thank you! Sam Hollis Official Bio: Sam trained at ArtsEd, graduating in 2021. He made his professional debut shortly after, playing Demetrius, Tom Snout and Mustardseed in 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' at Petersfield Shakespeare Festival. He has performed with the company since 2014, including roles as Orlando, As You Like It; Dromio of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors; Montjoy / Bourbon/ Thomas Grey, Henry V; and Fleance, Macbeth. He will also be appearing as Don John in their 2022 production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' later this summer. Film credits include: Kemi, directed by Jack Ryder and Skin for Channel 4 Random Acts. Rehearsed Reading: Writer’s Block, directed by Jake Smith. Credits whilst training include: White Lies, The Curlew, Love and Information, The Colour of Justice, Romeo and Juliet, Picnic, Uncle Vanya, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail. He is also a member of National Youth Theatre and recently worked on devising a new piece of writing, Fixed at Park Theatre. He’s delighted to be playing Lee in Once Upon A Riot. Dreamotion Studios and Broken Flames Productions are proud and delighted to announce; Luc Clopton has been cast in the role of Randy 'Justin' Miller on the 'Once Upon a Riot' film project. Luc was among 46 actors who made it through to the 'in-person' auditions, which were held in Los Angeles, California. Luc is a proven actor, receiving 'best actor' nominations and wins for his performance in the true story drama, 'From Under The Bridge: When Bullies Become Trolls'. But his comedic abilities were not known to the director and/or the producers. So when Luc delivered an incredibly funny and brilliant performance during the audition process, he naturally impressed everyone in the casting room. His comedic timing was impeccable, and he drew laughs via his dialogue delivery, body language and overall performance.
Luc is an exceptionally talented actor, with a wide range of skills and ability, and we are thrilled he has joined the cast in this essential and important role. Congratulations and welcome to the cast, Luc! Your talent certainly seems limitless and we are excited to be working with you again. With sincere pride and joy, Paul James (writer/director), Connie Jo, Ella and Maya (producers). We would also like to sincerely thank all the talented and funny actors who submitted and auditioned for this role. We sincerely appreciate you all. Luc Clopton Official Bio: Luc Clopton is a Los Angeles based talent, performing in television, film, and musical theater. From a young age, he has loved performing, singing in musicals and acting for his family and friends. He began his training at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, studying the likes of Stanislavsky and Meisner, and was cast in two shows while in his first year. While at the PCPA, Luc also earned his first professional lead role as Prince Eric in the production of Disney’s 'The Little Mermaid' (directed by Melissa Rain Anderson). He has recently jumped into the film sector as a performer and has enjoyed swift success in roles such as 'Kyle' in Paul James Houghton's, 'From Under the Bridge' (where he has won 'best actor' awards), 'Young Otto' in Billy Clift’s 'No Goodbyes', and as 'Zane' in Paul Santoni's, 'Because of Mika'. Luc is currently being represented by Jim Keith at The Movement Talent Agency. Dreamotion Studios and Broken Flames Productions are proud and absolutely elated to announce; Maya Bartley O'Dea has been cast in the role of 'Dawn Jackson' on the 'Once Upon a Riot' film project. Maya's journey to being cast has been something of a 'Cinderella Story'. Meaning, it was perhaps unexpected, full of wonderous surprises and with a fairytale ending. Maya, who is a solid and fabulous producer in her own right, was part of the team responsible for setting up and coordinating the auditions and was never on the initial audition list. But when one actor couldn't make her scheduled audition time, keeping in mind the audition sides and scenes included other auditioning actors, Maya stepped in to read the part of 'Dawn'. And in that moment, she illustrated she had every right to officially audition for the role, if she wanted to do so. And she did. In the next audition weekend, Maya was on the list, and delivered an outstanding performance. Which ultimately secured her a place along side the other talented actors who had made the final call-back list. And with yet another brilliant performance, where Maya showed she fully understood the character and how to portray her, the decision was made. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Congratulations and welcome to the cast, Maya! You are a truly talented actor and undoubtedly earned the right to play the part of 'Dawn'. With immense pride and jubilation, Paul James (writer/director), Connie Jo and Ella (producers). We would also like to sincerely thank all the talented actors who submitted and auditioned for this role. Once again, we feel incredibly fortunate to have seen so many sensational actors. Thank you! Maya Bartley O'Dea Official Bio: Maya is a young actor and producer from Yorkshire. She trained with the Stratford East Young Company in 2020-2021. A month after her training she made her professional stage debut back in York - ‘Northern Girls’. This play represented the joys, frustrations, and complexities of northern female identity. She then returned to the Stratford East performing in ‘Maryland’, alongside Anya Chalotra (The Witcher). As well as acting, Maya has been working as a Producer at Broken Flames Productions for the past year. She is Co-Director of the Lucas A. Ferrara Film Fund and leads the development of Broken Flames' upcoming projects including features, documentaries and TV shows. Maya always wanted to produce to help make a change and contribute to showcasing new voices within our industry. Alongside this she teaches acting, singing and dancing to children, hoping to encourage self confidence and enjoyment for the future generations. Maya’s producing and acting world came together on this project - ‘Once Upon A Riot.’ Originally just being a producer on the film, she is now also playing the role of ‘Dawn’. This is Maya’s first on-screen role and she is so excited to be on board. She is thrilled to be part of a project that is supporting and showcasing new talent like herself. Dreamotion Studios and Broken Flames Productions are proud and ecstatic to announce; Cian Lorcan has been cast in the role of 'Delvin O'Doherty' on the 'Once Upon a Riot' film project. He made it crystal clear how passionate he was about the story, character and project throughout his audition journey, which included outstanding solo and collaborative performances. Cian immediately displayed a desire to learn as much as he could about the story, perhaps even relating to certain aspects, and he made sure to ask questions in order to develop his portrayal of the character as he progressed with call-backs. Cian is, without a doubt, an incredibly talented actor. But he's also a genuine and delightful person, who befriended our visiting American actor and showed him around London during the cast meetings. Cian is absolutely an actor you want to be around and work with. And we are honored he has joined the cast.
Congratulations and welcome to the cast, Cian! You have already embodied the essence of the character within your acting soul, and we are excited to see you develop it further. We are sincerely thrilled to have you onboard, Paul James, Connie Jo, Ella and Maya. We would also like to thank all the talented actors who submitted and auditioned for this role. We saw some incredible portrayals of the character, which were entertaining and captivating in their own right. Thank you! Cian Lorcan Official Bio: Cian Lorcan trained classically in Ireland before doing two National Tours of Romeo and Juliet (Romeo) and The Merchant of Venice (Bassanio) with one of Irelands leading Shakespeare companies Cyclone Rep. Cian proceeded to delve further into the techniques and methods of acting and decided to move to Los Angeles to train in the Stella Adler Academy of Theatre and acting, following in the direction of actor such as Robert De Niro, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro and Mark Ruffalo to name a few. Credits include; Romeo and Juliet- Romeo (Theatre), The Crucible – John Proctor (Theatre), Middletown John Dodge (Theatre), A Dying Dish – Rick Hamley (Short Film) Werewolf Santa – Rupert (Feature Film), The Krampus Calendar – Charlie (Feature Film). |
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September 2023
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