
"Mary Marie," a new feature film from actor-filmmaker's Alexandra Roxo and Alana Kearns-Green, will make its world premiere at the Brooklyn International Film Festival on June 4. Roxo and Kearns-Green co-star, co-wrote, and co-produced the project, with Roxo helming.
Notably, actress Alana Kearns-Green is an avid Back Stage reader. Make sure to visit www.tinyurl.com/AlanaKearnsGreen to check out her Multimedia Resume on BackStage.com.
Kearns-Green says, "The process of making one's own work is challenging from start to finish, but immensely rewarding in the long run. Now more than ever before there are resources for actors, writers, and directors to make their own projects and get them out in the world. I believe this is becoming the 'new normal' in filmmaking, and as actors I think we should embrace it."
Rather than just being "at the mercy of a casting director or agent," she points out that "when you look at the resources around us, we are all two or three steps away from simply getting some people together and shooting over a long weekend." (For advice on making your own films and creating your own opportunities, see Back Stage's new "Do It Yourself" collection of articles for actors.)
However, being an actor-producer or actor-director on a low-budget film is far from easy. Kearns-Green notes, "If you are the producer, and you need some extra beds for your crew to sleep on and it's 11 o'clock at night, guess who's going to have to find some spare mattresses? If you are the producer and the actress, guess who is ordering lunch in-between takes and taking people's sandwich orders? You.
"But I am very grateful for the experience, and to have been pushed to my potential by some wonderful people like director Alexandra Roxo and producer Rachel Earnest. Thanks to that creative bond and friendship, the whole process was worth the many challenges."
And since completing "Mary Marie," she's been "inspired to direct, write, and star in my first short film, 'The Glass,' shot in March of this year by 'Mary Marie' cinematographer Magela Crosignani. I have also continued my work with [producer] Rachel Earnest, who is directing her own feature, shooting on-location in France, 'Le Sejour Paradisiaque.' 'Mary Marie' showed me that it was possible to make your own movies, and I intend to keep doing so."
For more info about the film, see the official press release and movie trailer below. The Brooklyn International Film Festival will showcase 101 films in 10 days (June 3-12, 2011) in Brooklyn, NY.