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April 10, 2006 -- The Virginia Film Society is proud to introduce Charlottesville audiences to the talented producing team of Adam Watstein and Jennifer Lyne. Watstein and Lyne will visit Charlottesville for two nights to present their first two features: “Off the Hook” on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. and “Loudmouth Soup” on Wednesday, April 26 at 7 p.m., both at Vinegar Hill Theatre.
Watstein and Lyne are a gifted team who make inventive, improvisatory films. Their first film, “Off the Hook,” is based on the true story of South Bronx native Walter Velasquez, who stars. The film tells the story of two young men, Walter and Lorenzo, who have formed a rap group and are about to cut their first record. When Lorenzo’s sister becomes pregnant with Walter’s child and Lorenzo is sent to jail on drug charges, their bonds of loyalty and friendship are put to the test. The Village Voice called it “a South Bronx homage to ‘Mean Streets’” and the New York Daily Newsfound it “Powerful and sensitive…Unlike most inner-city stories that come out of Hollywood, this feels like the real thing.”
“Loudmouth Soup,” their most recent film, was a daunting project shot entirely in one night with seven actors, eight cameras – and no script. The idea behind the entirely improvised film was to record a couple’s first dinner party in Hollywood and document the awkward moments of the relationships between characters jockeying for position in the movie world. Working in the tradition of directors John Cassavetes and Mike Leigh, Watstein gave each actor objectives and extensive character back stories, rather than dialogue, and no one knew whose objectives were what. The results are genuine reactions and emotions that fiction films rarely capture. Shooting for the film lasted a total of eight hours, and the cameras stopped only to change tape. The blend of realism and awkward social mores spurred Time Out New York to describe the film as “‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ meets ‘The Anniversary Party’.”
Adam Watstein graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1994. His student thesis film, “Acme Rooms and Sweet Marjorie Russell,” received award nominations at NYU’s First Run Film Festival and was well-received in festival competitions around the country. Jennifer Lyne was born in Richmond, Va., the daughter of local painter Ann Lyne, before moving to New York City in 1994. Prior to teaming up with Watstein, she location-scouted on over 14 feature films and worked with numerous entertainment industry veterans such as Sydney Pollack and James Mangold.
Watstein and Lyne’s visit is co-sponsored by Brown College. All Virginia Film Society events are co-sponsored by the Virginia Film Festival and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, with the support of the Omni Hotel Charlottesville. For more information, visit www.vafilm.com.
For high-resolution photos, visit vafilm.com. Click "Press" and scroll down to "Images."
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