…singing karaoke in a Korea town dive bar is sometimes all you can do to keep it together.
#NewYork state of mind…LA #soul & #vibe. #independentfilm #filmfestivals #karaoke #cinematography #alexamini #koreatown #writer #actor #producer #SAG
…singing karaoke in a Korea town dive bar is sometimes all you can do to keep it together.
#NewYork state of mind…LA #soul & #vibe. #independentfilm #filmfestivals #karaoke #cinematography #alexamini #koreatown #writer #actor #producer #SAG
Screening in Los Angeles, Friday June 8th – The 5th. Written by & starring Andrew Oliveri and Robert Jekabson. Directed by Katharine White.
THE 5TH – Roman and Paul, boxer and trainer, wait in the holding area before the biggest fight of their lives. They have a volatile relationship, their history defined by short highs and long lows. Deep reserves of mistrust run between them. When Paul discovers Roman’s decision to throw the fight, and thus end their careers, Roman is forced to reveal his diagnosis of early-onset dementia. They prep to enter the ring one last time, working to reconcile their complex past with a now uncertain future.
My phone rang right on cue at 12:30 pm last Thursday. It was Michael Praver, president of Film Funding LA calling to make good on a phone appointment I had scheduled with him through his company’s website the day before.
SOME BRIEF CONTEXT : My film “The 5th” which I co-wrote, produced and starred in is currently on a successful run in film festivals throughout the county. We shot it as a six minute short film and had our polished, completed, feature-length script ready to share with interested production companies and potential investors.
However, it became clear I didn’t have experience engaging potential investors and production companies on a peer level. As a self-produced, independent filmmaker in Los Angeles, it sometimes feels like you are hacking your way through dense jungle with a rusty, dull machete —– you don’t know where you’re going and you definitely don’t have the right tools or experience to get to your destination.
ENTER Michael Praver, president of Film Funding LA —- I had come across his company while perusing my LinkedIn feed.
“Film Funding LA advisors help filmmakers understand the intricacies of business finance, asset protection, business taxation, and corporate structure, as a natural by-product of helping them finance their business. These services are provided free of charge as part-and-parcel of the funding process.”
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE (as stated on their site FilmFundingLA.com):
This can be a huge advantage to a self-produced independent filmmaker by empowering he or she with access to unsecured credit and guidance which far exceeds that which an individual could attain on their own.
The bottom line is that Film Funding LA opens up new possibilities for a filmmaker to finish his or her film and get it distributed profitably, even in the absence of powerful industry contacts.
Andrew Oliveri is an LA-based writer, actor, and filmmaker.
This place must have been over 100 years old, a now-unoccupied, beautiful, mission-style church we found in Eagle Rock, LA. It became the boxing arena for ‘The 5th’
Shooting the final scene here with my co-writer, co-producer and co-star Robert Jekabson.
Our director Katharine White had a vision in mind for how she wanted the film to look…And boy did she execute that vision beautifully.
#CreateYourOwnContent