Manchester with Starburst Magazine

Martin Unsworth, a writer at Starburst Mag, has been nothing but supportive of CALL GIRL from day one. He contributed to our Kickstarter, wrote one of our very first reviews and more recently mentioned us in an article about independent filmmakers in Starburst- our first ever appearance in a printed magazine. I attribute that to our actor, Laurence R Harvey, his cult status- especially in the UK where the magainze is from.  

Martin mentioned in the past that he would like to screen CALL GIRL in Manchester at the Fab Cafe. When I found out the film was accepted into Film4 Frightfest we realized this would be the perfect opportunity for me to actually attend the event. So we set the date for the day after FrightFest ended. 

In the Starburst article I mentioned above, he also wrote about Jerry Pyle's shorts, SERVICE and BURN.  I told Martin that Jerry would be with me in England, so why not show his films too? He agreed and set up an amazing event for us. 

And of course, Laurence met us there as well. Living so far away from eachother I savor every time I get to see him. Plus, we know that's why the fans came out. Anyone who meets Laurence falls in love. He's so sweet, gentle and caring- you feel lucky to have him in your life. 

The night was incredible. We started off with dinner- Martin, Laurence, Jerry, Shauna (another staff member from Starburst) and me. I had the best fish and chips of my life. Also shared a few cocktail pitchers. 

Then Martin and Shauna took us to the Starburst offices. It was an honor. The entire staff was so gracious and welcoming. They talked movies with us, took shots from their liquor cabinet and gave us copies of the new issue. Then they all came to the screening with us. I didn't expect that at all. 

The screening went off without a hitch. The crowd was very interested in what we've done. Asked some great questions. They also screened an older short Laurence stars in, as a surprise, called MOTHER. It was awesome. 

The night doesn't begin to end there. Afterwards they took us to a club called Satan's Hollow. Yes, they know me well. Haha. It was stupid fun. You could say we were intoxicated by this point. Dancing our assess off. Singing every word of every song. I was taken back by the playlist, so much of it was stuff from my highschool days like Sum 41 and Limp Bizkit. They also played more obvious choices like Pantera. We didn't leave until they shut down and kicked us out. 

It was a fucking blast. I can't thank Starburst Magazine enough. 

Film4 FrightFest - London

Let me start by apologizing in advance for any typos or grammar errors in this blog post. I've been watching films for five days straight and partying with the most amazing people. My brain is a bit mushy right now.

I had such an incredible time in London for the Film4 FrightFest. It was my number one dream festival that I submitted CALL GIRL. I still can barely believe we played there. 

Unfortunately, United Airlines screwed me over and canceled my flight last minute so I got into London 12 hours later than originally planned. So, I missed THE GUEST and SIN CITY 2. I am not happy about it..... Moving on. 

Fest highlights:

THE GREEN INFERNO (Eli Roth):

I absolutely loved it. I'm not surprised, I am a huge fan of Roth. The thing is- I heard a lot of negative comments about the film before so I was a bit worried. But it was even better than I personally expected it to be. The gore was amazingly gnarly, the acting was on point and it was beautifully shot. He continues to inspire me. I love how his movies are often travel-themed and shot in foreign countries. I heard that he hired an almost entirely local crew in Peru, where it was shot. Which is so much more than just making a film, it's bringing industry and creating an artistic community in a place that doesn't have a lot of opportunity. F-off Eli haters!!!!!!!!

THE BABADOOK (Jennifer Kent):

A beautiful film from Australia that transcends genres. From the outside it appears as a super creepy ghost story. But turns out to be so much more. It spoke volumes to me as I interpreted it as a metaphor for grief. How we go on living after we lose someone incredibly vital to our lives. Not to mention the lead actors were mind-blowingly talented. The little boy, Noah Wiseman, was doing things I don't know how a child could comprehend and the mother is impeccably played by Essie Davis. 

HOUSEBOUND (Gerard Johnstone):

A super fun and surprising flick out of New Zealand. I watched this without any knowledge of the synopsis and really enjoyed it. It kept me on my toes thorough-out and was hysterical. Every time I thought I had it figured out another layer of awesome would appear. 

THE SIGNAL (William Eubank):

This was the closing film of the fest and it was damn near perfect. A very crazy scifi film I feel I can't say much about without massively spoiling it. The performances are great. Laurence Fishburne is something else!! 

DIGGING UP THE MARROW (Adam Green):

Another film I knew nothing about. It's a mockumentary of sorts, starring Adam Green as himself. Everyone in this film is playing themselves, for instance Josh Ethier edited the film and is in the film as the editor. Ray Wise is the only actor whom is acting as someone else- a crazy man who believes he's discovered an underground world where real monsters exist. Pretty damn funny and the jump scares got me good!

The CALL GIRL screening couldn't have gone better. The crowd reacted wonderfully and I had people come up to me nonstop throughout the festival to congratulate us. The short film showcase we played in was fabulous. My personal fav- SHE by Chelsey Burdon and Mark Vessey. 

The whole experience was a dream come true! I hope to return next year. 

CALL GiRL: World Tour

Long time no talk.

Wow, what a ride this has been! Since premiering CALL GIRL in March we have screened at 13 film festivals/screening series and we have 13 more coming up. 

We've played all over the country: Dallas, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Indianapolis. 

Actress Tristan Risk, my muse, resides in Vancouver and I believe we can attribute that to our overwhelming Canadian support. We premiered in Hamilton, Ontario at Fright Night Theater and then played the Calgary Horror Con,



Today, I embark on a serious tour with the film-

August 14-17th:
I'm headed to Montreal for the Mascara & Popcorn Film Fest.  I am SO excited, I have never been to Canada!  It begins tonight with their "Black Carpet Event" and ends Sunday with an award ceremony + karaoke.  The film plays this Saturday evening in a block of shorts titled, "The Grindhole."

***I just found out some amazing news- CALL GiRL is nominated for "Most Weird & Wonderful", Best Special FX Makeup (Colleen May & Philip Spruell), Best Editor (Ryan Housknecht), and Best Director (that's ME)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is our first time being nominated. I AM HONORED. WOW! Thank you Mascara & Popcorn! 

August 21-25th:
Immediately after Montreal- I'm going to London- where we at screening at my dream festival, Film4 FrightFest. This is where the big timers screen their films. I may explode from excitement. This year they have THE GUEST (Adam Wingard), GREEN INFERNO (Eli Roth), SIN CITY A DAME TO KILL FOR (Robert Rodriguez), LATE PHASES (Adrian Garcia Bogliano) and on and on!!

MY FILM IS SCREENING WITH ELI ROTH'S FILM. I never dreamed I would say that. I've been a huge fan of his work since high school.


CG screens Saturday the 23rd at 12:45 PM in Discovery Screen 2 in a block of shorts including SHE by Chelsey Burdon and Mark Vessey- two people I'm very excited to meet!

Tuesday, August 26th:

Since I will already be in the UK,  Jerry Pyle and I are going take a train to Manchester and screen our films at Fab Cafe, presented by Starburst Magazine. The charming Laurence R Harvey will be meeting us there. They will be showing both of Jerry's films, SERVICE and BURN.

Thursday, August 28th:
Next, I hop over to Ireland to screen the film at the Cellar Door in Limerick at an event put together by Spade Lion Productions and hosted by Emerald Gore Society. Also showing is the directorial debut from Paddy Murphy, ENSNARED. 

Saturday, August 30th:

If you can believe this, next is the Just About Movies Film Fest in Scotland! This event is held on the grounds of the Tullibole Castle! I don't think I can make this one. But I will try my damnedest.

Sunday, August 31st-
Home sweet HOME!

We have a lot to look forward to this fall.  I can't possibly manage to (or afford to) attend most of these, but that doesn't make me any less pumped to have CALL GIRL screening at them!

In September we premier in Australia at the Sydney Underground Film Fest (again with Eli Roth!) and make our way back up north to screen at the Montreal Comic Con.

October (so far) we have Filmstock Film Fest in Colorado, Scream in the Dark in Omaha, Fantom Fest in Scranton, PA, and the Malta Horror Fest.

And, I just got news that we have been selected to screen at the Twisted Tails Film Fest in Dallas in December.  Plus there's a few we can't yet announce and many we are anxiously waiting to hear from!

Follow me on twitter, instagram and Facebook to keep up with my travels.
And follow CALL GIRL on twitter and Facebook.