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Logline

While at the studio late one night, struggling musician Riya is forced to deal with the harsh realities of the entertainment industry and the price of doing business. She’ll have to decide if her dreams of making it big are worth the risk of losing herself and possibly her life.

Synopsis

While recording one evening, struggling singer/songwriter Riya (Ruby Modine) is caught off guard when songwriting partner and producer Miles (James Ken Blackmon) invites outside energy into the studio. Fresh off tour, signed musician Hype (Maestro Harrell) and his manager Frank (Joseph Stromberg) offer her a path to everything she’s ever wanted. Reluctant to play into the pitfalls of the Entertainment Industry, Riya is met with decisions she isn’t prepared to make, putting not only her career but her life at risk.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

James Ken Blackmon – Writer/Director/Producer
James has worked alongside influential figures such as Beyoncé in the music video “Formation”, shared the screen with Eric Roberts in the film Tacoma, contributed to Katy Perry’s hit music video “Harleys in Hawaii”, and joined forces with Danny Trejo for the comedic feature “Candy Flip”. He then moved on to earn himself Producer and Executive Producer credits on the short form documentary Sugar & Spade, commemorating African-American motorcycle culture, and which has screened all over the world in countries such as France, Morocco, Belgium, and Portugal.

With his Directorial debut film Recovery Phase currently on the festival circuit screening at both the Malibu Film Festival and the Silicon Beach Film Festival, a project he also wrote, produced, and acted in, James enters a new realm of creativity. Fueled by his passion for filmmaking, James continues to hone his craft while he works towards bringing his slate of films to fruition.

Misha Zvagilskiy – Producer/1st AD
Misha is a talented producer based in Los Angeles, working across film, commercials, and music videos. In 2022, he made his feature film debut with Tacoma, which recently secured distribution. Misha has also produced award-winning short films and commercials for brands like Adidas. In the music video industry, he has collaborated with notable artists such as Little Big, Oliver Tree, Teddy Swims, bbno$, MK, A$AP Ferg, and Blxst, establishing himself as a creative and sought-after producer.

Artur Gubin – Director of Photography
Artur is an award-winning cinematographer who was part of the arts program at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (Ukraine). A versatile filmmaker, his work can be seen in numerous music videos, commercials, documentaries and short films. He is part of the ASC Vision Mentorship program, and he also received the award for Best Cinematography at the renowned Brazil International Film Festival.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.