Y Crazy Mind

In spite of what you may be hearing on the news or from your tween family members, the classics are not dead. The Sound of Music is a cherished musical production that is accessible to virtually every culture in the world. The London West End production of this Andrew Lloyd Webber classic spent six months in South Africa attesting to the incredible popularity of this story and some of the world’s premier performers. In contrast to the presumption that only rock and pop music stars tour overseas for half a year, this timeless story of family and positivity in the wake of events that would disrupt the entire world continues to find fans more than half a century after its creation. The West End production made its way from London to major theaters in Cape Town, Johannesburg, the Western Cape, and the Northern Province in South Africa. What is unique about this specific production is that the sets, costuming, and choreography were done by the British team but all of the actors ...

Buy American; it’s a phrase that’s often used to infer support rather than excellence. In ideal cases, it’s the later which is the reason for the product and the reasons for purchasing. There are some things that are considered so connected with a location in the world that their preeminence is a given: champagne, sushi, timepieces, etc. The United States can boast of Jazz, Rock & Roll, Hollywood films (with Bollywood and China closely approaching), and most assuredly Choppers. Buying American should not be about profit margins, it should be based on rewarding exemplary skill. A perfect representation of this attitude, performance, and style is Chopper Supply Co. in Texas. If the question is “How could you make a chopper company in the US more American?” the answer would be, “Locate it in Texas.” Kenny Kirk (co-founder, co-owner of Chopper Supply Co.) started as a craftsman before collecting original equipment manufacturer motorcycle parts with (co-founder) Jim Harper. A ...

When you played pretend in your youth, chances are that you played the most stereotypical version of a hero or villain. The grown up version of this is acting and the mastery of its purveyors is their ability to play the seemingly endless variations of these characters. Actor Orion Lee takes delight in this throughout his career. Appearing in Skyfall (starring Daniel Craig), the FX series Tyrant , Warner Bros/DC’s Justice League, Star Wars : The Last Jedi , and many other productions has afforded Lee the opportunity to play the menacing to the benevolent. Acting careers are built on challenges and conflict that are often understated; in these terms, Orion’s role as Brian Zhao in the UK television series Critical is one of his most challenging. Zhao is not an amiable member of the hospital staff in this award-nominated program (recognized by the Irish Film and Television Awards and British Society of Cinematographers), which is exactly what attracted Lee to the character. Medi...

From soaring the world skies as a former jumbo jet Boing747 pilot to establishing himself now as an entrepreneur, film producer, actor, writer, Bobby Emprechtinger seems to have landed in the entertainment business to stay. At this very moment he is finalizing the film ‘The Mayfly Cycle’ which in collaboration with other artists, he was the author, producer and lead actor. Also pre-production of his next project ‘Spin: The Life Changing Story” is in place. Again as the author, producer and lead actor alongside with some cream de la cream of Hollywood as an American and European partnership. Beginning of 2018 is promising with good winds blowing his way. He’s taking the lead in two European productions as an actor and in May 17th he will be honored at the German Walk of Fame next to 300 international superstars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Costner, Denzel Washington, to name a very few. After many landings, many storms, he still strives for the clear blue skies above the cloud...

A great film requires great characters. A moving documentary is markedly different in that it requires a real person of exceptional character. In the documentary Some Nerve , that individual is twenty-one -year-old Heather Craig who has spent her life battling multiple sclerosis. The bravery required simply by allowing a film team into her life so that others may become educated and moved towards helping those stricken with MS…it overshadows that of any great actor portraying such a scenario. The element which scripted and unscripted film share is a talented and skilled production team to communicate the story in a way that allows the emotions rather than solely the events to be received by an audience. Director Siyi “Dora” Wu and her team delivered Heather’s story in a manner which deeply affected many, as evidenced by Some Nerve’s many nominations at the 22nd SCAD Savannah Film Festival, 9th DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival, the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival,...

Mihaela Cristina Istrate is an emerging director, producer and music composer - she grew up in Florida and graduated from University of British Columbia in Theatre & Film Production. In 2010, she composed music for a documentary titled Kosovo: Can You Imagine, which won a Silver Palm Award at the Mexico International Film Festival. Her musical compositions have also been featured in over 20 theatrical shows and received high acclaim in The Vancouver Sun for Gormenghast - directed by Stephen Malloy. Her first short film "No Good Deed" was selected and screened at Overcome Film Festival on October 2017 and received a Recognition in Filmmaking Achievement. No Good Deed is also being considered for 6 film festivals in the U.S including California Indie Film Festival. Her second short film "Recon" is currently being considered in 9 festivals in the U.S including San Francisco International Film Festival.  Mihaela enjoys working on movie sets and her approac...

The long history of immigrants entering the US has made countless benefits to our society, proven time and time again. The influences of different cultures from across the globe weave to create new combinations as well as their original signature. Hollywood is the undisputed film capitol of the planet and immigrants have contributed greatly to its success. Most significantly, the ideas and stories from other cultures are offered up to audiences in America and other locations because of these immigrants. There’s a type of sociological investigation mixed with artistic interpretation that is represented in many films, productions like Raksha . While this tale of an Indian family living in the US is not unheard of, the cultural ideas presented are unfamiliar to much of the audience. Director Meredith Koch envisioned writers Vidhya Iyer and Jhanvi Motla’s story Raksha as a thriller. These two artists were the ideal collaborators to tell this story, presenting a multicultural exploration ...