08/19/08
LOVE MARRIAGE has been named a finalist in the Big Bear Lake Screenwriting Competition, a popular LA-based competition that has yielded acclaimed winners in the past, including the writer of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS and LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. The winners of the competition will be announced September 11–14th at the Big Bear Lake Film Festival.
06/16/08
LOVE MARRIAGE was announced as a winner of the NewDraft Screenplay Competition last night at NewFest's Closing Night in New York City. For its win, the script of Soman's first feature will receive a full staged-reading in the fall in New York City. Stay tuned for more details.
05/05/08
Soman's been nominated for Brink of Fame Artist in the NewNowNext Awards, hosted by LOGO on June 7th. To learn more about the awards and vote, visit Logo Online.
04/29/08
LOVE MARRIAGE was named one of the five finalists in the NewDraft Screenplay Competition and will have a staged reading at the Filmmakers Forum the weekend of June 14-15th in New York City. The two winners will go on to a public staged reading later in the year. For more information on LOVE MARRIAGE, visit http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt1134668/.
04/22/08
Quick update on the going's on at NPP. Soman's hard at work on development of the LOVE MARRIAGE script in preparations of shooting in the late fall or early spring of '09. In the meantime, KALI MA is wrapping up its festival run before its DVD release this fall, while DAVY AND STU continues to sell strong on Strand Releasing's BOYS LIFE 6. Look for more from No Pressure Productions this summer, including a slew of new project announcements.
01/29/08
Soman's new short script, FAIRY TALES FOR BOYS, an electric romance set against a real-time school shooting, has just been named one of the finalists for the Berlinale Today Award. He'll pitch to a panel of German producers in Berlin this February with the opportunity to win a production deal for the short as well as a residency in Brandenburg this summer. Soman will also be at the Berlinale Talent Campus in February presenting his first feature script, LOVE MARRIAGE. For more information on the Berlinale Talent Campus, visit www.berlinale-talentcampus.de.
12/26/07
Soman has been invited to the ultra-prestigious Berlinale Talent Campus in February 2008 as a screenwriter/director. He'll join a group of up and coming filmmakers in a week-long film lab and creative summit in Berlin, Germany. Visit http://www.berlinale-talentcampus.de/story/15/2515.html for more information on the Berlinale Talent Campus.
10/20/07
LOVE MARRIAGE has won the uber-prestigious InCircle Pearl Grant, given out by the Abu Dhabi Film Fund. Soman pitched against 5 other filmmakers in a competition judged by a panel of top film executives, including Ashoke Armitraj of HydePark, David Thompson of the BBC, and renowned Asian producer Nansung Shi. For more information on the competition, view the Press Release in the PRESS section.
10/05/07
LOVE MARRIAGE, Soman's debut feature, has been selected for the uber-prestigious finals of the InCircle Pearl Grant as part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival. Soman will be flown to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, October 11th to compete in a one-week pitch competition where the winner receives $100,000 and has their first feature funded for production. For more information on LOVE MARRIAGE, e-mail nopressurefilms@gmail.com. For more information on the Pearl Grant, visit www.meiff.com.
08/13/07
DAVY AND STU and KALI MA have both been nominated for the prestigious Iris Prize, which will be presented to the winning filmmaker on October 6th in Cardiffe, Wales and include a $25,000 package that will allow the production of a new short film in the UK. For more information on the Iris Prize, visit their website at www.irisprize.org.
08/09/07
No Pressure Productions is proud to announce that LOVE MARRIAGE has received a generous grant from the Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation. The film remains on-track for a 2008 spring production in London and will be produced by Framework Pictures. For more information on LOVE MARRIAGE, please e-mail Alecia Brooks at info@frameworkpictures.com.
07/30/07
KALI MA has just picked up its third major award in five festivals, winning the coveted Audience Award for Best Short Film at the Philadelphia International LGBT Film Festival, the largest festival of its kind on the East Coast. KALI MA won over more than 100 other films, and added to its collection of recent prizes, including the Audience Award for Best Short Film at NewFest, and the Jury Prize for Best Short at the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival.
07/15/07
No Pressure Productions is pleased to announce the completion of a new feature script, THE ADVENTURES OF CAMERON CARPENTER. Soman is currently in L.A. shopping the script to both television and feature film producers, as the script has been written as both a full-length fiction feature and a 30-minute single camera, original comedy pilot. Fore more on THE ADVENTURES OF CAMERON CARPENTER, please visit PROJECTS.
07/09/07
KALI MA has exploded onto the international festival scene, booking spots in over 30 events in its first month alone, and will be featured at the Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts, one of the top shorts film fests in the world. This is the second year in a row that we'll have a short at Palm Springs, after DAVY & STU played to a crowd of over 600 last year. Palm Springs joins a growing list of cities for the KALI MA World Tour, which includes Milwaukee, Madrid, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Mumbai, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pikes Peak, Austin, and Raleigh among others.
06/18/07
KALI MA has won the Jury Award for Best Short at the 18th Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival. It is the second award that KALI MA has picked up in two events, after winning the Audience Award for Best Short at NewFest. For more on KALI MA's awards run, visit the PROJECTS page.
06/10/07
KALI MA has won the Audience Award for Best Short at NewFest out of more than 150 short films in the 19th incarnation of the popular New York City festival. To see the awards press release, visit PRESS. For information on future KALI MA tour dates, visit the KALI MA World Tour page, and for more information on the film, visit the PROJECTS page.
05/18/07
No Pressure is partnering with Sholay Productions to present the New York City Premiere of KALI MA. The film will screen on June 9th at NEWFEST, at AMC/Loews 34th St. Theater. It's screening as part of the 'Best Mates' program, starting at 1:00pm, followed by a Cocktail Reception from 3:15pm–5:30pm afterwards at Local Cafe & Bar. To purchase tickets for the film, visit www.newfest.org.
05/04/07
KALI MA continues to be one of the most buzz-heavy shorts of the coming summer film festival season, having booked a slew of international events based on the work-in-progress cut. The latest additions are Outfest in Los Angeles, Provincetown International Film Festival, and the world-famous Seattle International Film Festival, the largest fest in the U.S.. For more information on specific screenings in Honolulu, San Francisco, New York City, Philadelphia, Provincetown, Los Angeles, or Seattle, please visit the KALI MA World Tour page.
04/17/07
KALI MA is already booking festivals for its summer tour. It will World Premiere in Hawaii at the Honolulu Rainbow International Film Festival before it hits New York City for NewFest and San Francisco for Frameline 31. For more information on specific tour dates and screening times, look for the KALI MA Summer Tour page later this month.
04/12/07
KALI MA will have its first big-screen showing at the Columbia University Graduate Film Festival, as part of Shorts Program A:
MONDAY, APRIL 30TH
5:30PM
IFC CENTER
Tickets are available at www.ifccenter.com or www.movietickets.com. Come see the film before it begins its summer festival tour, that kicks off in Honolulu with the World Premiere on May 26th.
04/09/07
Austen Rachlis' spec script for THE SHIELD has won the Dramatic Teleplay Competition of the 20th Columbia University Film Festival and will be included in both an upcoming reading of the winning scripts and a showcase for industry. For more information on the industry showcase or on how to obtain a copy of the spec script, please contact nopressureprods@gmail.com.
04/09/07
KALI MA, the latest short from No Pressure Productions about an Indian mother who takes on her son's vicious bully, will have its World Premiere at the Honolulu Rainbow International Film Festival over Memorial Day weekend. HRFF is a familiar home for No Pressure Productions, as DAVY & STU launched its hugely successful 5-continent, 55-festival run with a World Premiere last May at the Rainbow Fest, and we're incredibly excited to return to start the life of the new film.
03/27/07
CINE announced yesterday that DAVY & STU has won the Grand Jury Prize as the Best Student Short of 2006. Earlier this year, DAVY & STU won the coveted CINE Golden Eagle award, and the Jury Prize was chosen from the Eagle winners. The CINE Golden Eagle awards, distinguishing excellence in film, are recognized internationally as symbols of the highest production standards in filmmaking and videography. Since its founding in 1957, CINE has been dedicated to discovering, rewarding, educating, and supporting established and emerging talent. Among great talents whose first major awards included the CINE Golden Eagle are Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and great documentarians like Ken Burns, Charles Guggenheim, Stanley Nelson, Albert Maysles, and Frederick Wiseman. For more information, visit www.cine.org.
CINE is proud to announce the winners of the 2007 CINE Special Jury Awards. Chosen by a panel of members of CINE’s Board of Directors, the CINE Special Jury Awards recognize the elite among the winners of the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award. This year’s recipients include productions from independent and student filmmakers, as well as such distinguished organizations as CNN, A&E, National Geographic, American Movie Classics and Discovery Communications. (Special Jury Press Release)
02/22/07
We're happy to announce that LOVE MARRIAGE, will be produced by Framework Pictures, with Soman writing and directing for a likely 2007/early 2008 production. For more information on LOVE MARRIAGE, please contact Alecia Brooks at info@frameworkpictures.com, or visit our PROJECTS page.
01/14/07
After a celebrated festival run that took it to 5 continents, 43 events (and counting), and over 50,000 audience members, DAVY & STU has completed sales worldwide, ensuring it is now available for exhibition in every international territory. North American distribution will be handled by Strand Releasing, German-language territories by Salzgeber GmBH, and the rest of International distribution by Ouat Media out of Canada. For more information on DAVY & STU's distribution, please visit our CONTACT page.
12/26/06
DAVY & STU has been acquired by Strand Releasing and will be distributed as part of BOYS LIFE 6, the next installment in the most successful series of gay shorts in history. For more information on BOYS LIFE 6 and release dates, visit www.strandreleasing.com.
12/10/06
KALI MA wrapped principal photography on December 9th. Post-production begins this week in Upstate New York with the target premiere date of May 1, 2007 in New York City. Please visit the PROJECTS page for production stills and www.kalima-movie.com for the latest information on the release of KALI MA.
12/01/06
KALI MA has begun its 11 day shooting schedule in Orlando, Florida, and will wrap photography on December 10th. For information on KALI MA, visit www.kalima-movie.com.
11/18/06
AMERICAN SHAHS, Soman and Austen's original single-camera pilot about an Indian-American family, has made it to the last 50 in Slamdance's prestigious Teleplay Competition. It's now in the running for a major network deal with Fox21. For more information, visit www.slamdance.com.
10/14/06
Just a quick update to let you know that we're deep in pre-production on KALI MA, so you won't see many site updates until the end of the year, when we finish shooting. Things are on-track for a great film, so we hope you'll check back in to see the finished product. For more information on KALI MA, you can visit our website at www.kalima-movie.com.
08/14/06
DAVY & STU has won the prestigious Alternative Spirit Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, one of the most competitive film fests in the country. In winning the award, the film beat out heavy competition from feature films, as well as other shorts. For more information, visit www.film-festival.org.
08/05/06
We're now looking for the actors who will bring KALI MA to life. Please see the breakdown below:
KALI MA
Written and Directed by
Soman Chainani
Produced by
Jenn Handorf & Purna Virji
Casting Director
Austen Rachlis
Audition Dates
September 15–September 23rd (NY, NJ)
Shoot Dates
November 27–December 8th
Contact
SEND HEADSHOTS AND RESUMES TO KALIMAMOVIE@GMAIL.COM
Logline: When a suburban Indian mother finds out her son is the victim of a vicious bully, she goes to the bully's house to teach him a lesson. In this mythic story of explosive action and riotous comedy, a new superhero is born: sweet, loveable mother, turned KALI MA, the Hindu goddess of darkness, thirsty for revenge. At once a complex character study and an electric action-drama, Kali Ma takes a profound look at the secrets that divide mothers and sons and the love that ultimately brings them together.
KANTA MOTWANI (30s, 40s, early 50s, SOUTH ASIAN): Round, waddly, food-obsessed, Kanta Motwani is the ultimate Indian mother. She's so unassuming and loving within the confines of her home, content with her daily rituals of cooking and Oprah. But when she finds out her son is the victim of a merciless bully, she transforms from fat loveable mother into Kali Ma, thirsting for blood, ready to avenge. The role of a lifetime. MUST BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, HINDI-SPEAKING, ABLE TO DO SIMPLE CHOREOGRAPHED DANCES AND STUNTS.
SANTOSH MOTWANI (13-17, SOUTH ASIAN): Emaciated, awkward, tortured teenager. Santosh is a sensitive mother's boy who has trouble making it in the cruel world of adolescence. He's stopped eating, withdrawn into his shell, like a turtle waiting for the storm to pass. MUST BE ABLE TO SWIM.
TOM STRICKER (15-18, MUST LOOK 16-17, CAUCASIAN): So handsome that he's intimidating, Tom is a God among boys. He's used to being worshipped for his athleticism, muscles, charms - and believes he's untouchable, invincible. He sails through life, a country-club stud, an All-American idol. But Tom has a dark, sadistic streak - and when he's threatened, he turns unforgivably cruel. MUST BE ATHLETIC, IN GOOD SHAPE, ABLE TO SWIM.
07/19/06
LOVE MARRIAGE has been selected for the Emerging Narratives section of the IFP Market, and will be amongst the select group presented to producers during the Sept. 17-21st event. For more information on the market, visit www.ifp.org. To find out more about the film, please contact Sunil Sadarangani at nopressurefilms@gmail.com.
07/17/06
KALI MA has won the Winnipeg International Film Festival's short script competition. For more information, visit http://winnipegfilmfest.ca.
07/13/06
CINE announced yesterday that DAVY & STU has won its prestigious Golden Eagle award. The CINE Golden Eagle awards, distinguishing excellence in film, are recognized internationally as symbols of the highest production standards in filmmaking and videography. Since its founding in 1957, CINE has been dedicated to discovering, rewarding, educating, and supporting established and emerging talent. Among great talents whose first major awards included the CINE Golden Eagle are Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and great documentarians like Ken Burns, Charles Guggenheim, Stanley Nelson, Albert Maysles, and Frederick Wiseman. For more information, visit www.cine.org.
07/03/06
KALI MA has been named a finalist in the highly competitive, prestigious Roy W. Dean Grant Competition for writers/directors. For more information on the grant, visit From the Heart Productions.
06/19/06
BOY ON FIRE is now a quarterfinalist in the prestigious American Screenwriting Competition—only 5% of the thousands of scripts submitted are chosen to move on to this round. For more information, visit the American Screenwriting Competition.
06/19/06
DAVY & STU has been accepted into the prestigious and selective Rhode Island International Film Festival, meaning the film is 4 for 4 for Oscar-accredited fests. Visit the TOUR page for more information on RIIFF screenings!
06/14/06
No Pressure Productions is pleased to announce that KALI MA, its latest short film, a thunderous action-adventure about an Indian mom who takes on her son's bully, will shoot in Orlando, FL from November 27–December 5th. Soman will direct, Purna and Sunil will produce, Austen will cast, and DAVY & STU Director of Photography Stuart Hall returns for his second collaboration with the team. Stay tuned for open audition announcements in early August!
06/07/06
DAVY & STU has been accepted to its third Oscar-qualifying festival—it will now screen at the coveted trifecta of WSFF Toronto, Palm Springs, and the Montreal World Film Festival. So far, the film has been 100% with its acceptances into the world's top shorts fests, so we'll keep you updated as more Oscar-qualifying fests come up on the calendar.
05/25/06
LOVE MARRIAGE has been named a finalist in the C.A.P.E Foundation New Writer's Award Competition. The New Writer's Award offers aspiring Asian Pacific writers the opportunity to gain exposure among studio executives, producers, agents and managers. Previous winner Alice Wu's honored script, SAVING FACE, was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics and premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. For more information, visit http://www.capeusa.org/NewWritersAward.html.
05/22/06
As part of its juried student film competition, the Provincetown International Film Festival has selected DAVY & STU as one of its Honorable Mention shorts, to screen on June 16th in a special showcase at 4:30pm at the Art House 2 Theater.
05/18/06
DAVY & STU has been accepted into the Southside International Film Festival, the Philadelphia International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, and the Chicago Reeling International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Gay Games Showcase). Visit the TOUR PAGE for more information.
05/07/06
DAVY & STU has been selected for the prestigious Palm Springs International Film Festival shorts competition, which is an Oscar-qualifier for the top films. That means DAVY & STU, early in its festival run, already has been selected for two Academy-sanctioned fests: WSFF in Toronto, and Palm Springs.
04/24/06
DAVY & STU has been selected for the international competition of the Worldwide International Shorts Film Festival in Toronto, to run June 13–18th. Out of 3000 entries, only a handful were selected for the international competition. For more about the festival, visit www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com.
04/18/06
DAVY & STU will have its World Premiere at the Honolulu Rainbow International Film Festival from May 25–28th. Stay tuned for screening dates and more information!
04/15/06
No Pressure Productions is pleased to announce that Columbia MFA screenwriter Austen Rachlis and acclaimed artist and producer Sehr Thadhani have joined the company. Please visit ABOUT NPP for their biography and credits.
04/15/06
KALI MA has been named a finalist in the Gimme Credit Screenplay Competition, an international showcase for short screenplays.
03/23/06
The Bombay Times, supplement of South Asia's largest publication, featured LOVE MARRIAGE on its front page, highlighting the script's taboo subject matter and its potential to become a mainstream film. Visit PRESS for article.
03/04/06
SIMON MANOR has been accepted into the Danville International Film Festival, one of the country's leading children's film festivals. The film will have its World Premiere in Danville, California during the May 19th–21st event.
02/22/06
DAVY & STU is officially complete—however, because it is entered in major international film competitions, it cannot be posted online until mid-April. If you would like to obtain a complimentary preview DVD copy, please e-mail nopressurefilms@gmail.com.
02/02/06
A Work-in-Progress screening of DAVY & STU will take place:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH
8:00PM
LIFETIME SCREENING ROOM
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
(arrive at 7:30pm to reserve your seats)
12/19/05
DAVY & STU wraps Principal Photography in Orlando, FL. Visit GALLERY to see the film's trailer.
12/04/05
Soman and No Pressure Productions featured in India Abroad Preview of SAIFF 2005 — Visit PRESS for article.
12/02/05
The 2005 South Asian International Film Festival, curated by No Pressure Productions, announces its Press Conference:
DECEMBER 6TH
11AM – 12PM
RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART
Soman and Sunil will both be in attendance to present the program. For more information, Download Media Alert
12/01/05
DAVY & STU is looking for a world-class editor to bring the film to life — post-production schedule begins December 21st with first screening set on January 19th. E-mail Purna at nopressurefilms@gmail.com with your resumé.
11/24/05
DAVY & STU taking applications for Assistant Camera Position — visit PROJECTS for more information.
11/19/05
No Pressure Productions, Curator of SAIFF 2005, Presents the Official Program: Download Press Release
11/13/05
The first public screening of SIMON MANOR will take place:
NOVEMBER 18TH
8:00 PM
LIFETIME SCREENING ROOM
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
11/12/05
Auditions begin for DAVY & STU at Columbia University — Breakdowns available on the PROJECTS page.
E-mail Austen at ar2326@columbia.edu if you're interested in auditioning for one of the title roles.
11/10/05
SIMON MANOR is in the can! Visit the GALLERY to see it in Quicktime format.
10/15/05
The feature film script 'Love Marriage' has been selected for the next round of finalists for the 2006 Sundance Screenwriting and Directing Labs.
10/01/05
SUHANE SAPNE has officially begun its tour with Asian Cinevision after successful film fest screenings this summer! Visit www.asiancinevision.org for tour dates. |
