WINTER SEA
Dir. Erika Tasini

Narrative, Italy⁄USA/English, 2004, 35 mm color (1.85:1), 25 min

SYNOPSIS
A secretive woman’s intimate relationship to her brother is threatened when an unexpected guest shows up for dinner at their eccentric mother’s house.

CAST
Rosalie Ward, Sebastian Peters-Lazaro, John Morgan, Katherine Ann McGregor

CREW
Director: Erika Tasini; Writer: Maeve McQuillan/Erika Tasini; Producers: Tommaso Colognese with Julien Favre and Theresa Schwartzman; Director of Photography: Joseph Rubinstein; Production Designer: Vanessa Guerrer0, Justin Trask; Composer: Manel’s, Caroline Champy; Editor: Juli Vizza; Sound Designer: Dave McMoyler

BIOS
ERIKA TASINI (director, co-writer, exec. producer)~ Currently freelancing for Paramount Classics, Erika moved to the US from native Rimini, Italy, in order to pursue her film-making career. A recent Graduate of the MFA Directing Program at UCLA, she earned a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Bologna and attended a screenwriting program in Paris. Ms Tasini received several prestigious prizes, such as the Edie and Lew Wasserman, the Reel Spirit in Directing and the Fishbaugh Fellowship for the Arts. Her short “The Burrow” was awarded the “Ascent Media Award in Sound Design”. She ventured into theater, directing the play “Monkey” for the Francis F. Coppola Marathon. She is now writing a horror feature about two vampire sisters.

TOMMASO COLOGNESE (Producer) is currently living in Rome, where he's working in the AD department for the HBO production of epic TV series "ROME". Producing "Winter Sea" brought Mr. Colognese temporarily back to California, where he had lived between 1997 and 2001. After receiving his certificate from UCLA, Tommaso served as a producer on a number of shorts and worked as a personal assistant to Shane Edelman on his independent feature "Garage Sale". In Italy, he was the assistant to Fabrizio Lombardo, head of Miramax Italy, and worked as a freelance producer for MTV Italy.

JULIEN FAVRE (Associate Producer) has worked in the entertainment industry in France for almost 10 years, first as an art director, then as a story editor in two of France’s leading production companies (TeleImages, CineTeve). In 1999, he joined France’s number one broadcaster TF1, where he worked in daytime drama until 2001. He then moved to IDM, an independent distribution company. Julien is currently pursuing an MFA in the Producers Program at UCLA, where he produced five short films. He is also a partner in Dviant Films, an independent production company that specializes in digital features.

JULI VIZZA (Editor) has contributed to a number of acclaimed feature and documentary projects, most notably as editor of writer/director Eugene Martin’s “Diary of a City Priest,” an official selection at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. Her earlier work with Martin on the 1998 drama “Edge City” screened at the Berlin Film Festival and won first prize at the Hamptons Film Festival. Most recently her editorial work on the 2002 Winter Olympics was recognized with an Emmy for Outstanding Technical Remote Team. Her latest projects include work as editor on the documentaries “Finding Norman” by director Ally Walker, and director Erica Hamilton and producer Robert Bahar’s “Breaking Convention”.

DAVE McMOYLER (Sound designer) Whether shooting ADR, running Foley sessions, field-recording or creating specially designed sound elements, Dave maintains a high level of creative and technical performance that typifies a "hands on" approach to sound supervision. Dave's credits encompass a remarkable spectrum of films, including “The Mask of Zorro”, “The Sixth Man”, “Homeward Bound”, “The Crow”, “Immortal Beloved” and “The Scarlet Letter”. His contributions to the following films helped them acquire several prestigious awards and nominations: Cliffhanger (Academy Award nomination), JFK (British Academy Award, Academy Award nomination and Golden Reel Award nomination) and The Last of the Mohicans (Academy Award, Golden Reel Award nomination and British Academy Award nomination). Most recently, Dave has been nominated for an Academy Award for 'Best Sound Effects Editing' in recognition of his outstanding work as supervising sound editor on “The Mask of Zorro”.

ROSALIE WARD (Ellen) started acting in the theatre when she was seven and played Little Cosette in “Les Miserables” in San Francisco when she was nine. She has continued to act professionally ever since, as well as studied and performed in ballet, hip-hop and various other types of dance. After receiving a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, she moved to Los Angeles to work in film and television.

SEBASTIAN PETERS LAZARO (Paul) was trained in musical theater in Northern California. He moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where he’s earning his BA. After co-starring with Rosalie Ward in his first short “Winter Sea”, he was cast in three more short films currently in Post Production.

KATHERINE ANN McGREGOR (Karen) began her professional life in the arts as a dancer, performing in numerous television and stage productions throughout the US and Europe. She embarked on a career in acting after studying with the legendary Sanford Meisner and Uta Hagan. Some of her onscreen credits include: "The West Wing", "Cruel Intentions 2", "Winchell" with Stanley Tucci, “Angel”, “Providence”, “Strong Medicine” and many independent films.

JOHN MICHAEL MORGAN (Gabriel) acts and directs in film and theater. Besides appearing in film and television, he has performed at numerous theaters throughout the United States and co-founded Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, TX. He has directed three short films as a graduate student at UCLA and is currently writing his thesis screenplay. He is a member of Plymouth Theater Company and studies acting with Larry Moss. John lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Contact: Erika Tasini - erikatasini@yahoo.com