THE GYMNAST

Ned Farr OUT TAKES Dallas Int. LGBT Film Festival 2007 WINNER Dallas voice Audience Choice Award BEST FEATURE OUT TAKES Dallas Int. LGBT Film Festival 2007 WINNER BEST AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FEATURE Mount Shasta Int.<br><br> Film Festival 2007 WINNER vital voice LGBT Award St. Louis International Film Festival 2007 2nd PLACE Audience Award BEST FEATURE Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival 2nd PLACE Audience Award BEST ACTRESS Addie Y1n%mee Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival 2nd PLACE Audience (Rosebud) Award BEST FEATURE VerMaubert - International LGBT Film Festival 3rd PLACE Audience Award BEST ACTRESS Dreya Weber Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival HONORABLE MENTION Best New Director Ned Farr The Seattle LGBT Festival 6/2006 to 11/2007 THE GYMNAST Press c THE GYMNAST deli>ers emotional intensity in tastefully spectacular wrappings...the entire film unfolds in the space between physicality and sexuality . The acting is fine throughout, Weber in particular proving a master of the speaking glance.<br><br> Writer/director Farr, adept at keeping dialogue to the point and at a minimum, allows thesps 9 expressive gestures and body language to tell the tale. Pic 9s epilogue, tucked in and interspersed among the closing credits, erupts in an epiphany of non-verbal communication. d Ronnie Scheib, VARIETY cHow refreshing to discover a film about a mature woman at a crossroads in her life. THE GYMNAST is fresh and >ibrant , acted with conviction by a talented ensemble. d Leonard Maltin c The heroine of this debut feature is an original, complex creation ...<br><br> a triumph for Weber . d LA WEEkLY c. .. a rare gem of a film.<br><br> d Tom W. Kelly, SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES cA former gymnastic champion (played by Dreya Weber), in a deadening marriage and in her early forties, is thrown together with a dancer (Addie Yungmee), to create an aerial act to take to Vegas. A good deal of the action is (quite literally) up in the air and this >ertiginous, >oluptuous lo>e story is the kind of film that really stays with you.<br><br> Weber is a knockout and there isn 9t a false mo>e ; don 9t miss the end credits which include grace notes in the final scenes. d Leonard Maran, SAN FRANCISCO OBSERVER c A polished, absorbing piece of work. Uncommonly sensual, and economically told, it 9s the kind of film in which a glance, a touch or a gesture communicates with an eloquence and potency words struggle to match...flecked with grace notes and strong characteriMation, [THE GYMNAST] delivers emotional intensity without overplaying its hand. One also must commend Weber 9s evocative choreography, and the finely framed photography that helps make the aerial sequences so lyrical.<br><br> The overall look of the film is at once spare and sumptuous. Kudos to Farr and cinematographer Marco Fargnoli. d Bill Thompson, ThE POST AND COuRIER THE GYMNAST Press cTHE GYMNAST, writer/director Ned Farr 9s lushly photographed drama on sexual awakening casts a sensual, capti>ating spell . d Randy Myers CONTRA COSTA TIMES cThere is a scene in The Gymnast in which the protagonist, Jane, is suspended in midair, wrapped in a giant strand of silk that she 9s using as part of her Cirque du Soleil 3like aerial routine. At one point, she pauses to slowly caress the shroud of gossamer fabric that has engulfed her body.<br><br> It is a small but powerful metaphor of a person inside a cocoon, awaiting transformation. It is one of those rare pictures that everyone should see (straight readers, this means you) because even though it 9s a smoldering lesbian love story (are you paying attention now, straight guys?), the film reveals a number of universal themes, including transformation, loss, ageism, adultery and betrayal. All of this without so much as a hint of Lifetime-network sentimentality...these themes unravel both figuratively and metaphorically as Jane and Serena navigate the beautiful silks they employ as part of their act.<br><br> So stunning are the visual cues in The Gymnast that language plays a secondary role. We read the loss on Jane 9s face as she deals with her domestic life, we feel the temporary sensuality and strenuous physicality as we watch her navigate the competitive world of gymnastics at midlife, and we sense the sexual tension between the two women as they rehearse and perform their act in silence, alone and high above the rest of the world. d Jason A. Heidemann TIME OuT ChICAgO cTHE GYMNAST, a new film written and directed by Ned Farr, is a drama with a rare kind of beauty and power.<br><br> Seldom before has a movie about middle age and sexual confusion brought with it such a tangible sense of longing and realism without losing its sense of humor... As an examination of sexual awakening and the complications that arise, THE GYMNAST is unmatched. d Danielle Riendeau AFTER ELLEN.com cScripter and director Ned Farr, making his feature debut, strikes a perfect balance in depicting both the beauty and the strength of his characters , as well as the vulnerability and yearning behind their perfectly honed physiques. d Natalie Peterson FRAMELINE30 THE GYMNAST Director 9s Statement cWhen you 9re spending in>estors money, you make a slasher film.<br><br> When you spend your own, you get to do something a little more scary, like make a drama, d laughs writer/ director Ned Farr. cFortunately, we could green-light ourselves, so we got to dig into issues that have a richness and complexity to them. A failing marriage, now there 9s something scary.<br><br> Stepping over the gender line for the first time, that discovery that you 9re a three on the Kinsey scale, that 9s a feast of emotion all to itself! There 9s also the adultery angle. I just find it fascinating that in our real lives there is so much condemnation around a subject that gets reflected back to us in our culture, through our stories and movies, in a way that makes adultery not only understandable, but also sometimes transformative.<br><br> How many people even registered that T&e Brid%es of Madison Co1nty was about adultery? It certainly wasn 9t part of the advertising campaign. The reason forbidden love is so moving in books and films and not in life is because in stories we get to see and feel both sides, whereas in life, almost by definition, you can 9t. d cAnother compelling issue is how a woman measures her worth when she no longer is able to have children, especially if she hasn 9t yet had one.<br><br> There is all manner of rationaliMing that goes into taking the sting out of crossing that threshold, but the thought of it...I don 9t know, I just found myself profoundly moved by that transition. Everything else in the story branches out from there. There 9s a direct emotional connection between Jane 9s body failing her at a critical moment during her gymnastic career and it failing her as a potential mother.<br><br> And so many other facets of Jane 9s character are compelling. She spent 6 to 8 hours a day training over the course of many years to achieve one goal, Olympic gold, only to have all that training come to nothing. What do you do with that?<br><br> In her case, it led to a refusal to really commit to anything ever again, to stay small. It 9s such a beautiful and ironic moment when she does her balance beam routine for the police officer at the film 9s end. Her past comes around full circle.<br><br> Her training did have a purpose. It 9s the singular thing that allows her journey to continue. I love that. d cThe question I 9ve been asked is why this film, why now?<br><br> I can only think that, aside from the fact that the themes have resonance for me, this is the kind of story you rarely see. You don 9t see many movies made about women in their forties. It 9s almost as if there weren 9t hundreds of millions of them walking around.<br><br> Certainly being married to Dreya provided a little inspiration! d Writer/Director Ned Farr THE GYMNAST Short Version J ane, a former elite gymnast, when confronted with age and infertility, searches to give her life new meaning. Caught between an over-bearing husband and a possessive former teammate, she finds escape in a Cirque Du Soleil-type aerial act... and in the arms of another.<br><br> Long Version J ane Hawkins (Dreya Weber) was once one of America 9s top gymnasts, but events and injury prevented her from fulfilling her Olympic destiny. Almost twenty years have passed in obscurity, working hand to mouth as a massage therapist while slowly disappearing in a passionless marriage. In an attempt to give meaning to her life, she has been secretly trying to get pregnant, against her husband David 9s wishes.<br><br> Though still in peak condition, her doctor informs her that she may have waited too long to have children. And without David 9s money, she can 9t afford the fertility drugs that might make the difference. A chance meeting with Denise, a former gymnastic teammate, provokes Jane to reexamine her life and past.<br><br> While visiting a gymnasium, she is recogniMed by a coach, who recruits Jane for a completely different kind of venture: being part of a Cirque Du Soleil type of aerial act. Also recruited to be part of the act is an enigmatic dancer named Serena. When events force the coach out of the project, Jane and Serena attempt to put the act together themselves, and in the process, fall in love.<br><br> After Denise convinces her the affair with Serena is a form of denial, Jane must choose between having a child with her suddenly willing husband, or creating a completely new life for herself. Synopsis THE GYMNAST WRITER/ DIRECTOR/EDITOR Ned Farr PRODUCERS Dreya Weber Michael Carp CO-PRODUCER Addie Yungmee ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS Shannon Beach Cathy Shim Steve Yablock CINEMATOGRAPHY Marco Fargnoli COMPOSER Craig Richey AERIAL CHOREOGRAPHY Dreya Weber PRODUCTION SOUND David Waelder 1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Morgan Rhodes ART DIRECTOR Willy Roberts MAKE-UP/HAIR Laura Markert Sherri Haight COSTUME DESIGNER Darragh Marmorstein Corset Cost1mes desi%ned by Jennifer Jacobs, Serena 9s Dance Cost1me desi%ned by karla Cama Performance Cost1mes desi%ned by S&annon Beac& & Dreya Weber POST SOUND Immersion Sound Michael Carp (310) 614-2277 mike@lunarfish.com Dreya Weber (646) 206-0938 Cell weberdreya@mac.com SALES CONTACT Crew NED FARR, Writer/Director A graduate of the Film School at SUNY Purchase in New York, Farr has been involved in production for over 17 years, from preproduction storyboard artist to post production editor, and well as a long stint as a gaffer on many commercials, music videos, and features. Ned Farr 9s most recent film how to Ace an Intervention won Best Short Film at the DV Film Festival 804 and the Durango Film Festival 805, also winning a screenwriting award from the HypeFest for its screenplay.<br><br> He also wrote, directed and edited three other short films; Dream A Little Dream For Me which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, T&e Contractor and T&e Catc&er . His short films have been screened at over 30 film festivals nationwide. Ned has also directed music videos for various artists, including Jesse Hultberg, The Blue Thumbs, and Plato.<br><br> Also a singer-songwriter, Ned has released three CD 9s of original music, Desert Motel which is available at iTunes, and AmaMon.com, and T&e good Red Road and Indian S1mmer which are available at www.nedfarr.com. Ned is currently in developement with two original screenplays. MARCO FARGNOLI, Director of Photography Marco Fargnoli, a native of Dayton, Ohio, and graduate of Wright State University, began his career in Chicago 9s grassroots film community.<br><br> After relocating to Los Angeles in the late 90 9s, he began shooting independent features and music videos. His work has been seen several times at the Sundance Film Festival, and his TV documentary work includes projects for NBC, FOX, Lifetime, and the History Channel. T&e Act , a Sundance 2005 short film, was just honored this past Spring by inclusion in the Cinematographers Guild Showcase for Excellence in Cinematography.<br><br> The features and short films he 9s shot have picked up other awards at Aspen Independent (Best Feature Cinematography), Houston Worldfest, BACA, Durango, and Cinequest film festivals. In addition to THE GYMNAST, Marco 9s latest projects are the indy feature Race Yo1 to t&e Bottom, Forever, and the award- winning short film how to Ace an Intervention , directed by Ned Farr. Marco is currently in pre-production for T&e hammer .<br><br> THE GYMNAST Biography CRAIG RICHEY, Composer A native of North Carolina, Craig graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in NYC. Craig began scoring films in NY. His first score, indy film W&en It 9s Over , won critical praise in the LA weekly, and Variety after being screened at the first Newport Beach Film Festival.<br><br> He also scored Nicole Holofcener 9s Lovely and Amazin% (starring Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethen, Emily Mortimer, Jake Gyllenhaal and Dermot Mulroney), and Ned Farr 9s short film T&e Catc&er , starring Dreya Weber. His most recent film, Friends Wit& Money , written and directed by Holofcener and starring Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Francis McDormand and Joan Cusack, opened the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and nationally in April of 2006. Also a singer-songwriter, Craig 9s songs appear both in Lovely And Amazin% and Friends Wit& Money .<br><br> Craig has released a record of original Christmas songs titled Mot&er & C&ild , Songs of Christmas 9 available at iTunes, AmaMon.com, and CDbaby. MICHAEL CARP, Producer A native New Yorker, Michael Carp came out to Los Angeles on the late 880s to pursue a career in film. Carp worked in entertainment, advertising & technology during the tech- boom, and in 1994 Carp opened Lunarfish, a Production & VFX Company.<br><br> Lunarfish was one of the key teams that created the stunning visual effects in the painted worlds of the film W&at Dreams May Come which won them the Academy Award for best Visual Effects and the very prestigious Prix Pixel-INA: Imagina Award. Among other spots for D&G, AMC Theaters & La Fee Absinthe, Lunarfish also won the AICP Award and Cannes & Clio Award shortlists for B1llet Factory. Other Indie films include Ole, Venice under%ro1nd , RienCarNation , and T&e Basement .<br><br> THE GYMNAST Biography THE GYMNAST Cast Jane Hawkins-Galvin Serena Goldberg David Galvin Denise Wingfield Nicole Phelan Dan Crystal Jim Stan Dr. Weiland Julian Bastien Q Sandy Wingfield Officer Holt Mrs. Goldberg Mr.<br><br> Goldberg Chad Female Masseuse #1 Female Masseuse #2 Serena 9s Agent Young Gymnast Crystal 9s Daughter Young Gymnast #2 DREYA WEBER ADDIE YUNGMEE DAVID DE SIMONE ALLISON MACKIE MAM SMITH STEF TOVAR TRICIA SMALL PAUL HICKS JEFF SUGARMAN KATHE MAzUR ANDREW ABELSON JOHN LEE AMES AMY LEMONS ROBERT BURKE RON DREWES MAGGIE MELLIN FRED ORNSTEIN TONY HORTON CATHY SHIM JENNIFER KANG HILARY HAYES BELLA HICKS AVA DAIKELER MIKEALA ARENSON THE GYMNAST DREYA WEBER Actor (Jane)/Producer Dreya has acted extensively in Film, Television, and Theatre. She can be seen in Nicole Holofcener 9s Lovely and Amazin%, Sharon Pollack 9s Everyt&in% Relative , and short films Dream A Little Dream For Me , which premiered at the Seattle International film festival, T&e Catc&er, and T&e Contractor. She guest starred in several episodes of ABC 9s T&e Practice , the CBS/Paramount pilot Company Town , and has been in many commercials.<br><br> Dreya appeared on Broadway at the Roundabout, at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle- in-the- Square, and in many Off-Broadway and Regional theatre productions. In Los Angeles she played Vivien Leigh in the west coast premiere of Austin Pendleton 9s Orson 9s S&adow, (winner Ovation, LADCC, Garland Awards), and recently appeared in the third sold out run of Le Cl1b Sed1ce , an aerial burlesque comedy that she co-wrote and co-produced. Dreya spent 3 years traveling the world with Cher 9s Livin% Proof Farewell To1r .<br><br> She choreographed all of the aerials in the show, and performed as a dancer and solo aerialist. The NBC broadcast of Livin% Proof won the 2003 Emmy for Best Musical Special. Dreya choreographed an aerial swing number for Madonna 9s Re-Invention To1r , and all of the aerials in Pink 9s Try T&is and I 9m Not Dead tours.<br><br> Dreya 9s fascination with aerial arts began after her final season as an All-American gymnast at Hunter College. She happened across a trapeMe rig while visiting her sister in Bloomington, Indiana. She quickly excelled and soon was performing flying trapeMe in T&e Moscow State Circ1s, Circ1s America , and the Royal hanniford Circ1s.<br><br> ADDIE YUNGMEE Actor (Serena)/Co-producer THE GYMNAST marks Addie 9s film acting debut. Addie is one of the dance world 9s most sought after performers, having toured the globe with Madonna, Janet Jackson, Pink, and Cher 9s Emmy-winning Livin% Proof Farewell To1r , in which she also performed as an aerialist. She is currently out on Madonna 9s 2006 Confessions tour.<br><br> Addie 9s film appearances as a dancer include: Memoirs of a geis&a, Bowfin%er, Collateral, Oran%e Co1nty, and Li(e Mi(e . She has also appeared in numerous music videos: Madonna, Pink, No Doubt, Cher, Lenny KravitM, Timberland and Magoo, Mick Jagger, Missy Elliot, and more. Biography THE GYMNAST ALLISON MACKIE Actor (Denise) Allison Mackie began her career in New York at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater and the Actor 9s Studio.<br><br> Miss Mackie recently appeared in the indie film O1r Very Own with Allison Janney. Other film credits include Ori%inal Sin, gia, Friends & Family, Rear Window, T&e So1ler Opposite, T&e Stran%- er, Sliver, Sc&emes and Amos & Andrew . Television: Wit&o1t A Trace, Law & Order SVu, Frasier, E.R.<br><br> und1e Infl1ence, Jac( Reed 3 and So1t& Beac& . Allison has appeared on Broadway as Roxane in Cyrano De Ber%erac starring Frank Langella and with Joanne Woodward in Candida . Regionally she has worked with Miss Woodward in productions of T&e Bi% knife, La Ronde, hay Fever, T&e Constant Wife and most recently David Copperfield .<br><br> Regional credits include Peccadillo (written & directed by Garson Kanin) Mids1m- mer Ni%&t 9s Dream, Romeo & J1liet, T&e Velvet Elvis, All T&e Way home and Dear Br1t1s . MAM SMITH Actor (Nicole) Mam graduated from New York University 9s Tish School of the Arts for Dance and Theater. She also received a Masters degree in communications from Emerson College in Boston.<br><br> Mam has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims unit, in the film Stay in numerous print and Television advertisements. Her choreographic contributions for the Broadway Musical Nine gar- nished the show two Tony awards and a broadcast mention. Mam designed Mariah Carey 9s aerials for the 2003 C&armbracelet To1r.<br><br> Mam performed at Lincoln Center and Radio City Mu- sic Hall as a solo aerialist/dancer and toured through out the United States as a featured dancer with the Doug Elkins Dance Co. Some of Mam 9s stunt credits include T&e Bedford Diaries, T&e Family Stone, T&e Manc&1rian Candidate, and An%els In America . Biography THE GYMNAST DAVID DE SIMONE Actor (David) David De Simone studied ballet at Julliard, and was considered something of a prodigy: he didn 9t start dancing until he was sixteen and flourished so quickly Julliard offered him a scholar- ship to continue his studies.<br><br> While in New York he caught the acting bug and began pursuing it with equal intensity. But a simple cut on his hand led to a serious staph infection that perma- nently weakened his heart and caused him to wear a pacemaker for the rest of his life. This sudden biMarre turn of events changed the course of David 9s acting career, which for the most part lay dormant in the intervening 20 years before he stepped through our front door to audi- tion for THE GYMNAST.<br><br> When Dreya and I met David, he had recently married a lovely gal named Autumn, and was thriving as a general contractor building and renovating houses. A few years earlier he had started taking acting classes again, dreaming of perhaps taking another shot at the biM, and so had put himself out there for any role that might fit. I didn 9t know that when I wrote the role of Jane 9s husband, I was writing it for him, had in fact already called his character 8David 9 years before we ever met, but this must have been the case because as soon as he sat down and started his audition we felt we 9d found our man.<br><br> A few months after completing principle photography for THE GYMNAST, David suffered a fa- tal heart attack. The shock of this, the numbed incomprehension in the weeks that followed, was perhaps in time ameliorated by the small grace of seeing him every day on the computer screen as we edited his performance, knowing we 9d helped him achieve a dream of his, and by knowing 4knowing because he would freely admit it, that he was a very, very happy man. ~Ned Farr Biography THE GYMNAST Festivals NORTH AMERICA NewFest , New York City NY 2006 Frameline 30 , San Francisco CA 2006 Outfest , Los Angeles CA 2006 PhillyFest , Philadelphia PA 2006 Reel Pride , Fresno CA 2006 Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al , TX 2006 Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al, FL 2006 Sarah Lawrence College , NY 2006 Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festi>al, OR 2006 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festi>al, WA 2006 Reel Affirmations , Washington DC 2006 Pittsburgh Lesbian & Gay Film Festi>al , PA 2006 Sa>annah Intl Film Festi>al , GA 2006 Outrageous Film Festi>al , Santa Barbara CA 2006 Reeling , Chicago 2006 Trinity College , CT 2006 Indianapolis Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al , IN 2006 Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al , NY 2006 Best of OutFest - @ the Egyptian, LA, CA 2006 Santa Fe International Film Festi>al , NM 2006 Bloomington Pride , IN 2007 Cle>eland International Film Festi>al , OH 2007 Durango International Film Festi>al , CO 2007 St.<br><br> Cloud OUT , MN 2007 Outflix Film Festi>al , Memphis TN 2007 Miami International Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al , FL 2007 Birmingham SHOUT, Birmingham AL 2007 Boston Gay and Lesbian Film Festi>al , Boston, MA 2007 Rehoboth Beach Film Society , Rehoboth Beach, DE 2007 Jacob Burns Film Center , Pleasantville, NY 2007 6/2006 to 4/2007 THE GYMNAST Festivals INTERNATIONAl LESGAICINEMAD , Madrid Spain 2006 vERZAUBERT , Germany 2006 Rozefilmdagen , Amsterdam 2006 Gender Bender , Bologna 2006 Zinegoak , Bilbao Spain 2006 Mardi Gras , Sydney Australia 2007 Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al , Australia 2007 victoria International Film Festi>al , Canada 2007 Reelout , Kingston Ontario 2007 vues D 9en Face , Grenoble France 2007 Out In Africa/South African Gay & Lesbian Film Festi>al, South Africa 2007 CINHOMO , Valladolid Spain 2007 Pink Apple Gay and Lesbian Film Festi>al , zurich SwitMerland 2007 Athens Gay and Lesbian Film Festi>al, Greece 2007 Oslo Gay and Lesbian Film Festi>al, Norway 2007 6/2006 to 4/2007

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