Echo Chamber: DWFLA - Heightened
We have a 'Special Edition' of @EchoChamberFP coming at you! It's the start of our Dances With Films Festival (22nd June - 2nd July 2023) coverage, and we're coming strong out the gate!!!
East Shore Arts have a brand new comedy from a Pine Tree State native, which addresses mental health, communication, acceptance, relationship, and finding your place in life. THEN, we sit down with writer, director and co-star of the piece, Sara Friedman, and hear how she brought this story to life!
'Heightened!' is written & directed by Sara Friedman in her feature directorial debut!!! Following a mental breakdown, social anxiety and OCD-riddled Nora (Sara Friedman) returns to Maine to live with her emotionally distant parents (Sarah Clarke & Xander Berkeley). While she undergoes court-ordered psychiatric treatment, Nora’s world is further upended when she is assigned to volunteer at a local state park. Her awkward assignment begins to show promise as her anxiety subsides in the company of her new supervisor Dusty (Dave Register), who is dealing with crippling issues of his own. Eventually, Nora and Dusty band together to overcome the obstacles their socially complicated world presents.
Watch the conversation: HERE!
Today we have:
Heightened! - Poster
Heightened!
Watch Review: Here.
Dances With Films
Friday, 23rd June 2023 at 19:15pm World Premiere,
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Buy Tickets: Here.
Woods Hole Film Fesitval, Woods Hole (MA), 4th August 2023, 16:00pm.
OutSouth, Durham (NC), 12th August 2023 12:50pm.
Director: Sara Friedman
Cast: Sara Friedman, Dave Register, Mike Mitchell, Dipti Mehta, Moira Driscoll, Jessica Cadden Osborne, Kathryn Graham Howell, Whip Hubley, Jody McColman, Richard Sewell, Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke
Credit: Cut 4 Productions, Tilted Windmill Productions, East Shore Arts
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Running Time: 98 min
Cert: 15
Trailer: Here.
Website: Here.
Twitter: @HeightenedFilm
Facebook: Here.
Instagram: @heightenedfilm
Watch the conversation: HERE!
Sara Friedman
Actress, Writer, Director, Producer
Sara Friedman was born in the picturesque lighthouse town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. As a child, she immersed herself in acting and singing, appearing in everything from her school plays to many productions at Maine based professional theatres.
Sara attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied acting and directing at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and on-camera acting at Stonestreet Studios. Upon graduating with a BFA in drama, she worked in TV in Original Programming & Development for IFC TV, part of AMC Networks. After leaving network TV, Sara took her knowledge of development and has been creating her own content.
Short films Sara has written, directed, and starred in have premiered and won awards at film festivals nationwide. Sara has also served roles from Director's Assistant to Producer on everything from feature films to web content. She recently completed her debut feature film, "Heightened", which she wrote, directed, starred in, and produced. Sara spends time living and working in Los Angeles, New York, and Maine.
Follow Sara via:
IMDb: Here.
Linkedin: Here.
Website: Here.
Twitter: @SaraMintaha
Instagram: @saramintaha
Dances With Films - Poster
26th Dances With Films
Dances With Films (DWF:LA & DWF:NYC), now in its 26th year, champions the unflinching spirit at the very core of the independent film scene. While the vast majority of film fests rely heavily on celebrity, we have relied on the innovation, talent, creativity and sweat equity that revolutionized the entertainment industry. And that reliance continues to prove successful with alumni moving on to write, direct and produce celebrity-studded vehicles, star in blockbuster movies and television series, produce multi-million dollar films and create hit TV shows. Oh…. and we even have several OSCAR® nominees… In a world of homogenized, formulaic film festivals, DWF:LA continues to defy the rules.
Film Information: Here.
Film Programme & Tickets: Here.
Panel + Special Events: Here.
Website: Here.
Twitter: @danceswithfilms
Facebook: Here.
Instagram: @danceswithfilms
*(Music)
'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You' by Black Kids - 2008