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News/In Development
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Louisville native Shane Woodson is bringing his award-winning feature film to town Friday night to premiere at Village 8 Theatres.The Los Angeles-based filmmaker, who is an Atherton High School grad, will debut “Barracuda,” which he both directed and starred in, at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Ironically, Woodson was an usher at Village 8 when he was growing up in the Derby City.
The flick won “Best Feature” at both the Mississippi International Film Festival and the Flint Film Festival this year, and was honored with an “Excellence in Filmmaking” award at the 2011 Las Vegas International Film Festival.
“Barracuda” focuses on one woman’s campaign to bring sex offenders to justice when the law fails in a cross-country adventure in her ’66 Plymouth Barracuda. The role is played by L.A. actress Christy Oldham, who also wrote the movie, and whose onetime job as a phone sex operator provided much of the inspiration for the screenplay.
Louisville audiences might remember Woodson’s 2006 screwball comedy, “Cain and Abel,” which starred Flavor Flav. Woodson and Oldham formed Mercury Rising Films in 2001. “Barracuda” is their second flick.
“Our Louisville premiere of ‘Barracuda’ is extremely important to me, as our film bravely tackles tough subject matter and delivers a very important social message through the use of dark comedy,” Woodson tells the Buzz. “As a Louisville native, I am honored to show the town my multi-award-winning feature and look forward to meeting everyone after the screenings and signing autographs. Look out, Louisville, ‘Barracuda’ is coming to get you!”
By CHRIS MORRIS
Chris.Morris@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune
Sat Nov 19, 2011, 07:59 AM EST
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NEW ALBANY — New Albany High School’s television studio will be making its film debut locally Friday night.
The studio was used in a scene in the film “Barracuda,” which will make its Louisville debut at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Village 8 Theaters in Louisville. It will also be shown at 9:30 and several stars of the movie will meet fans and sign autographs following the two showings.
The movie has been collecting awards throughout the country, including at film festivals in Burbank, Calif., Mississippi and New Orleans.
“It’s took us three years to put together and we are really pleased with it,” said Director Shane Woodson, who also has one of the lead roles in the film and is a native of Louisville. “We are looking for a big national release soon and I am really excited to bring the film to my hometown.”
New Albany resident Randy Bulleit plays a newscaster in the movie. When it was time to shoot Bulleit’s scene, there were no television studios available. So he asked his former radio teacher, Lee Kelly, if the New Albany High School studio could be used. He said Kelly welcomed the crew with open arms.
“He was so gracious,” Bulleit said of Kelly. “That is a top-notch facility.”
Kelly said it was the first time his studio had ever been used for a movie scene.
“I have worked on a few projects with Randy through the years,” he said.
Woodson said he has known Bulleit for 20 years and knew the New Albany resident had experience in television and as a horse racing announcer. He said he has the perfect voice for a newscaster.
“He did a bang up job with it,” Woodson said of Bulleit. “They have a wonderful studio there. They were very gracious at New Albany and it worked out beautifully.”
The movie focuses on one woman’s campaign to bring sex offenders to justice when the law fails. The actress who plays the lead role, Christy Oldham, also wrote the screenplay and produced the film.
“It’s really the perfect storm with all the horrible stuff going on at Penn State,” Woodson said. “It deals with the subject head on. It brings it to light. And hopefully it will help people.”
Woodson said he filmed the movie over 13 days in Los Angeles, 15 days in Louisiana and one day each in Louisville and New Albany. There are 200 actors in the film.
Woodson began his acting career in the old Floyd County Theater and Clarksville Little Theater.
Woodson and Oldham also teamed up to produce the 2007 comedy “Cain and Abel.” He said that film has been distributed worldwide. He is also the co-director of the upcoming release “The Legend of Black Annie,” which is currently in production.
Besides earning numerous awards, “Barracuda” was honored with an excellence in film making award at the 2011 Las Vegas Film Festival. The film is rated R.
“People have been so responsive,” Woodson said of the film. “She [Oldham] is a real gem. This is not a fun and fuzzy film.”
SShane Woodson, Danny Glover and Christy Oldham
Indie film 'Barracuda' outsold all the studio films including "Money Ball", "Footloose", and "Dolphin Tail" at the New Orleans Chalmette theater.
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Christy Oldham had a dream growing up in Ferriday, Louisiana that someday she would write and star in her own movie. Well Christy got her wish after packing her bags in May, 1998 and headed to California in a 17 foot U-Haul. It took thirteen years of hard work and a working partnership with director Shane Woodson that led to the creation of Mercury Films Rising Productions. Christy Oldham and Shane Woodson began producing films, and in the 2007, released the screwball comedy hit Cain and Abel, starring rap icon Flavor Flav. Production companies need money to flourish, so to pay the rent while living in Burbank, California, she took a job as a sex phone operator and that’s where the idea for Barracuda came about. "My film exposes the secret and often criminal sexual lives of normal, professional men. While Barracuda is fictional, it's truthful. The story is partly based on some of the phone sex operator's actual phone calls." said Christy. In Barracuda, I play Summer, a self made vigilante, and the film focuses on one woman's campaign to bring sex offenders to justice when the law fails.
Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic
Based upon true events, Barracuda weaves together Tarantino, touches of 70's exploitation and a little bit of Hardy Candy into what may very well be every sexual violence survivor's ultimate fantasy ... No, not just revenge, but hardcore justice.
Produced, written by and starring Christy Oldham, Barracuda is a darkly comical film about Summer (Christy Oldham), a painter moonlighting as a phone sex operator to help pay the bills. What at first seemed like a relatively painless way to pay the bills during a career rough spot quickly turns into encounter after encounter with outwardly normal men whose sexual fantasies are anything but normal. Convinced that these men are masking more than just sexual fantasies but ignored by local law enforcement when she tries to do something about it, Summer sets out in her 1966 Plymouth Barracuda to exact her own brand of justice upon men whose dark sexual fantasies reveal even darker realities.
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The 8th annual Flint Film Festival is returning Oct. 14-15 at the Riverfront Banquet Hall.
The festival displays the independent work of filmmakers around Michigan and all around the world. Films range from fiction, documentary, animation, short or full length.
One of the films being screened this year is a dark comedy that focuses on one woman's campaign to bring sex offenders to justice when the law fails.
This new, feature-length film is called "Barracuda," and writer, producer and actress Christy Oldham, based out of Los Angeles, says there's a startling truth behind it.
"My film exposes the secret and often criminal sexual lives of normal, professional men. While 'Barracuda' is fictional, it's truthful. The story is partly based on a phone sex operator's actual phone calls."
"Barracuda," has been nominated for three awards, including Best Picture and made its premiere screening at the 2011 Burbank International Film Festival in September at the AMC movie theater in California.
It will be screened at the Flint Film Festival at 8:15 p.m. Oct. 14.
The Riverfront Banquet Center is located at 1 Riverfront Center West, Flint.
For more information, visit the Flint Film Festival website or the Flint Film Festival Facebook page.
Meet the lovely Christy Oldham pictured below. She is a narrative filmmaker based in Los Angeles who wrote, produced and starred in BARRACUDA, her newest feature. In addition to earning praise at the Burbank International Film Festival, this film is being lauded at film festivals across the nation and was recently honored with an "Excellence in Filmmaking" award at the 2011 Las Vegas International Film Festival.
'Barracuda' has been nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Film Editing and Best Picture at the 2011 Burbank Film Festival.
SEX OFFENDERS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE IN SENSATIONAL NEW FILM "BARRACUDA"
The sensational new feature length film "Barracuda" focuses on one woman's campaign to bring sex offenders to justice when the law fails. Starring as Summer, nicknamed "Barracuda", after her exploits draw national attention, is Christy Oldham, who also wrote the screenplay and produced the film. "My film exposes the secret and often criminal sexual lives of normal, professional men. While Barracuda is fictional, it's truthful. The story is partly based on a phone sex operator's actual phone calls." said Christy. The films protagonist tracks down a number of sex offenders (escaped rapists, pedophiles, and murderers) in her vintage 1966 Plymouth Barracuda car. "So often in the real world sex offenders escape justice" said Director Shane Woodson. "Our film bravely tackles a tough subject matter, and delivers an important social message through the vein of dark comedy. It's a blockbuster film!" said Woodson.
Written by: Shane Woodson and Terrence Flack
© 2009 MERCURY RISING FILMS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
Nearly 20 years ago, Shane Woodson worked as an usher at Village 8 Theatres. My, how time flies. On Saturday, Woodson returns to Village 8 to premiere “Barracuda,” which he directed and stars in. The film is a dark comedy that broaches a sensitive topic — child molestation and sexual deviance. The protagonist, played by Christy Oldham, who also wrote the film, travels across the country vigilante-style to take out these lurking predators. Woodson is proud to show the film in his hometown.