AFTER BOFFO UK RECEPTION, DAVID BUCHANAN’S "LAGUNA AVE." CROSSES THE POND TO US PREMIERE AND PARTY AT BIFF OCTOBER 7 (PARTY OCTOBER 8), 2021
Family Affair Brings Hometown Filmmaker and Hometown Venue Operator to Historic Theatre and Legendary Tralf Music Hall. “Lo-Fi Sci-Fi Horror Comedy” Film plays in-person at North Park Theater:
https://buffalo.eventive.org/welcome
“Aesthetically [Laguna Ave] is impressive…recalling Lynch’s work on Eraserhead…it’s a refreshing piece of cinema that shows the potential that Buchanan and Papadeas has.” -Pip Ellwood-Hughes, Entertainment Focus
“Think of John Waters meets technology in this surreal tale of paranoia and Artificial Intelligence in Los Angeles. It’s strange, it’s funny, it’s filled with WTF moments. One for lovers of the bizarre who want their horror with a side of the darkest humour.” -Sabina Stent, Sabina Stent
“Embrace the madness within! Laguna Ave is a demented vision of budgeted cyberpunk, paranoid frenzy and comedic surrealism. An easy highlight of this FrightFest 2021!” -Adam Symchuk, Grimoire of Horror
Buffalo, NY, September 24, 2021—LAGUNA AVE., director David Buchanan, Buffalo native producer Ali Barone and producer/writer/actor Paul Papadeas’ gender/genre-bending slacker lo-fi-sci-fi horror comedy follows one man’s mystical misadventures in and surrounding a rambling Echo Park apartment. After its’ successful screening at London’s prestigious FrightFest, LAGUNA AVE will make its U.S. premiere at the 15th annual Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF) in Buffalo, New York. The film will screen in-person at Buffalo’s historic North Park Theater on Thursday 7 Oct 09:30PM EST. A post screening party for the film takes place the next day, 8 October at 9:30PM at Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14202; phone 716-835-3500.
LAGUNA AVE. defies easy description. The film stars Russell Steinberg (ADVENTURELAND; DAY OUT OF DAYS; BELOW THE BELT (as “Johnny Fayva”)) as Russell, a middle-aged, burned-out TV editor with a prosthetic hand who futilely searches for work in Hollywood's brutal, exploitative underbelly. His former boss (Paul Papadeas) owes him money, his partner Rita (Stephanie Brait) is indifferent, always out of town and inaccessible, and his new downstairs neighbor Gary (Jamie Hall/James Markham Hall Jr. (NEIGHBORS)) keeps him awake at night with mysterious, disturbing noises. But everything changes one evening when Gary pays Russell a visit and introduces him to his sinister world of renegade accelerationism and a collection of outrageous, unstable but captivating fellow travelers and co-conspirators.
Russell Steinberg and James Markham Hall Jr. in LAGUNA AVE
"A film found on a trash heap after the apocalypse. That was Paul’s pitch when he sent me the script for Laguna Ave.,” Buchanan recalls. “I loved its many contradictions: cheap but ambitious, sleazy yet intellectual, funny and dark. It perfectly captures the trashy times we’re living in." The two former bandmates and Barone bootstrapped the production, drafted friends to help out, and let everyone add their own individual brand of insanity to the mix. “The production took on a life of its own, like some a self-propelled, malfunctioning cyborg bent on self-destruction."
Director DAVID BUCHANAN started making films in his local woods aged 14, and to this day is still driven by that same DIY thrill: of having a fun idea, getting a team together, and making it all happen with a budget of £20. Writer/Producer PAUL PAPADEAS has produced four features including AN INNOCENT KISS with Burt Reynolds in 2019, which premiered at the Vancouver’s Just for Laughs Film Festival and is repped by Shoreline Entertainment. Producer/production Designer ALISON BARONE, the founder and CEO of Polytime Atelier, has been a behind the scenes production director for fashion brands such as Rodarte, Libertine, Jeremy Scott and Marchesa. Ali's experience has allowed her to translate those skills into film production. LAGUNA AVE. is her first feature film.
Stephanie Brait in LAGUNA AVE
For the last 15 years, The Buffalo International Film Festival has been championing “regional, national, and international films that push the limits of independent cinema.” Established in 2006, BIFF helps support local artists and filmmakers through its workshops, seminars, fiscal sponsorships and internships. BIFF proudly celebrates the diversity of their community of Buffalo, NY, as well as amplifying the voices of filmmakers in underrepresented communities. This year, BIFF will host over 120 films from 24 countries bringing together a diverse cast of innovative storytellers and films. LAGUNA AVE. will make its U.S. premiere in the BIFF Narrative Features section of the festival.
The BIFF Screening represents a homecoming of sorts for its producer Ali Barone, who was raised in Buffalo and whose father, Tom Barone, has operated the Tralf for the past 15 years. Barone recently saved the theatre from development. The Tralf, as music and sci-fi cognoscenti know, is short for Trafalmadore, the fictional planet that has figured prominently in the writings of Kurt Vonnegut. Lo-fi sci fi and highbrow sci-fi: too close for coincidence?
"Laguna Ave. is very much a story for the present moment, dealing with artificial intelligence, post-truth paranoia, the way that technology separates us from our own bodies,” concludes Buchanan. “But it also grapples with more timeless themes such as drink, drugs, poo and dildos, so basically there’s something in there for everyone. It’s a unique film that could only have been made by this group of people, at this point in history. After the positive reception the film received in the UK, we’re looking forward to seeing how American audiences receive the film. We’re ecstatic to be at BIFF.”
House Angus Productions, LLC and Succulent Films Present: LAGUNA AVE
Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi/Horror; Running Time: 80 minutes;
Rating: NR; Language: English
Director: David Buchanan
Writer: Paul Papadeas
Producers: Ali Barone, Paul Papadeas
Co-producer: Gordon Gee
Director of Photography: David Speck
Principal Cast:
Russell Steinberg, Jamie Hall, Stephanie Brait, Sheridan Ward, Dan Crane, Zachary Taylor, Felixe de Becker, Jane Reardon, Jeff Hilliard, Paul Papadeas, Carlos Marentes.
Web and Social
Web: https://lagunaave.com/
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt10666594
Instagram: @Laguna.Ave.movie
Twitter: @Laguna.Ave.movie
Facebook: @Laguna.Ave.movie
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