ABOUT WAKE

When things get tough for offbeat Carys Reitman (Bijou Phillips, Almost Famous, Hostel: Part 2), she does what any emotionally isolated, modern girl would do - she goes to strangers' funerals. At one fateful funeral, she unexpectedly meets Tyler (Ian Somerhalder, Pulse, Lost), a man mourning his fiancee. Despite the warnings of her undertaker best friend Shane (Danny Masterson, Yes Man, That 70s Show) and her roommate Lila (Marguerite Moreau, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Easy), she finds herself connecting to someone for the first time. Searching for answers, Carys goes to see her estranged mother (Jane Seymour, Wedding Crashers, Live and Let Die) to confront her past. And as she tries to open herself to the risks of love with Tyler, she realizes she may have more to fear than a broken heart.

Provided courtesy of Bull Market Entertainment.

Not yet rated. Running time: 97 minutes.

To learn more about the film and to view the trailer, click here.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Ellie Kanner (Director)

Ellie Kanner has over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She directed the independent feature film, crazylove, which debuted at the Hollywood Film Festival in October, 2005. crazylove later had its American broadcast premiere on Lifetime on Valentine's Day, 2006 and has been distributed in more than 70 countries around the world by Porchlight Entertainment.

Kanner's first feature was the comedy Face to Face, which won numerous festival awards around the country. In addition, she has directed an episode of ABC Family's Greek, ABC's hit series Boston Legal and ABC Family's Wildfire. Her episodic directing credits also include The Dead Zone and The Division.

Starting out in the industry as an agent, Kanner quickly moved into casting and became a top casting director. Among her many successes is the assembling of the six lead actors for the pilot and first season of Friends. The show went on to make television history and Kanner received an Artios nomination for the pilot. Her other notable casting credits include the pilots of Sex and the City, The Dead Zone and multiple seasons of Dawson's Creek. Her feature film casting credits include Noah Baumbach's directorial debut film Kicking and Screaming, as well as Sleep With Me, Playing Mona Lisa and many more.

Kanner is also the co-author of two advice books for actors: Next! An Actor's Guide to Auditioning and How NOT to Audition: Avoiding the Common Mistakes Most Actors Make.

Hal Schwartz (Producer)

Wake is the second feature film produced by Hal Schwartz, the President of Bull Market Entertainment. Schwartz's first film was the successful independent feature film, crazylove. Prior to producing crazylove, Schwartz helped select some of Hollywood's biggest projects while working for numerous major entertainment companies, including Scott Free Productios, Lobell-Bergman, Savoy Pictures and AMG. He's now currently developing several films, including the edge romantic comedy, Bitter, where he will once again team up with Kanner and which was written by David Zuckerman, a co-developer of FOX's hit TV show Family Guy and an executive producer on American Dad!

A graduate of the USC Graduate Screenwriting Program and the NYU School of Law, Schwartz brings together a rare combination of business and artistic abilities. Born in New York, he did his undergraduate work at the prestigious School of Speech at Northwestern University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Radio/TV/Film.

Lennox Wiseley (Writer/Producer)

Written by Lennox Wiseley, the screenplay for Wake received semifinalist status in the presitigious Nicholl Fellowship competition, as well as in the Austin Film Festival. It won the Richard Moyer Award for Excellence in Screenwriting and placed as a finalist in the Creative Screenwriting AAA competition. Wiseley teamed with Hal Scwartz and Bill Shraga to produce Wake in early 2008.

A graduate of USC's School of Cinematic Arts, Wiseley enjoys working across genres and media. She has produced numerous popular programs for MTV, Bravo, Lifetime, VH1 and TLC, as well as writing and producing innovative new media content. She did her undergraduate work at Vassar College, earning a Bachelor of the Arts in the Philosophy of Language.

Having recently completed a comedy entitled The Temp, Wiseley is hard at work developing a television pilot and (as always) writing a new feature script.

Bill Shraga (Producer)

Bill Shraga is an independent finnce professional and film producer. Wake is his second feature film. Prior to Wake, Shraga executive produced Fifty Pills, a teen comedy that premiered in competition at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Echo Bridge Entertainment for worldwide distribution. He also recently produced the short film The Trident, and is developing the India-based martial arts feature film Sacred Blade.

Prior to his arrival in Hollywood, Shraga worked on Wall Street, where he completed numerous transactions worth billions of dollars across a range of industries. He has a B.Sc. in Economics form the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Marguerite Moreau (Actor, "Lila")

Marguerite Moreau is best known for her roles on the television series Blossom and in The Mighty Ducks franchise. Whether playing the unattainable dream girl in Wet Hot American Summer or the obsessed vampire researcher in Warner Brothers' Queen of the Damned, Marguerite brings fierce intelligence and charisma to her characters. She grabbed attention for her role as the capable go-to girl for Gene Hackman’s character in the Fox hit, Runaway Jury and saw her performance in Easy capture the hearts of audiences at Sundance. Major critics hailed her rendering of "Jamie", a self-described jerk magnet determined to change her ways, as "enchanting" (Kenny Turan/LA Times) and "charming" (David Ansen/Newsweek).

Last year, Marguerite starred in Jeff Balsmeyer's independent film Long Shot opposite Jeremy Renner, Dallas Roberts and Ayelet Zurer. She also shot live action feature film Beverly Hills Chihuahua with Piper Perabo and Drew Barrymore. Marguerite continues to build on her already impressive resume having shot these independent films this year, Wake, Mary Barger and Easier with Practice. She also made guest appearances on several television shows including the critically acclaimed series Mad Men, playing a sultry prostitute who has a romantic encounter with John Slattery.

ABOUT THE SCA ALUMNI SCREENING SERIES


To view the calendar for the Alumni Screening Series, click here.

ABOUT CHECK-IN & RESERVATIONS

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. The theater will be OVERBOOKED to ensure capacity and the RSVP list will be honored on a first-come, first-serve basis, with no reserved seating. Please bring a photo ID or print out of your reservation confirmation, which will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 5:30 P.M.

ABOUT PARKING

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is located at 900 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Parking passes may be purchased for $8 at USC Entrance Gate #5, located at the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd. & McClintock Avenue. We recommend parking in outdoor Lot M or V, or Parking Structure D, at the far end of 34th Street. Please note that Parking Structure D cannot accommodate tall vehicles such as SUVs. Free street parking is also available along W. Jefferson Boulevard.