Download The Winged Man

AFI’S Directing Workshop for Women Presents
The Winged Man
TAGLINE
When Love Takes Wing
SYNOPSIS
In this work of Magical Realism, the only thing we know for certain is that Daysi, a Latina high school girl, is
pregnant. Is the conception the son of a mystical winged man, as Daysi insists? Or the result of a one-night
stand, as the girl’s mother claims? This visually arresting and poetic rumination on truth, written by Academyaward nominee José Rivera, asks what it means to hold onto a belief, and what it takes to let it go.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE’S DIRECTING WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN
Marya Mazor’s The Winged Man was one of eight projects chosen out of hundreds to participate in the AFI
Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) program and was chosen by AFI to represent the Institute at the
Cannes Short Film Market in 2008. AFI's DWW has been a major force in training women in narrative
filmmaking since 1974. Over 200 women have been given the opportunity to participate in this innovative and
unique training program for tomorrow's directors. The DWW focuses on the development and production of a
short narrative project. Participants enter the program with a short screenplay, which they develop for three
weeks within the Jessica Kaplan Screenwriting Series at the Directing Workshop for Women, followed by five
days of filming and twenty days of editing.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
MARYA MAZOR, Director - Ms. Mazor’s work as a theater director has been seen
across the country, including the west coast premiere of Philip Kan Gotanda's Day
Standing On its Head at the Berkeley Repertory Theater and the Asian American
Theater Company; Kia Corthron's Come Down Burning at the Long Wharf Theater;
and the world premiere of Cary Wong's Mirrors Remembered at the New York Stage
& Film Co. Ms. Mazor’s work has also been seen at NADA, Dixon Place, the
Boston Court Theatre, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival (with Philip Seymour
Hoffman), among many other venues. Ms. Mazor also directs large-scale stage shows for Disney Entertainment
Productions. In 1990, she co-founded Voice & Vision, a professional theater in New York City, serving as one of
its Producing Artistic Directors for more than eleven years. During her tenure, Voice & Vision produced the
work of some of America's leading artists, including Olympia Dukakis, Kia Corthron, and Lynn Nottage. She
received the 2003-2004 National Endowment for the Arts Directing Fellowship, and has taught at The New
School, Vassar College, and Fordham University. Ms. Mazor holds an M.F.A. in directing from the Yale School
of Drama.
JOSÉ RIVERA, Writer - Mr. Rivera is a recipient of two OBIE Awards for Playwriting, a
Fulbright Arts Fellowship, a Whiting Foundation Award, and a McKnight Fellowship. He
studied with Gabriel Garcia Marquez at Sundance and was writer-in-residence at the Royal
Court Theatre, London. Mr. Rivera was nominated for a 2005 Academy Award for Best
Adapted Screenplay, Spain’s Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, a BAFTA award, a
WGA Award, and Argentina’s top screenwriting award, all for The Motorcycle Diaries. In
2006, he wrote and directed the short film The Tape Recorder. Mr. Rivera’s film Trade
premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was the winner of the 2007 Goya Award
for Best Film. In the works are screen adaptations of Kerouac’s On the Road and the novel
Three Apples Fell From Heaven.
STEPHANIE BELL, Producer - Ms. Bell is an award-winning producer currently in
development on her next feature film, The Devil of Appalachia. Ms. Bell has produced for
By the Woods Productions, The Annex Film Group, Soft Serve Pictures; and awardwinning theatre companies Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA (managing director), Sacred
Fools (Co-Artistic Director), and Theatre Of Note, among others. Ms. Bell has over 10
years of experience in production, business and legal affairs, and finance, working for
such companies as Paramount Pictures, Interscope Communications & Franchise Pictures.
Her short films, Tag and Robbie’s Withdrawal have won Best Short Film honors in festival competitions throughout
the country. Prior to producing, Ms. Bell was an actress, performing Off-Broadway and in film and television.
CAMILLIA SANES, Producer - Ms. Sanes is currently producing a feature by OscarNominated screenwriter José Rivera entitled Celestina, starring John Leguizamo. She is CEO of
Esperanza Productions, a company dedicated to the production of feature films that entertain,
inspire and resonate with their viewers. In front of the camera, Ms. Sanes has shared the screen
with Tom Cruise, Tobey Maguire, Holly Hunter, and other major stars, as well as in television,
Broadway productions and theatres around the world. She is known for her fiery role as
Aurora Aceveda in the Emmy-award winning show, The Shield. Other roles include Saving
Grace, Law & Order, and Cold Case. She is the annual guest artist at the Scuola di Teatro in
Bologna, Italy. Ms. Sanes received her Masters from Yale University.
ANA ORTIZ, Wanda – Ms. Ortiz, the stunning Latin star on ABC’s Emmy nominated comedy
“Ugly Betty” has captivated audiences with her modern-day Lucille Ball charm and zany antics
as “Hilda,” alongside America Ferrara, as Betty’s feisty, over-protective sister. Recently, Ortiz
proved herself to be an outstanding talent by bringing home the 2007 ALMA Award and 2007
Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role on “Ugly Betty.” After only its first
season, this outstanding television series has won a Golden Globe Award, a NAACP Award, a
GLAAD Media Award and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, People’s Choice
Award and a SAG Award.
SHALIM ORTIZ, The Winged Man – Mr. Ortiz (no relation to Ana) was most recently seen
on the hit television series Heroes. He completed filming on the independent horror picture
"The Guardian," due in 2008; the independent feature "Yuniol" in the Dominican Republic
where he is playing the title role alongside Latin icon Charytin; the film "Art of Travel," costarring Brooke Burns and Chris Masterson; and the film "Spin" in which he also performs
the title song on the soundtrack. He can also be seen on the internet in the webisodic series
"Engaged." For more on Mr. Ortiz go to www.shalim.net.
MARTA McGONAGLE, Daysi – Ms. McGonagle recently finished shooting "8" directed by
Wim Wenders. The film deals with the political world issues of poverty, hunger and global
warming. She can also been seen on Showtime's "Weeds" as Anabella and as Sandra on
Nickelodeon's "iCarly". Ms. McGonagle's passion is with teen issues & children's literacy.
Weekly she gives back to the community through her sex education plays and her twowoman show "Sor Juana" about a 17th century poet who educated and empowered women
against all odds. For more on Ms. McGonagle go to www.martamcgonagle.com.
CREDITS:
Directed by MARYA MAZOR • Written by JOSÉ RIVERA • Produced BY STEPHANIE BELL & CAMILLIA SANES
Director of Photography TIM HUDSON, ACS • Edited by SHELLY WESTERMAN
Production Design by DARCY SCANLIN • Costumes Designed by ELIZABETH BOURGEOIS
Music Composed by MAX AVERY LICHTENSTEIN • SFX Supervisor JOHN ANDREW BERTON, JR.
MARTA MCGONAGLE as Daysi • SHALIM ORTIZ as The Winged Man
TIFFANY HINES as Allysha • and ANA ORTIZ as Wanda
www.thewingedmanmovie.com