Denver native Emilie Upczak moved to Trinidad and Tobago and became Creative Director of the Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival where she worked for ten years. At that time, she not only helped set up the only Caribbean Film Industry Center but began making a fiction feature film about human trafficking.
She enlisted the prize winning Dp Nancy Schreiberwho also recently shot Ondi Timoner’s Robert Mapplethorpe biopic Mapplethorpe who was recently honored at the High Falls Film Festival, an annual event celebrating female filmmakers with the Susan B. Anthony “Failure is Impossible” Award “in recognition of her contributions to the art of filmmaking as one of the few female cinematographers working today.”
Moving Parts is about an illegal Chinese immigrant who, after being smuggled into Trinidad and Tobago to be with her brother, discovers the true cost of her arrival.
See the trailer here.
Emilie Upczak’s films reflect her...
She enlisted the prize winning Dp Nancy Schreiberwho also recently shot Ondi Timoner’s Robert Mapplethorpe biopic Mapplethorpe who was recently honored at the High Falls Film Festival, an annual event celebrating female filmmakers with the Susan B. Anthony “Failure is Impossible” Award “in recognition of her contributions to the art of filmmaking as one of the few female cinematographers working today.”
Moving Parts is about an illegal Chinese immigrant who, after being smuggled into Trinidad and Tobago to be with her brother, discovers the true cost of her arrival.
See the trailer here.
Emilie Upczak’s films reflect her...
- 11/21/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Production is underway in the Caribbean island nation on the personal drama from Trinidad-based, Us director Emilie Upczak.
Moving Parts charts the story of one woman’s journey and her integration into a new environment, ultimately recounting how she found her way back to herself.
Cast includes Valerie Tian, Jacqueline Chan, Kandyse McClure, Dru Castiglione, Keevan Chang On, Nickolai Salcedo, Stephen Hadeed Jr, Arnold Goindhan, Nicholas Emery, Sanjiv Budhoo and Conrad Parris.
The film highlights local and international talent with a number of cast and crew from Canada, the Us and Puerto Rico.
“I am very happy to be in Trinidad & Tobago collaborating with such a vibrant film industry that is ready to go to the next level,” said Puerto Rican producer Annabelle Mullen-Pacheco.
“This film is unique; from the visual style, to the fact that we have an all female Heads of Department roster,” said Trinidad & Tobago producer Rhonda Chan Soo. “The success...
Moving Parts charts the story of one woman’s journey and her integration into a new environment, ultimately recounting how she found her way back to herself.
Cast includes Valerie Tian, Jacqueline Chan, Kandyse McClure, Dru Castiglione, Keevan Chang On, Nickolai Salcedo, Stephen Hadeed Jr, Arnold Goindhan, Nicholas Emery, Sanjiv Budhoo and Conrad Parris.
The film highlights local and international talent with a number of cast and crew from Canada, the Us and Puerto Rico.
“I am very happy to be in Trinidad & Tobago collaborating with such a vibrant film industry that is ready to go to the next level,” said Puerto Rican producer Annabelle Mullen-Pacheco.
“This film is unique; from the visual style, to the fact that we have an all female Heads of Department roster,” said Trinidad & Tobago producer Rhonda Chan Soo. “The success...
- 6/7/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The United Nations in Trinidad and Tobago has confirmed support for production of the film, "Moving Parts," co-written, co-produced and directed by Trinidad-based, American director, Emilie Upczak. "Moving Parts" is described as a story of human smuggling in the Caribbean, set in a Chinese restaurant. The film will bring a fresh approach to a difficult topic, and boasts a lineup of diverse and talented actors, including the Chinese-Canadian actress Valerie Tian, South African-born Canadian actress Kandyse McClure, UK-based Trinidadian Jacqueline Chan, as well as popular local Trinidadian actors Raymond Choo Kong, Stephen Hadeed Jr and Dru Castiglione. The film's...
- 4/18/2016
- by Shadow And Act
- ShadowAndAct
"Moving Parts," a film by Trinidad-based, American director, Emilie Upczak, whose crowdfunding campaign has only 11 days to go, is a story about two women from two opposite corners of the world brought together through circumstances beyond their control. Although set in the Caribbean, the film is globally relevant as it focuses on the issue of human trafficking.
“Moving Parts takes a fictional look at a very real issue”, Upczak said. “The film’s protagonist Zhenzhen, is a Chinese immigrant who is smuggled into Trinidad to be with her brother Wei following the death of their father. A tragic event leaves Zhenzhen vulnerable and only through the help of a neighboring art gallerist Evelyn and the restaurant’s Cook, does she have a chance at life”.
Emilie Upczak is a filmmaker and festival programmer specifically interested in ritual practice and sexual politics. These interests were first sparked after she spent two-years traveling throughout Southeast Asia, where she encountered numerous religious practices and worked as an escort in a hostess club in Tokyo. Since then, Emilie has produced short films and experimental video installations. Most recently, she was the Creative Director of the trinidad+tobago film festival in charge of the Caribbean Film Mart and Caribbean Film Database.
“We decided to crowd-fund the film in order to build our core audience and to engage individuals in our fundraising process,” she said. “We have been successful in engaging local government support and now we are turning to private sector and individuals”.
The film has been in development for two years and is now in the pre-production stage. Principal photography is set to begin in the Spring with a filming schedule of one month. One of the unique facets of the film is the female roster of most heads of departments. This line up includes, DoP Nancy Schreiber, Consulting Producer Annabelle Mullen, First Assistant Director Roma Zachemba, Co-Producers Rhonda Chan Soo and Rhian Vialva, Production Designer Shannon Alonzo and PR/Social Media Aurora Herrera.
Upczak noted, “I feel very strongly about having this film made by women and also by women primarily from the Caribbean.”
The cast includes Canadian actresses Valerie Tian known for her role as Su-Chin in "Juno" and Burns in "21 Jumpstreet" and Kandyse McClure known for her role as Officer Anastasia Dualla in "Battlestar Galactica."
You can support "Moving Pats" via its Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381237657/moving-parts?token=9ec81861...
“Moving Parts takes a fictional look at a very real issue”, Upczak said. “The film’s protagonist Zhenzhen, is a Chinese immigrant who is smuggled into Trinidad to be with her brother Wei following the death of their father. A tragic event leaves Zhenzhen vulnerable and only through the help of a neighboring art gallerist Evelyn and the restaurant’s Cook, does she have a chance at life”.
Emilie Upczak is a filmmaker and festival programmer specifically interested in ritual practice and sexual politics. These interests were first sparked after she spent two-years traveling throughout Southeast Asia, where she encountered numerous religious practices and worked as an escort in a hostess club in Tokyo. Since then, Emilie has produced short films and experimental video installations. Most recently, she was the Creative Director of the trinidad+tobago film festival in charge of the Caribbean Film Mart and Caribbean Film Database.
“We decided to crowd-fund the film in order to build our core audience and to engage individuals in our fundraising process,” she said. “We have been successful in engaging local government support and now we are turning to private sector and individuals”.
The film has been in development for two years and is now in the pre-production stage. Principal photography is set to begin in the Spring with a filming schedule of one month. One of the unique facets of the film is the female roster of most heads of departments. This line up includes, DoP Nancy Schreiber, Consulting Producer Annabelle Mullen, First Assistant Director Roma Zachemba, Co-Producers Rhonda Chan Soo and Rhian Vialva, Production Designer Shannon Alonzo and PR/Social Media Aurora Herrera.
Upczak noted, “I feel very strongly about having this film made by women and also by women primarily from the Caribbean.”
The cast includes Canadian actresses Valerie Tian known for her role as Su-Chin in "Juno" and Burns in "21 Jumpstreet" and Kandyse McClure known for her role as Officer Anastasia Dualla in "Battlestar Galactica."
You can support "Moving Pats" via its Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381237657/moving-parts?token=9ec81861...
- 3/5/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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