S A N E L I S O | an mfa thesis film

#theartofcollaboration

Shot on location in Chicago, Saneliso is the story of a misfortuned billiard club owner seeking fulfillment and clarity on the legacy of her family owned business.

The beloved ones that are no longer with us, remain an active force in our lives.

CREATIVE PRODUCER

Themba E. Moyo

Themba moved from the United Kingdom to the United States at a young age, and it was there where he would spend the next eighteen years discovering, broadening,and experimenting with the technical and artistic aesthetics of visual media. Themba received his bachelors in Telecommunications at the private liberal arts school Lee University, and studied abroad in Egypt and Israel in the Middle East Studies Program.

Themba was accepted into the Cannes Business Program during the 68th Festival de Cannes, and also had ‘Ketchup & Blood’ (2015), a civil rights dramatic short film, screen at the Emerging Student Showcase in the American Pavilion in Cannes, France. Currently, he resides in Chicago as a Master of Fine Arts candidate and Producing Ambassador in the Cinema Arts + Science program at Columbia College, studying and practicing Creative Producing.

He plans to finish his masters through the semester in Los Angeles program at Raleigh Studios as he further develops his first feature-length dramatic sports screenplay set in the United Kingdom. Themba believes Cinema has the ability to convey empathy, universally instill strength, and can be the starting point of a conversation.

CINEMA HAS THE ABILITY TO CONVEY EMPATHY, UNIVERSALLY INSTILL STRENGTH, AND CAN BE THE STARTING POINT OF A CONVERSATION.

Writer | Director

Carlos Prias

Carlos Prias was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. Since being young he was touched by the issues of inequality in his country. After completing his high school studies, he studied for three semesters at the Universidad de los Andes musical composition program. However, following his need to analyze and understand several subjects for his stories, he gravitated towards philosophy. He graduated cum laude, presenting a thesis about cinema entitled ‘Towards a Political Art Through Film’, which was later published by the University. He also took several Art classes in which he directed his first narrative short films and worked in several experimental short films. After graduating Carlos held various jobs as an artist assistant, Art History teacher, philosophy teacher, camera operator, and editor.

Currently, Carlos resides in Chicago as a candidate of the Cinema Directing Master of Fine Arts at Columbia College. During his time in the MFA program he has written and directed six short films, most of which are finishing post production. In 2015, one of his short films won the Audience Choice Awards at the Chicago International REEL Shorts Film Festival. Carlos Prias is currently in development of his first feature film; a social drama that deals with issues of Latin American immigrants in the United States. He is also in the development and preproduction of a Dark Sci-Fi with audiovisual pieces, which will introduce the audience to a new fictional universe that will host several trans-media projects.

THE LOVE FROM OUR PAST DOESN'T necessarily hold US BACK, IT INSPIRES US TO MOVE FORWARD.

LINE PRODUCER

LA Summerville

L.A. Summerville is from Dallas, Texas. She is pursuing her undergraduate studies in Cinema Arts/ Science with a concentration of Producing at Columbia College Chicago. L.A got her start as an assistant to the producer Ken Toplosky’s on the TNT network show Dallas (2012-2014). Leaving that experience, she realized she wanted to be a Producer so she can be able to overlook the production in it’s entirely. L.A. has a keen sense to collaborate with filmmakers of color, bringing their vision together to send strong messages in support of people all over. She loves line producing so while she attends Columbia she continues line producing multiple student films with hopes that one day she can line produce her own Indie film. She embraces all the responsibilities that come with film-making.

Currently, she is working on an Afro-Futurism indie film called Bar City which is a black sci-fi that is parallel to what she wants to be a part of on a bigger scale. Ultimately, L.A. goals are to start a production company that creates more opportunities for people of color in front and behind the cameras.

The light of the past may illuminate the present.

Director of Photography

Taylor Frontier

A stray beam of light pierces into the blank canvas of a room, illuminating the faint resemblance of a tired soul. The camera creeps from the wide, revealing a charming young man with stubbles of facial hair as he takes a quick reading with his light meter. Sometimes it all about creating an atmosphere for the actors to thrive in and sacrificing your ego for the better being of a film.

Taylor is a cinematographer who graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in cinematography, and has never looked back. Since graduating, his filmmaking career has taken him on a documentary across the American Northwest following a Hobo searching for work and hopping on trains as a means of travel, to winning the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 2015 Beloit International Film Festival for the film Deer in the Headlight.

His next endeavor is a personal story of a father, who has lost everything, but ends up finding a way to give his legacy to an unlikely friend, in the short film "Bobby". He also serves as the co-writer on the film.

Examples of his body of work can be seen here | https://vimeo.com/115936282

THE CHANCE TO FIND SHELTER IN THE PAST CAN TEND TO BE A WARM BLANKET WHICH PROTECTS US IN THE PRESENT.

1st Assistant Director

Juan Linares

Juan Carlos Linares Rier has produced, directed, and written various short films, short documentaries, and music videos. He produced, co-directed and co-wrote the short film "Santurce" which has been official selection in film festivals such as Cinefiesta International Filmfest, Rincón International Film Festival, International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival, and the 2014 Santurce Es Ley Art Festival.

In 2015 he finished the filming of his first feature film, "Parkside", which is now currently in post-production. In 2016 he will be presenting his short "Galán" as part of the 7th Made in Europe Film Festival presented by the Puerto Rican French Alliance.

Juan is the guy who will take more interest in the background extra that is minding his own business while taking the metro, than the main character. He likes attention to detail, the uncomfortable, awkward, un-seemingly there information. Juans' passion is people and their walks-of-life. He lives for the story that was never supposed to be told because it was deemed not interesting enough. Give Juan your anti-heroes, your outcast stories, and your everyday Joe stories.

HER PRESENT DAY SURROUNDINGS FEEL FRAGILE, EVANESCENT, AND WITHOUT PURPOSE.

ART DIRECTOR

Bianca Panos

With a love for the screen and story from New York, Bianca comes with admiration and passion in creating her cinema. For the hustle along the way, interning at companies like YouTube and IM Global, she acquired the understanding of what movies really mean for culture and society. She continues to explore cinema with a vintage heart in mind in producing and writing. As a human, Bianca believes that story keeps everyday and every moment worth living for. Because the world has so many voices, and she doesn’t want to miss one.

Costume Designer

Assata Terrell

Assata Terrell is an east coast transplant from the Washington DC metro area, currently living in Chicago. Despite having a background in fashion, retail and journalism, she primarily works as a wardrobe consultant and costume designer for film and tv productions. With future sights set on a masters degree in curatorial studies and museum leadership, Assata has her hand in a little bit of everything.

Production SOUND MIXER

Patrick Kennedy

Born and raised in the desert community of Joshua Tree California, Patrick Kennedy became heavily involved in the creation and performance of music. In the short time that he has been at Columbia, he has boom operated, and served as the production mixer for nearly 20 short films, as well as being the sound designer for several student films. He focuses his studies solely on the recording and design of sound for film. While he is working as a production mixer, he has one goal in mind; capturing the dialog and sounds of a film at its source with a high level of perfection and clarity.

SANeliso

Gay Glenn

Gay Glenn is becoming better known to the Chicago Acting community. She was most recently seen as Barb in Your Better Half with Step Up Productions. Select other credits include The Time of Your Life (Lorene, The Artistic Home); Your Better Half (Barb, Step Up Productions); Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery (Miss Tom/Dee Dee, Penumbra Theatre); From the Mississippi Delta (Woman #2, New Tradition Theatre Company); Tintypes (Susannah, Black Hills Playhouse); Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story National Tour (Apollo Players, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts); The Brotherhood (Bonita), Another Minnesota Onstage(Nellie Stone Johnson, Great American History Theatre); Cyrano (Narrator), and The Emperor's New Clothes (Urleen, Imaginary Theatre Company). She holds an MFA in Theatre Performance and frequently teaches Acting at the Chicago City Colleges.