By Lynn Jones-Turpin – Jacksonville has a rich film history and has been often referred to as the first Hollywood. The location, weather and cost of production had made this an ideal city to film in. Harlem native, FSCJ graduate and local producer Ithiell B. Yisrael, picked up on this years ago when he chose Jacksonville as the location for filming his new movie entitled, “SNUG.” Viewers can see sites from throughout the film in the 30 min short film.
Film production began in 2010, however his passion project did not have the needed budget to complete post production. Life moved on as did the key contributors and it was put on the back burner. The plan was to have a premier earlier this year, but the pandemic changed that. The production team decided the film would be debuted as a live streaming experience.
The premier was held at the San Marco theater near downtown. With the SNUG name in lights and to ensure a covid-19 friendly event only fifteen people including mostly cast and crew were in attendance hundreds streaming online.
The film is a tale that explores the irony of fate as seemingly unrelated characters are all faced with common dilemmas of fear, ambition, and cynicism. Characters Russell and Anthony are aspiring producers, who lack the funding needed to complete their current film. Sitting in a small town diner, Russell shares his philosophy on the necessary ingredients for a successful film and tests the limits of perception and reality. While the two are caught up in speculation they are oblivious to a series of unfortunate events unfolding in a nearby alley.
Director, producer, writer, and photographer Ithiell B. Yisrael began his career as Production Assistant in the Art Department of a Hudlin Brothers Film. From there he has worked with film industry icons such as Spike Lee, John Sayles, Denzel Washington, Hype Williams and others.
Iron Rock Films is headquartered in Duval County and is currently developing new and original content and planning to build a soundstage to export quality film and television product from Jacksonville.
For more visit www.indierockfilms.com
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