SYNOPSIS

A decorated Marine officer unexpectedly returns home from the war and is quickly recruited to help a troubled teen prepare for boot camp, but when the true reasons for her return become known it threatens the future for both of them.

A MARINE STORY highlights the absurdity of the military ban on gays through the personal story of one courageous woman.

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Dreya Weber
Paris Pickard
Ned Farr
JD Disalvatore
Alexander Naufel
Craig Richey
crew

Dreya Weber

"Alexandra" / producer

Dreya recently was awarded a BEST ACTRESS award for her role as Jane in Ned Farr's THE GYMNAST, which has been honored with 28 film festival awards. She can also be seen in Nicole Holofcener's LOVELY & AMAZING and Sharon Pollack's EVERYTHING RELATIVE. She guest starred in several episodes of ABC's "The Practice," the CBS/PARAMOUNT pilot "Company Town," and has been in many commercials. She is currently starring in and choreographing an international theatrical production of Dante's "Divine Comedy."

Dreya appeared on Broadway at the Roundabout, at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Cirle-in-the-Square, and in many Off-Broadway and Regional theatre productions. In Los Angeles she played Vivien Leigh in the west coast premiere of Austin Pendleton's "Orson's Shadow," winner Ovation, LADCC, Garland Awards.

Dreya is also an aerial choreography and performer. Her many credits include current tours for Pink, Britney Spears, and Cher at Caesar's Palace.


Paris Pickard

"Saffron" / co-producer

Paris has always found herself with one foot in front of the camera and one foot behind it. She won the New York State Finals of the National Shakespeare Recitation Competition and went on to perform Cleopatra's death scene at Carnegie Hall in New York. She has acted in many stage productions including a production of "Auntie Mame" alongside Oscar winning actress Olympia Dukakis.

After having lived in New York City, Boston, Spain and the Netherlands, Pickard graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in film direction and moved to Hollywood. Here she has been working in production on films like ANGELS AND DEMONS and the Oscar-nominated FROST/NIXON. Her short film, THE STORM has been in more than five film festivals and she has won multiple awards including the Kevin S. Bright Scholarship and the Marcia Robbins-Wilf Women in Film Production Award.


Ned Farr

writter / director/ editor

Ned Farr's latest feature drama A MARINE STORY premiered in June 2010 and won both the Audience and Grand Jury award at Outfest. David Weigand of the San Francisco Chronicle writes: "This film does not go where you might think it will go because it's so credibly written, acted and directed. "Don't ask, don't tell"? How about "don't miss this film." Farr's previous feature film THE GYMNAST has won 28 awards to date including 16 for best picture. Leonard Maltin calls the film "Fresh and vibrant", while Variety declares "THE GYMNAST delivers emotional intensity in tastefully spectacular wrappings."

A graduate of the Film School at SUNY Purchase in New York, Farr has been involved in production for over 19 years, from pre-production storyboard artist to post-production editor, including a long stint as a gaffer on many commercials, music videos, and features. Ned Farr's HOW TO ACE AN INTERVENTION won Best Short Film at the DV Film Festival '04 and the Durango Film Festival '05, also winning an award from the HypeFest Film Festival for its screenplay. DREAM A LITTLE DREAM FOR ME premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, and his other short films have been screened at over 30 film festivals nationwide.

Since 2002 Ned has also been the Creative Director for P90X, the number 1 fitness product in America. Aside from creating the brand identity, marketing, and music, his half hour informercials have consistently outperformed all others in the field, earning him a Telly award in 2009.

Ned is currently working on two screenplays and a musical based on his 2001 album DESERT MOTEL.


JD Disalvatore

producer

JD's latest feature, the award winning indie hit SHELTER, won a GLAAD Award for Best Theatrical Feature, Limited Release in addition to winning 15 awards on the festival circuit. She also produced the thespian biography show "Star Watch," and HBO's "Reunion." Her recent credits include producing EATING OUT 2, line producing BLONDE AND BLONDER with Pamela Anderson and Denise Richards, and NUMB starring Matthew Perry. Prior to that, she was the Visual Effects Producer on Sony's THE PLAGUE, and the Production Manager for Drew Carey's "All Stars" on Showtime. Disalvatore was also a Visual Effects Producer for miniature production on films including DANTE'S PEAK, ARMAGEDDON and THE X FILES.

Disalvatore is also the former Festival Manager for Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and a frequent commentator and journalist on lgbt film and televison for outlets including Curve, Clout, GoNyc, GayWired.com, PlanetOut.com, Sirius Radio's Out Q and has moderated panels on LGBT film and the business for Outfest, Power Up and the Writer's Guild of America.


Alexander Naufel

director of photography

Alexander has worked as a cinematographer and in various camera and electrical departments on many projects in film and television.

Alexandre was the cinematographer on many films such as THE METHOD, THE COLONY, SAND AND SORROWW, and TALES FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ELVIS!, His work with the camera and electrical departments include: THE BIG LEBOWSKI, SIMON BIRCH, OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?, and over ten episodes of "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl."


Craig Richey

composer

Craig composed the scores for over 15 films such as: WHEN IT'S OVER, THE GYMNAST, FRIENDS WITH MONEY, THE KING OF KONG, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, and GREENLIT. He also produced the scores for films such as FRIENDS WITH MONEY and LOVELY & AMAZING. Craig also edited the music for the film LOVELY & AMAZING.

SCREENINGS



The Rome International Film Festival
Friday, Sept 10th 11pm
Heritage Hall, Rome Georgia
www.riff.tv



Memphis Outflix
Sept 11th
Ridgeway Four Theater
www.outflixfestival.org



Fresno Reel Pride
Sept 15th Opening Night
www.reelpride.com



Palm Springs
Sept 24th, 7pm Opening Night
www.cinemadiverse.ning.com



The Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival
Centerpiece, Saturday, September 25
THE NEON
130 E. 5th St. Dayton, OH 45402 937.222.8452
www.neonmovies.com



Birmingham SHOUT
Sept 25th
www.almovingimage.org



Calgary Intl FF
Sept 30th
www.calgaryfilm.com



PRESS

For more information please contact us at info@amarinestorymovie.com



San Francisco Chronicle:
"Don't ask, don't tell" is all over Frameline this year, and "Marine Story" is one of the winners, regardless of what happens with the official U.S. policy toward gays in the military. Dreya Weber plays Alex, a Marine major who's been discharged for receiving suspect e-mails and returns to her hometown, where she struggles with coming out while being asked to help a rebellious teen named Saffron (Paris Pickard) to keep the girl out of jail. This film does not go where you might think it will go because it's so credibly written, acted and directed. "Don't ask, don't tell"? How about "don't miss this film."



Variety:
A strong, character-driven riposte to "Don't ask, don't tell" that never descends into polemicism, shipshape indie drama "A Marine Story" finds a longtime servicewoman returned to home-front life against her will. There she finds several souls battling their own demons, which don't make hers any easier to deal with -- at first. This is an impartial look at U.S. military service that movingly commands respect for the personnel while requiring neither support nor assigning blame for the politics behind unpopular war efforts. Fall self-distribution is planned.



LA Weekly:
For their first film since winning the 2006 Outfest Audience Award for The Gymnast, writer-director Ned Farr and his wife, actress Dreya Weber, have made a huge artistic leap forward. Weber plays Alexandra, a Marine major who leaves the military and returns to her Mojave Desert hometown. She's soon involved in the lives of the locals, none of whom know the real reason Alexandra left the Marines. While her secret doesn't surprise, what is revelatory is the mature intelligence of Farr's screenplay, and the fascinating, subtle beauty of Weber's portrayal of a woman who's been holding herself within for so long that she can barely breathe.



AWARDS

A MARINE STORY is honored to have received the following awards.



2010 Colorado Film Festival:
Grand Jury Prize: "A Marine Story"



Outfest:
Grand Jury Award for US Narrative Feature:
"A Marine Story", Ned Farr

Grand Jury Award for Actress in a Feature Film:
Dreya Weber, "A Marine Story"

Audience Award for Narrative Feature:
"A Marine Story", Ned Farr