"Unsolved" is a short dramatic film set in the 1940's about two of the first female detectives in the LAPD who are solving a murder.
Although this film is fiction, it is inspired by the famous case of the 'Black Dahlia' which was around at that time. A case which has never been solved.
History:
The LAPD had the Nation's First Police woman. In 1909, Los Angeles social worker Alice Stebbins Wells petitioned Mayor George Alexander and the City Council, requesting that an ordinance providing for a Los Angeles Policewoman be adopted. Not only was the measure passed, but on September 12, 1910, Mrs. Wells was appointed as the nation's first female policewoman with arrest powers.
Many California cities had employed women as "matrons" or "workers" since 1890. These employees specialized in the care of female prisoners, and worked in the City and County prisons and other penal institutions.
On the first day of her appointment, Mrs. Wells was furnished with a Gamewell (a telephone call box) key, a book of rules, a first aid book, and a "policeman's badge." In those days, an officer was privileged to enjoy free trolley car rides while going to and from work, but when Mrs. Wells displayed her badge, the conductor accused her of misusing her husband's identity. This was remedied by presenting her with "Policewoman's Badge Number One."
Synopsis:
Meet Detective Alice Clark and Detective Jane Wells, two women fighting crime in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. As some of the first female detectives in the LAPD, these women have challenges that go beyond their call of duty.
When the body of a young aspiring actor is found mutilated and dumped in the LA River, the two women go on the hunt for the killer.
Once the crime scene photos are leaked, every reporter in town wants a piece of the story and Alice and Jane find themselves under the microscope and under pressure to solve the crime.
As details come to the surface and witnesses show up claiming to have information on the case, the women soon find out there might be more at stake than just solving the crime.
The Team:
Julia Camara - Producer/Director/ Writer
Julia Camara is a Brazilian award winning writer/filmmaker living in Los Angeles with her husband and partner in crime Tim Aldridge. She has a B.A. in cinema from Columbia College-Hollywood. Julia is also a UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting alumna. She has written several feature length screenplays and produced/directed several short films.
She wrote the screenplay for “Area Q,” a sci-fi drama which stars Isaiah Washington and Brazilian actors Murilo Rosa and Tânia Khalil. “Area Q” screened at the Hollywood Film Festival and was released in theaters in Brazil in 2012.
Julia wrote and directed the award winning five-minute comedy short film "Never Odd or Even." The short won Best Conceptual Comedy Short at the New York International Independent Film Festival. She also wrote and produced the award winning short horror film “Scream Machine,” directed by Tim Aldridge. The film won Honorable Mention at the Tabloid Witch Awards and Best Screenplay at BleedFest Film Festival.
Julia’s second feature film, “Open Road,” a road movie she wrote and produced, directed by Brazilian TV star Marcio Garcia, starring Camilla Belle, Colin Egglesfield, Juliette Lewis and Andy Garcia, is scheduled for release in 2013.
“House Cleaning,” a short comedy Julia wrote and directed, won the Festival Director’s Award at the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival. And “Primavera,” a short drama Julia directed won Best International Short Film at the Laughlin International Film Festival.
www.juliacamara.com
Sarah Lynn Dawson - Producer/ Actress
Sarah is a British actress who trained at New York's Lee Strasberg Institute of Film and Television in New York.
She has acted in Off-Broadway plays, several award-winning films and her latest project The C Gate, which she also wrote, premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Sarah was born in the Lake District in England and she spent a large part of her childhood in Qatar in the Middle East, where she started acting when she was cast in a community theatre show.
Some of her favorite stage roles are Viola from Twelfth Night and Nora from A Doll's House and she loves working in both stage and film.
After moving to the US and doing independent film work, she was cast in a play 'Reality TV' directed by Jim Tommaney.
She then made her Off-Broadway debut in the Manhattan Repertory Theater's production of 'Men' directed by Ken Wolfe, quickly followed by another Off-Broadway appearance in the showcase 'Conflict', at The Producers Club.
Since living in Los Angeles, Sarah has had roles in Film and Television and produced several short films.
Sarah is also member of BAFTA and serves on their Digital Media Committee.
www.sarahlynndawson.com
Maieka Saint-Albin - Producer
Maieka is a Miami native and is of Jamaican and Haitian decent. She started acting at the age of seven. She is a graduate of Howard University, with a bachelor of fine arts degree. She subsequently attended University of Southern California, for a semester to study film, and Oxford University for their summer intensive in classical theater.
Maieka has landed roles in hit series Boston Public, the films Angel of Hate and 23rd Psalm.
While working in front of the camera, Maieka participated in a workshop with Howard Fine, world-renowned acting coach, and was encouraged to also write due to her visual style of storytelling.
Maieka soon discovered a great appreciation and passion for a new role behind the camera. Maieka has worked on CW’s “America’s Next Top Model,” CBS's "The Job, "Oxygen’s “Dance Your Ass Off” and NFL Pro-Hollywood's Short Films (in collaboration with Universal Studios). As CEO of InnerLight Productions, LLC, she wrote and will produce and star in her first feature. She is also co-producing a web series and two feature films.
www.ilightproductions.com
Tim Aldridge - Director of Photography
Tim Aldridge has a B.A. in Cinema from Columbia College-Hollywood. He has experience in different areas of the film industry, having worked in the camera department on films like "Twin Falls Idaho" and "18."
Tim produced "Never Odd or Even," a comedy short film written and directed by Julia Camara, which won Best Conceptual Comedy Short at the 2010 New York Independent International Film Festival. He also directed and was the Director of Photography of "Scream Machine," an award-winning horror short.
Tim was the Director of Photography of “House Cleaning”, a comedy short film directed by Julia Camara. The film won The Festival Director’s Award at the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival. Tim was also the Director of Photography of “Primavera”, a short directed by Julia Camara, that won Best International short film at the Laughlin International Film Festival.
He is also an accomplished still photographer. Two of his photographs were selected for the 2010 Peace Project. The exhibition has traveled the United States. Tim has recently completed a photography book called “Still Life.” Photographed against the cliff sides of Malibu, California, “Still Life” is a collection of photographs which explore the beauty standard set against the relentless landscape of sand and sea.
www.tmaphoto.com
Brianna Francis - Costume Designer
Brianna is a recent graduate of UC Davis with a major in Film and Technology and a minor in Textiles and Clothing.
She is currently working at the Disneyland Resort and working freelance with various projects in the Wardrobe Department, including the upcoming horror “The Ascent,” which is making its way to Sundance.
She is excited to donate her perspective on fashion to film and is especially enthusiastic about this feminist film noir project!
Here is her online portfolio:
http://befrancis19.wix.com/portfolio
Kenya Bonita - Set Designer
Kenya born in Santa Monica, California June 16th 1987. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
She graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 2004 with Honors. Kenya went on to major in Fine Arts at Academy of Art University San Francisco ahead of her class in 2004.
In January of 2013 Kenya transitioned from a career in the Fine Arts into Production Design. Her first project “Oak” produced by James Franco launched her into set dressing and prop designing for several short films, including Sci Fi short “Triton” produced by Michael Lee Peterson and Funny or Die presentation, “Say Yes.”
Kenya now designs for feature and short films, her skill set includes building/crafting, lighting, props, and set dressing.
Her work can be best described as multi-layered and intuitive, each prop has been designed to not only convey an atmosphere, but to deliver the intangible sensitivities of each character.
Kenya spent her youth between Santa Barbara, California and Eureka, Montana. These two very different towns developed her perspective and appreciation for crafting and utilizing natural/organic sources. Her summers were spent working in construction in Los Angeles and wrangling on her family’s Montana ranch.
At age 24, Kenya single-handedly opened her contemporary art gallery, Gallery É. Utilizing her experience in construction and crafting, Kenya chose to build out the gallery space herself. Successful shows at Gallery É included Noah Emhurt’s solo exhibition, “All Out of Roses” in June of 2012 and Gallery É’s two person presentation of world renowned sculptor Tanya Ragir and “Sound Bending Light” photographer Sasha vom Dorp.
Kenya also consulted for several other galleries during this time, her experience as a curator/Art Director helped to develop her palette for storytelling and production.
http://www.kenyarosebonita.com
Tamara Douglas-Morris - Composer
Tamara earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Film Composition (MFA) in 2008 at University of North Carolina School of The Arts under the tuition of David McHugh (composer of ‘Mystic Pizza’, ‘Moscow on the Hudson’).
Tamara scored her first feature film ‘RagTag’ in 2006, a movie set in London and Africa. It was screened at the National Theatre and the ICA in London and shown at the following festivals: ‘Giornate di Cinema Omosessuale’ as part of the Venice Film Festival (2006), ‘African Diaspora Film Festival’ in New York where it was nominated for best film (2006), ‘Reelworld Film Festival’ in Toronto (2006), ‘Roxbury Film Festival’ in Boston, and ‘The 28th Mostra Film Festival’ in Valencia.
Before moving to America in 2006 to pursue her studies at UNCSA, Tamara received her Bachelor Of Music in Ethnomusicology at City University, London. Here she studied many instruments which influenced her musical writing, such as African drums, Balinese and Javanese gamelans and was a leading member of the percussion and drumming ensembles.
From 1993 to 1998, Tamara attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Here she specialised in two main instruments, the cello (grade 6, 7 and 8 with distinction) and the piano, playing at many venues including the Barbican in London, St John’s Smith Square and The Fairfield Hall, Croydon.
Tamara also sang at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in the 1993 production of Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’. Followed by Charles Gounod’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ An in demand composer, Tamara has written music for numerous short films and commercials, and scored music for many feature films here in America, including documentaries and fiction.
She was commissioned to write the music for her first ballet, which premiered on the East Coast early this year, before heading to London and Paris next year.
Recently, Tamara scored the music to the BAFTA/LA theatre production of Romeo and Juliet here in LA as part of an outreach program, which was greatly inspiring and she looks forward to repeating this in another production this year.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2350284
The Cast:
Alice Clark – Sarah Lynn Dawson - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2948360
Jane Wells – Devon Ogden - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3055481
Margaret Hanes - T'Keyah Crystal Keymah - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0450857
Don Clark – Lane Compton - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2721630
Officer Johnson – Tre Moye - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1581427
Helen Smith – Branca Ferrazo - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3550939
Officer Romano – Patricia Garcia - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3061587
Scarlett – Angela Dezen - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326547
Jack – Lex Shontz - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2624552
Tommy Short – Andres Hernandez-Michel
