A babysitter with a clever and violent ward. A patient who mistrusts the
doctor’s orders. A young woman haunted by a malevolent presence. And
the terror that ties them all together: BUGS. On their own, spiders,
parasites, and bedbugs hold their own private horror for those who are
beset by the quiet scuttles and slurps of inhuman creatures. But for
Diane, Hannah, and Elena, three varied yet eerily similar women, these
bugs represent the larger horrors of paranoia, helplessness, and
abandonment.Who we are:
Simone Kisiel - Director & Producer
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Simone Kisiel is a filmmaker who graduated with honors from NYU-Tisch with a BFA in Drama and a minor in Creative Writing. After graduation Simone worked at Stonestreet Studios where she directed two short films (one of which, “
Quietus,” was an official selection at Manhattan Film Festival 2015 and won Best Short Film) and edited a feature film (“
Aberrant“, Manhattan Film Fest 2015, SA Film Fest 2015, Hoboken International Fest 2015), a short (“
Can’t Get Enough,” Big Apple Film Festival 2014) and a full length
pilot. In May 2014, Simone became a freelance editor and indie filmmaker. A 12-episode webseries, “
HOUSED,” directed and produced by Simone was an official selection of the 2015 Miami Web Fest 2015, nominated for Best Mockumentary and won Best Sit-Com.
Alexandra Grunberg - Writer & Star
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Alexandra Grunberg is a New York City based screenwriter, author, and actress. She graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama. She was the screenwriter for the web series “
HOUSED,” an official selection of the 2015 Miami Web Fest and winner of Best Sit-Com. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous professional publications, including those recognized by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She has acted with the Vermont Shakespeare Company, St. Michael’s Playhouse, and NYU Stageworks.
Brian Warzak - Director of Photography
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Brian Warzak is a New York based cinematographer known for ‘
Quietus’ (Manhattan Film Festival 2015, Best Short Film), ‘Sweet Surrender’, ‘Fashion Nightmare’ and ‘Up to Us’. He has done director of photography work for the Young Women’s Leadership Network and the College Bound Initiative.
Jayde Lovell - Marketing Strategist
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Formerly Vice President of Digital for Weber Shandwick in Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa,
Jayde has built campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands including Coca Cola, McDonalds, Unilever, Volvo, MasterCard, Nike Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Jayde is currently a Manager at Explainer TV (New York Hall of Science) and is the host of ScIQ on the TYT Network. Jayde now uses the marketing tricks of the trade to promote science. Zarif Taufiq - Head of Visual Media & Photography
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With a background in PR and marketing, film and graphic design, as well as years spent as a mental health clinician,
Zarif brings his unique vision and perspective to the world with his camera lens in hopes of uncovering the hidden facets of life often overlooked. He has shot campaigns for big brands like Colgate, Corning, and Chipotle and worked with NFL players, Real Housewives, Netflix Original stars, and internationally acclaimed artists, but is happiest in the trenches of indie film.
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At Magic Dog Productions, we strive to make women-positive films in realms where women have traditionally been excluded or marginalized, including comedy and horror. Our female power duo of director Simone Kisiel and screenwriter/actress Alexandra Grunberg have teamed together to create a horror trilogy that shows women can be scary too, and women can be the leads in horror films without taking their shirts off.
We have successfully raised the funding to produce the first 1/3 of the film, which is in the can and being edited as we speak, and now we need your help to put the 'tri' in 'Trilogy'.
