Gregory Sabatino Productions' Falsifyin' Selected for First Annual Vine Shorts Fest

Gregory Sabatino Productions' Falsifyin' Selected for First Annual Vine Shorts Fest

Documentary explores the power of Boogie Woogie music

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Gregory Sabatino Productions, an entertainment company based in Los Angeles, today announced the selection of Falsifyin' for the first annual Vine Shorts Fest. Falsifyin' will screen at The Promenade Playhouse and Conservatory in Santa Monica on November 1 at 12:15P, and close the Festival on November 11 at 6:15P. Both screenings will take place in the Playhouse's Soho Space.

"We are delighted to be part of the Vine Shorts Fest," said Chairman and CEO Gregory Sabatino in making the announcement. "Falsifyin' has been a passion project for us from the beginning, so it just feels right to be screening our short in a festival founded by a group equally passionate about film and new filmmakers."

Sabatino's screenwriting and directorial debut, Falsifyin' explores the power of Boogie Woogie music in a short documentary (29 minutes), shot on location at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi. "We went to Clarksdale for a three-day shoot of concert and interviews with Boogie Woogie piano greats as part of a longer documentary we were planning on the music genre," he noted. "But the traditional documentary format was transformed by a raucous, joyous celebration by the people of Clarksdale. Young and old, black and white, male and female, rich and poor gathered together for one magical night of unbelievable music.

"And we walked away seeing for ourselves the potential of music to heal our deepest cultural wounds, to put an end to bigotry and racism," Sabatino added. "That's why we chose the log line, 'There's a little Clarksdale in all of us.'"

Believing in the history and artistry of Boogie Woogie piano, the filmmaker's great respect and affection for the people of Clarksdale and the documentary's ultimate message, Morgan Freeman agreed to narrate the penetrating and thought-provoking introduction to Falsifyin'. He also "cuts a rug" with the best of them in the film's dance sequences.

   Falsifyin' features the words and music of:     *  "Pinetop" Perkins, winner of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,        experienced the creation of Boogie Woogie and still tours today at        94, beloved the world over for his contribution to Blues and Boogie        Woogie piano.     *  Jerry Lee Lewis, perhaps the best known among the film's performers        for huge hits - "Great Balls of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin'        On," "Sweet Little Sixteen" - proves he may have mellowed at age 72        in every area except the way he plays Boogie Woogie piano.     *  Marcia Ball, winner of The Blues Foundation's Best Female Performer        award and others too numerous to mention, may be the greatest living        Boogie Woogie piano player at 55, but it is her insights on how music        helped heal so many after the hurricanes that provides one of the        film's most tender moments.     *  Henry Gray, the 84-year-old winner of the Heritage Fellowship Award        from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2006, who not only played        with Muddy Waters (as did Pinetop!) but for Mick Jaggers' 55th        birthday party, adds a humor to the film that has been delighting        audiences at research screenings.     *  Little Red Clay Swafford is at 24 the best of the new crop of Boogie        Woogie piano players, evidenced by his artistry captured in some        astonishing close-ups.   

Producer Mary Leigh Hennings is seeking distribution for Falsifyin' and/or a partnership to develop the short into a feature-length documentary.

Prior to his work on Falsifyin', Sabatino produced Dallas 362, an independent feature starring Scott Caan (writer/director), Jeff Goldblum, Shawn Hatosy, Kelly Lynch, Selma Blair and Heavy D. Two years after its theatrical run, the critically-acclaimed and audience favorite - as well as Caan's screenwriting and directorial debut - can still be seen in video stores across the country and internationally as well as on premium cable, such as Showtime, The Movie Channel, Starz Encore, IFC and the Sundance Channel.

About Gregory Sabatino Productions

Gregory Sabatino Productions is part of The Sabatino Day Williamson Group, a group of companies in Cincinnati/Dayton, Miami and Los Angeles, that work independently and collectively to deliver a vast array of traditional advertising, design, interactive and public relations services (Sabatino/Day); multicultural communication services (Brenalt Sabatino Day); entertainment, sports, film, television and production services (Gregory Sabatino Productions) as well as the design of apparel and accessories under the Sabatino brand. Based in Los Angeles, Gregory Sabatino Productions produced the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Dallas 362, Scott Caan's screenwriting and directorial debut starring Caan, Jeff Goldblum, Shawn Hatosy, Kelly Lynch, Selma Blair and Freddy Rodriguez and the Telly-award winning children's reality show, Go For It! The company has also produced Falsifyin', a short documentary on the power of Boogie Woogie music featuring Morgan Freeman, Jerry Lee Lewis and Pinetop Perkins, which is currently on the Festival Circuit. Falsifyin' is Chairman and CEO Gregory Sabatino's directorial debut. This November and December, the company will venture into theatrical production for the first time with two plays, chosen for their political and social relevance today - The House of Blue Leaves and The Crucible - as guest productions of The Matrix Theater.

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Source: Gregory Sabatino Productions

CONTACT: Erik Yorke for Gregory Sabatino Productions, +1-937-859-0599,
ext. 141, mobile, +1-513-410-0343, eyorke@sabatinoday.com

Web site: www.sabatinoday.com

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Profile: International Entertainment