Upcoming Film Screenings & Announcements!

I'M BACK!

I know it's been a while since you've heard from me, but there have been a lot of exciting things happening this year, and even more to come in the next few weeks! 

In case you may have missed it, check out my interview on The Black List about my recent spec sale to 1inMM Productions of the upcoming home invasion thriller screenplay known as Hell is Where the Home Is. The film finished shooting last month and is currently in post-production for an anticipated release next year.

The next bit of news involves what was actually the very first paid writing job I was hired for here in Los Angeles, back in 2014. It was for a re-write of a little indie film called Shine about the gentrification of Spanish Harlem.

"Two brothers once East Harlem's best Salsa dancers are separated after the death of their father only to be reunited years later on opposing ends of gentrification."

Well, thanks to the perseverance of the film's director, Shine is finally complete and held it's World Premiere on September 22nd at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York!

Read more about the project here and check it out if you're in the area!

This has also been an exciting year in the world of short films...

Next, I'm proud to announce that my award-winning 2015 short film To Police will have its International Premiere NEXT WEEK in Spain at the Madrid Art Film Festival on Saturday, September 30th!

To Police chronicles the story of a young police officer facing racially-charged fallout after the pursuit of a violent criminal ends in the shooting of an innocent teenager.

This marks the first time a film of mine will play overseas, and if this year has been any indication, it certainly won't be the last!

For those who might not be familiar with the project, check out the trailer below!

But that's not all, this year also saw the production of a brand new short!

I'm equally proud to announce that my second short film, entitled Voice, is now complete and will be premiering right here in Los Angeles at the LA Live Regal Theater for the 13th Annual LA Femme International Film Festival! 

"A young Muslim woman balances her duties as a wife and mother while searching for a voice of her own."

This is a festival dedicated to bringing forward stories by and about women, so what better place to debut a collaboration with two talented female filmmakers about a woman's search for her creative outlet.

Check out the trailer below:

Tickets to the Voice premiere at 6pm on Friday, October 20th can be found online here.

To those who might be interested in getting involved in my next film project, my feature film directorial debut Standing Up, I'm currently seeking managing partners and investors. We're going big this time. Send me a message if you'd like to know more about how you can get involved!

Now, last but not least, if it doesn't seem like I've been making efficient use of my free time this year, I'm also proud to announce the Opening Night Reception of my very first gallery exhibit as an art curator, Art From The Other Side!

So if you're in the Los Angeles area on Thursday, October 26th, come downtown to Angel City Brewery and check out the showcase, because what better place to look at art than a brewery? And it just so happens that October 26th is my birthday, so come kill two birds with one stone and buy me a beer or six.

That's all for now folks, look out for some more announcements to come in the not too distant future, and if you're not already doing so, follow me on Instagram @CoreyDeshon for updates from Madrid, LA Femme, and Angel City.

Sincerely,

Corey Deshon

Arsenic Feature

If you follow any of my Instagram stories, you'll see I've been collaborating with Arsenic Magazine pretty frequently over the last few months.  They first took a liking to my Basquiat series, and have since invited me to shoot a few of their video projects and even hang a few of my pieces in their offices.

Most recently, they decided to feature the Brianna Dreamscape series on their new website, Arsenic.tv.  

Check out the full feature HERE.

#MAYDAY

PUERTO RICO, MAY 1ST, 2017

For those who may not have heard, Puerto Rico has been facing a debt crisis for the past several years.  This has lead to rising tensions on the island as the United States has turned control of Puerto Rico's finances to a Federal Oversight Board, who arguably may not have the best interests of the island's suffering people in mind.  I'll leave my opinions out of this for now...

I visited Puerto Rico last week to complete some research on a screenwriting assignment and happened to catch one of the largest protests the island has seen, as people took to the streets to demand a citizen's audit of the proposed "solution" to the debt crisis, one that threatens to privatize many of the island's public services, potentially leaving many people deprived of their jobs, pensions, and wages.

Here are just a few snapshots from the beginning of the protest, taken just before I had to board my plane home, and just before the teargas canisters began to fly.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of Puerto Rico's economic crisis, might I recommend John Oliver's take on the scenario. 

Luna at the Arsenic House

A LONG TIME COMING

A good friend of mine, the talented singer, music producer, and model Luna, finally made it out to LA recently.   We've been talking about working together since our Florida days many years ago but never made it happen for one reason or another.  So on her first trip to LA, we certainly had to capitalize on the real estate...

My good friends over at Arsenic let us use their house / HQ for the shoot, and the rest was history.

And the moral of the story... good things come to those who eat their veggies.  Enjoy the rest of the shoot below!

Voice: A Short Film

Muslim Women Have A Story To Tell

I'm proud to announce that I've partnered up with two incredibly talented #WomenInFilm to bring to life the short film VOICE, written by actress Luwam Mikael, about a young Muslim woman named A'idah who must strive to find a balance between her cultural responsibilities as a wife and mother and her journey to an outlet for her own unique, yet seldom heard voice.

I'm honored to be a part of this project, which needs your help as well if we want to succeed!

We've just launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in order to raise the production budget, and we need your help to support and share the project!  In the information age, a message is only as powerful as the audience it can reach. While every donation brings us closer to making this film a reality, we understand that not everyone will be able to leave a monetary contribution at this time.  But don't worry, you can still be a significant part of helping us reach our goal by getting on social media and sharing this campaign with your friends and family, as well as encouraging others to do so as well. 

We want to show the world that the way someone dresses, or whatever their religious beliefs might be, does not make them any more or less human than anyone else, and that just as much as anyone else, Muslim women have a story to tell.  Help us spread the word and we will be forever grateful!  

Click Here to visit the campaign to share or make a donation.  We're offering everything from exclusive downloads to credited Producer roles, so have a look and thank you for supporting VOICE!

Hollywood & Fine

My Next Gallery Exhibit Opens April 8th!

The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art is an initiative designed to recognize and present artists who reflect the incalculable influence Venice, and Southern California in general, has had on the art world and culture at large.  ViCA founder and curator Juri Koll has personally invited me to exhibit work in their upcoming show, Hollywood & Fine, the first curated gallery to open in the A.G Geiger Fine Art Bookstore.

"In it's inaugural exhibition, the A.G. Geiger Gallery and the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) presents a group exhibition of work focusing on Hollywood - from glitter and glamour to the gutter, from personalities and people to pipe dreams, from dreams to songs of dust. "

The Opening Night Reception kicks off on April 8th at 6pm, and you're invited!  Visit the event on Facebook to RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/259443611180538

See you there!

Harry Mack x DJ Alizay for Arsenic Magazine

Freestyle on the LA Metro

Those of you in the viral video sphere may have seen a dope freestyle artist by the name of Harry Mack making waves on social media recently with his Venice Beach Freestyle video.  Well, the folks over at Arsenic Magazine decided to link him up with one of DC's finest DJ Alizay for a spur of the moment pop-up session on the LA Metro on the way to Santa Monica.  They asked yours truly to shoot the collaboration, and what ensued can only be described as living proof that real Hip Hop ain't dead yet.  Check it out:

New Year Updates

I meant to get this post out sooner, but with the start of the new year and some new projects I've already been grabbed by the snowball of momentum that is 2017!

First, let's recap... 

2016 was a big year for me in photography, beginning with the launch of this website and my first ever gallery exhibit at RAW:Hollywood Presents FUTURES. This gallery appearance marked what would turn out to be the first of many, and I was soon introduced to UCLA's Exchange Room Gallery with the "I AM" Group Art Show later that year. The year also brought a few meaningful collaborations with models I had worked with in the past, including the beautiful and talented Brianna and the soon to be muse for my Basquiat series, Renae.  

It was that very collaboration with Renae that lead to my first ever solo photography exhibit, Obnoxious Liberals: A Bodypaint Tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat which opened at the Exchange Room Gallery in LA to a packed audience.  And as if the year couldn't get any better, during the development of this Basquiat series I was contacted by TXTURE Magazine and invited to showcase selections from the series at their annual Miami Art Basel exhibit!  This was my first time ever even going to Art Basel, let alone exhibiting there, so to think all of this could happen within a year of printing my work for the first time was just incredible, and it left me very excited for what the future may hold.

In front of my Art Basel showcase with TXTURE Magazine founder Monifa Coffee

Things to look forward to...

My solo exhibit at the Exchange Room Gallery will be closing soon, so if you haven't seen it yet now is the time! (Click Here for instructions on how to get there, and how to find it on UCLA's campus).  So what next?  Things continue to get better, as the next stop for a few of these pieces will be at the headquarters of Arsenic Magazine and at the Los Angeles Chocolate and Art Show! More details about those will be coming in the near future.

I'll have some more announcements coming very soon, including a new long-delayed music project that I'll be releasing within the next few weeks.  For those that don't know, though I don't highlight it on this site much I do from time to time produce music as well, for no reason other than "why not?"  You can check out some of my past instrumental albums on Bandcamp or stream the more recent stuff on Soundcloud. I've had a new project in development since early 2014 that I'll finally be pushing out, so be on the lookout for that.

I should also have some big film-related announcements in the near future as well. This is definitely looking like a good year, so keep your heads up and don't let any bright orange man-children ruin it for you!

Help Support My Journey to Art Basel

The Obnoxious Liberals Series Is Coming To Miami!

I'm proud to announce that TXTURE Magazine has invited me to exhibit pieces from my Basquiat-Inspired Bodypaint Portrait Series "Obnoxious Liberals" this year at their annual Miami Art Basel event, #TheArtFactory!

Miami Art Basel is an annual international art fair in Miami Beach, seeing visitors in the tens of thousands as hundreds of galleries present works from countries and artists all over the world. The rest of Miami comes alive with art as well during this time, and TXTURE Magazine has teamed up with Art & Sol Studios in the heart of the Wynwood Arts District to put together an event on December 3rd to showcase new and emerging talents from across the US.  

I couldn't be happier to end this year with such an amazing honor, as it was only this past January that I exhibited prints of my work for the first time ever at the RAW:Hollywood showcase.

This Is Where I Need Your Help

In order to make my Miami exhibit the best it can be, I have started a Kickstarter campaign to raise a portion of the funds necessary to print and prepare this gallery.  Since the date is so close to last month's debut of the Obnoxious Liberals series at the Exchange Room Gallery, I'm having a bit of trouble covering these expenses myself while still in the red from my previous outing.

The Kickstarter campaign is essentially a fire-sale on prints, ranging from 4x6 tests all the way up to the 20x28 exhibition pieces I'd like to create for Miami.  Any donation of $10 or more receives an exclusive print in return, and 8x10s from the Obnoxious Liberals series can be had for as little $25.  Click Here to visit the Kickstarter to purchase your print and help me make my Art Basel exhibit one for the books!

Thank you!

Travel Notice: Miami

Obnoxious Liberals will soon make its Miami debut!  I'll be there from December 1st through the 5th, booking shoots along the way.  Let's make some art!