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

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!

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!

To Police: A Year Later

Time certainly flies.  As Memorial Day Weekend has once again come and gone, I've just realized that it's also been exactly one year since the production of To Police, the short film I wrote and directed that went on to win awards at three different film festivals.

In honor of the one year anniversary, I'm going to be allowing online viewing of the film for the first time ever, and only to subscribers of CoreyDeshon.com!  (Signup here if you are not yet a subscriber!)

On the set of To Police!

Given the subject matter of the film, and the current trend of discourse among online videos, I decided at the time of premiere that I would never publicly release To Police in full online.  I didn't want something that I'd created to be an introspective discussion piece on modern society to just become more fuel for the fire of racial prejudice in this country.  I decided the public was better off without it, and only those within the environment of a film festival would have the opportunity to view it, as an in-depth discussion of the film and its message would always follow.

However, since I am no longer entering the film into festivals, I thought it would be nice to share it with those of you who have truly supported my creative endeavors from day one, yet have not had the opportunity to view the film yourselves.  So at the end of this week, I will be sending all subscribers a private link and password to view the film in the comfort of your own homes.  I hope you all truly enjoy it, and would love to hear your feedback either way.

For those who may not be familiar with the film, check out the preview below and remember to Subscribe before Sunday, June 5th in order to get the link.  Thank you all for your support, and happy Memorial Day!

Film, Photography, and Following My Dreams

Intergalactic Expedition

It's official, radio is out and the podcast is in!  This apparently being the season of firsts (beginning of course with the RAW Showcase), I recently got invited to participate in my first podcast, cleverly titled Intergalactic Expedition.  Their mission is to provide inspiration for all to follow their passions by featuring people who are living out their dreams.  And believe me, there's nobody living in more of a dream state than me at the moment...

Last night I joined host Vazrik to talk about how I got started in my filmmaking career, the influences behind my photography, and how I knew it was time to take the leap, leave Florida, and come follow my dreams out here in LA.  Check it out below: 

With my only prior experience in podcasts being three seasons of Maron, I'd have to say Vazrik hosts a pretty good show and knows how to make his guests feel comfortable and welcomed.  As someone who hates the sound of his own voice, I have to admit I did very much enjoy listening to this.  

Check it out on Facebook as well and give it a share.  This came with somewhat awkward timing for me as I'd decided to stay away from Facebook for a while, deactivating my profile only two days before recording this.  But there are many people there who I would have otherwise shared this with, not just for the exposure, but for the inspiration.  So I'm asking you all to share this in my absence.  

Somewhere, there's somebody out there who I think could greatly benefit from hearing how someone else was able to make their dreams a reality.  Someone is toiling away the days at work, living check to check, mind full of what if's, just wondering what happened to that dream they had as a child.  If I can inspire at least one person with this podcast to go and get what they want out of life, then it would have all been worth it. 

Follow your dreams people, the time is now.