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Upcoming Film Screenings & Announcements!

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.

Shine Poster.jpg

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!

2017-ToPolicePoster.jpg

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

VoicePoster.jpg

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!

Exhibit Flyer.jpg

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

#MAYDAY

#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

Travel Notice: Tampa

Travel Notice: Tampa

I'll be in Tampa next month to attend Cigar City's Hunahpu Day on March 12th and will be booking shoots on either side of that weekend.  Message me here or DM me on Instagram if you'd be interested in booking a shoot or joining me for a brew or twelve at some point during Tampa Beer Week.

See you soon, Florida!

Summer Travels, pt. II

Summer Travels, pt. II

Barcelona

I need to live here.  Plain and simple, I need to live here.  The climate, the culture, the quality of life, Barcelona is my kind of city.  After the first day I was convinced that I was no longer looking at this place as a travel destination, but as a future place of residence.

I mean hey, Kubrick moved to London right?  Barcelona it is...

One of my -and likely anyone else who visits- favorite places to shoot was definitely the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, or simply...

La Boqueria

And it's easy to see why.

I don't know how yet, but I need to make Barcelona an annual trip.  Hmm, I hear they have a pretty nice film festival...

Summer Travels, pt. I

Summer Travels, pt. I

New York

It's rare that I get to travel as much as I would like to.  Fortunately, I get to make up for it this month.  Having successfully completed my short film To Police, I'm off to Barcelona, New York, and Puerto Rico, in that order.  I guess you can say I kinda like Spanish food...

Anyway, Barcelona marks my first time ever setting foot in Europe, so naturally I shot a LOT of rolls there.  I'll be saving those for last.  New York was up next, and was actually a research trip for a new script I'll be writing so most of time was occupied with that, rather than photography.  But I did manage to get off a few quick shots here and there.

 

Up next...

Puerto Rico

This was my second time visiting Puerto Rico, and I gotta say, I love this island more and more with each visit.  This was the first time I was able to explore a little bit with a film camera in hand, and spent the majority of my time in Old San Juan.

To be continued...

The Road Home

The Road Home

Taking the Long Way

On the way back from Vegas I decided to take my time and explore a bit of the scenery with what was quickly becoming my favorite color film stock, Ektar 100.  In was on this drive that I discovered what I hope to one day turn into a type of signature shot of mine, the Portrait Landscape.

"Tranquility" - Somewhere between Vegas and LA, 2014

"Tranquility" - Somewhere between Vegas and LA, 2014

Something about leaving so much room for the sky in a landscape photo really puts our existence here into perspective.  We all like to think we're larger than life, but just look up at the sky next time you need a reminder of exactly what life is.  The effect is humbling to say the least.  And don't you just love that natural blue gradient?  Ektar is an incredible film.

This was a peaceful drive, a nice way to unwind from the crazy birthday weekend at Life is Beautiful and prime myself for getting back into the hustle when I got home.  The year's winding down, and 2015 is starting to look particularly promising...

Damn I love that Ektar blue.

Life Is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful

It Was A Memorable 26th Birthday To Say The Least...

Something always told me I wouldn't like Coachella very much.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but once I figure out what it is I'll let you know.  In the meantime, I got all the music festival I could ask for and then some at this year's Life Is Beautiful.  

AGoodSign

For those of you who haven't heard of it, which I can only imagine is most, Life Is Beautiful is a music, food, and arts festival in Downtown Vegas that's only in it's second year.  If you think that means it can't draw the lineup of some of the big boys, you'd be mistaken.  Greatly.

Kanye West, Outkast, Foo Fighters, Lionel Richie, The Weeknd, The Roots, Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex (who despite having never heard his music before, puts on one hell of a show), Little Dragon, Phantogram, and the list goes on.  Way on.  Needless to say, after a rather unspectacular 25th birthday last year, I certainly did 26 right.  Wasn't going to make that mistake again.  Just as the clock struck 12, Outkast reached the middle of their set.  

Now that's a birthday.

Of course, I couldn't leave Vegas or the festival grounds without getting in a few street photo sessions as well.  It's actually a great way to spend your time in Vegas if you plan on leaving there with the same amount of money you came with...

Summer in the City

Summer in the City

The time has come for my first writing assignment.

Upper West Side, Self Portrait, Summer 2014

Upper West Side, Self Portrait, Summer 2014

It's been just over a year and a half of grinding and networking in the Los Angeles film industry.  With one part preparation, one part talent, and one part being in the right place at the right time (read: luck), I have managed to land my first feature film writing assignment.  Never mind that there's no money involved.  Hey, we all have to start somewhere.  And for the feature film formerly known as The Spanish Harlem Project, my journey started in New York.

My subject: the gentrification of Spanish Harlem.  It's the neighborhood I was born in, but knew little to nothing about.  As this would be my first time writing (or rather, rewriting) someone else's material, I thought an important part of this process should be immersion in the culture that birthed the story to begin with.  I always have some wild tales of what state of mind lead me to write the scripts that I've written, but with this story, it was from someone else's mind.  The best I could do was try to understand it by seeing for myself.  Next stop, East Harlem.

Walking East Harlem, my goal was to get a feel for the culture whose heart would beat at the center of this story.  And more specifically, how this culture was being systematically eradicated in favor of Chase Banks and Domino's Pizzas.  "Cleaning up the neighborhood" they called it.

Overall the trip was very successful.  I spoke to quite a few people who had lived in the neighborhood for generations to hear their point of view on the recent changes.  It all made me rethink photojournalism as a career to be honest, but I soon got back on track.

One thing is for certain, no trip to Spanish Harlem would be complete without a meal at La Fonda Boricua, which also happens to be the backdrop of another one of my favorite photographs to date...

La Fonda, East Harlem, 2014

La Fonda, East Harlem, 2014

It's the sights you never expect that always seem to stand out the most.  I couldn't have tried to go shoot this image, I just had to be there.  Be there with a camera in hand.  And to that my friends, I say, "Stay strapped."

Now back to LA, I've got work to do.