After being a highlight from last year, I'm pleased to welcome back Angie Faro for this year's Women in Horror Month celebrations to talk about what's new since the last time we spoke, the status of shelved projects and upcoming plans to film again as well as hints at upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for agreeing to come back! What are some of the new projects you have been up to since last we spoke?
Angie Faro: Hi Don and thank you so much for bringing me back for another interview! This past year has been quite the roller coaster hasn’t it? Early last year, late February I believe, I was so blessed and fortunate to be signed by Alexi Angelino of AKA Talent Management, that was something I had hoped to do for quite some time so it was a dream come true for me! That has especially helped me throughout this wild past year to have the guidance, support and encouragement of Alexi and just all she does for her talent. Not only that but Alexi has joined Larry Hawkins and I in producing many projects together now as well, combining our talents and efforts to take our projects to a whole new level! I have been fortunate enough to stay very busy with creative projects all year long. I wrote some short stories for anthology books, I acted in several films, many that I filmed myself from home for. To name a few that I worked on there was the feature film ‘Social Box’ by Blue Forge Films which was based on a short story written by best selling novelist Jennifer DiMarco in the summer of 2019 that revolved around a world hit hard by a pandemic and all the actors filmed themselves from home. Then there was the award-winning feature film ‘Runaway’ which was my friend Ralph Smith’s directorial debut (and was also my first time back on set after months of only filming myself at home due to the pandemic). Filming was done with a covid compliance officer and safety regulations in place. There was also the short film ‘Masked Monologues’ by Lockdown Productions/Alexi Angelino which I starred in and did editing and production work for. This film takes a powerful and personal look at five actresses and their experiences dealing with the “new normal” we have been dealt by covid. The five of us were fortunate enough to take an acting class led by the amazing Karen Paull of the MJ show which she so generously offered for free. During the class under Karen’s guidance, we wrote and performed our personal coronavirus monologues which Alexi then had the idea to turn them into a film which I can’t wait to release very soon!
Me: Among your announced projects last time were the series’ ‘Midnight at the Diner’ and ‘Alchemy Academy,’ what updates can you provide (if any) about these projects?
AF: Well unfortunately due to the pandemic, ‘Midnight at the Diner’ which features a fairly large cast has had to be put on hold until further notice. Current filming guidelines here in WA only allow for a small number of people to be on set at any given time. ‘Alchemy Academy’ is in the writing stage, so once we have a full season of episodes written we will be able to go into production on that one right away because it has a smaller cast.
Me: As well, you were forced to stall production on “Park Dead: The Awakening.” Has anything new happened with this feature?
AF: Yes I was so bummed to have to put production on hold for ‘Park Dead’ after all the time and efforts put into it previously but I had no choice. After filming on set for ‘Runaway’ however and learning about covid safety guidelines, we were, fortunately, able to get production running again with those guidelines being followed and a covid compliance officer on set and now we just have one day of filming left to schedule for it. Currently, a trailer is also being put together for the film and Larry, Alexi and I are so excited to release that soon after we do our final day of filming with just five scenes left to shoot!
Me: Having mentioned plans to carry the film out into a trilogy, is that proposal still being considered?
AF: Yes absolutely, in fact, the second film in the trilogy is already being written as well. Depending on how safe and open things are this summer I would love to be able to film the sequel then if possible, but if not I’d have to wait for the spring for the outdoor filming at least. I do have to hand it to the amazing cast and crew of Park Dead for braving the freezing cold temperatures and so much rain to film outdoors this winter thanks to their dedication to completing the film, but I definitely don’t want to do that again with a movie that is mostly filmed outside.
Me: Beyond film-work, you also joined the modeling troop Mizfit Dolls. What was the inspiration to join up with them?
AF: Ah yes, what a wonderful highlight of 2020 to be invited to join such an amazing group! I had first connected with Darrina Rice, the leader of the group, back in 2019 and at the time she was planning a photoshoot for January 2020 which my photo from last year’s interview with you came from that shoot, it was actually my very first shoot as a model. She held a group shoot with the theme Mysterious Woman and to my delight, I was invited as part of a select group of models she had chosen. I had a wonderful time, though I had no idea what to do in front of the camera as a model so I was totally just winging it, haha, I think being an actress helped me with modeling at least. That shoot as it turns out was just the beginning and Darrina had already had in mind to create a group to do monthly themed shoots. Fast forward to June or July when I was officially invited to be one of the original members of her new alternative and diverse modeling group, the Mizfit Dolls!
Me: What are some of your favorite memories being involved with the group?
AF: Every shoot with the dolls is an amazing memory! We are like a family, we are constantly in touch via online chat through messenger and whenever we do get together for a shoot it’s the most wonderful positive feeling. We care about each other and encourage each other and we have fun looking cute and spooky on camera together. There have been lots of amazing shoots but I think my very favorite was the possessed nuns and priests shoot “Bad Habit” especially because Darrina even joined us in the pictures that time which a lot of times she doesn’t do. I also really enjoyed the “Happy Elfin’ Christmas” shoot in December and love how the sets of images from it told a whole story. Darrina is such a wonderful group leader and she has an amazing vision for these shoots!
Me: What are some of your plans to get more exposure or performances for the group in the future?
AF: Well I’m a team player, so I’m certainly always happy to help the group grow in any way I can but Darrina already has all sorts of amazing opportunities coming our way that I so wish I could share but I can’t yet; so let me just say, amazing things are coming for the dolls in 2021 and I am SO excited to grow with this fun and amazing group!!
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
AF: Currently I’ve got two short films I’m producing, ‘Sands of Time’ and ‘Whistleblower’ which I wrote and directed as well and those will be available to view on YouTube on April 1st as selections for the Leap Film Festival. I don’t want to give too much away about them as they are only each roughly 5-6 minutes long, but the requirements for the festival were that they should involve stories that make a leap forward or backward in time to tell the story. ‘Sands of Time’ is magical, spooky, and mysterious. ‘Whistleblower’ is thought-provoking and jumps around all over the place in time. I’ve had a lot of fun working on both and am excited to share them soon in the Leap festival!! I also have another project, ‘Covert-19’ that was put on hold amidst the chaos of 2020 which is a horror science fiction feature and once ‘Park Dead’ is fully wrapped we can all put our focus back on that film, so do stay tuned for more on that one soon because Alexi, Larry and I have some very exciting plans in store for it that you won’t want to miss! Oh and one more piece of awesome news I’d love to share, I will soon become a published model in an upcoming issue of StyleCruze magazine, gorgeous photos by Ian Phares! What a great start to my year it is shaping up to be!
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
AF: I would just like to say to all the women out there who are aspiring actresses or filmmakers or creatives of any kind: you can do anything you set your mind to! It may take work, motivation, determination, blood, sweat and tears but I promise it will all be worth it to do what you love. To carry that with you through your life knowing that you took a chance on your dreams and on yourself is the best feeling. And always remember, you are 100% worth it and it is NEVER too late to start!!
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
Comments
Post a Comment