Veteran Writer-Producer Donald Marcus to Screen Short Film Patrimony at This Week’s LA Shorts Fest

July 25, 2011 - PRLog -- WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Donald Marcus, a seasoned writer-producer with over three decades of experience writing for popular American television series, developing critically-acclaimed stage productions, and creating television series in the United Kingdom, today announced his award-winning short film Patrimony (2011) will make its West Coast premiere at the 2011 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival (LA Shorts Fest; www.lashortsfest.com) on Tuesday, July 26, at 3:15 p.m. PDT, at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theatre in West Hollywood, Calif.

The drama, which premiered earlier this year and won several honors at the Boston International Film Festival, is part of a nine-day showcase of over 250 short films to be screened during the annual event, one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world. Accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, LA Shorts Fest winning entries are eligible for Academy Award® nominations in the short film category. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the festival attracts nearly 10,000 moviegoers, filmmakers, and entertainment professionals each year. Past jurors have included actors and industry luminaries Ben Affleck, Faye Dunaway, James Franco, Sandra Oh, and Paula Wagner.

“I wanted to make a short film that gives the audience its money’s worth, that is intense and richly emotional,” explained Marcus. “Consequently, I was looking for a story that put particular emphasis on the acting and writing. Then I hoped that my years of experience as a theatre director would allow all the elements to come together. Thanks to the superb performances of Robert Vaughn and Melissa Errico, I feel this strategy has paid off.

“I pared down the script so that only the bare essentials about the characters are revealed. At the same time, I think you get a vivid portrait of these two people and of their turbulent relationship,” Marcus continued. “The film focuses on the moment when they finally confront issues they’ve been avoiding for 20 years.

“Because of a limited production budget, I wanted to shoot the film outside in a beautiful location, and again, I was lucky there, too,” Marcus said. “Some friends on Cape Cod made their beautiful estate available to me, and that gorgeous background enriches the film immeasurably. I wanted the harmony and tranquility of nature to contrast with the raw emotions of the characters.”

At LA Shorts Fest, the screening of Patrimony is on Tuesday, July 26, at 3:15 p.m. PDT, at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theatre, located at 8000 West Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Tickets to individual screening sessions are $12.00 per person, while an all-access pass, which provides entry to all festival screenings over nine days, is $195.00 per person, or $155.00 for members. Tickets can only be purchased at the theatre box office.

About Patrimony
Written, produced, and directed by Marcus, Patrimony stars veteran actor and Academy Award nominee Robert Vaughn and Tony Award®-nominated actress and vocalist Melissa Errico. The film focuses on a critical moment in the relationship between an elderly man (Vaughn) and his daughter-in-law (Errico) after the unexpected death of his son, her husband. Cast by Ellen Parks, C.S.A. and edited by David Bigelow, Patrimony features an original musical score by international composer Benjamin Toth.

Patrimony was filmed on location at a private estate in Pocasset, Massachusetts on scenic Buzzards Bay. The film interweaves the majesty and solitude of Cape Cod with an intense, emotional human story.

Vaughn is a multi-talented, critically-acclaimed television, film, and stage actor who has appeared in over 100 motion pictures and dozens of series and theatre productions over a six-decade career. Honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998, Vaughn received an Academy Award® nomination in 1959 for his work with Paul Newman in The Young Philadelphians, and a BAFTA best supporting actor nomination in 1968 for his performance in Bullitt with Steve McQueen. Other notable feature film credits include The Magnificent Seven, Towering Inferno, Superman III, and S.O.B., and most recently, Warrior Class and Happy Hour with Anthony LaPaglia. He first garnered worldwide attention for playing Napoleon Solo in the NBC spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., one of the most popular programs of the 1960s.

Regarded as one of Broadway’s most versatile performers, Errico is a brilliant interpreter of both classic and modern musicals, a gifted vocalist and recording artist, and a talented actress with a strong presence in film and television. In 2003, Errico earned a best actress Tony® nomination for her performance in the Broadway musical Amour, composed by three-time Academy Award-winning French composer Michel Legrand (The Thomas Crowne Affair, Summer of ’42, and Yentl), her musical idol. Her big break came at the age of 18 when she was cast as Cosette in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. In addition to her leading roles on Broadway in Amour, My Fair Lady, Dracula, and White Christmas, she starred in the title role of the acclaimed 2010 off-Broadway production of Candida, for which she received a Drama Desk nomination. Errico has also made numerous television and film appearances, including playing the lead in CBS’s Central Park West, created by Darren Star and featuring Mariel Hemingway, Lauren Hutton, and Raquel Welch. Her third album is scheduled to be released later this year.

Note to Reporters, Editors, and Producers:  Marcus, Vaughn, and Errico are available for media interviews in support of Patrimony’s West Coast premiere at LA Shorts Fest. To arrange an interview, please contact Keith R. Pillow at (805) 389-1818, or by e-mail at keith@caddymarketingonline.com.

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About Donald Marcus
Donald Marcus is a seasoned writer-producer with over three decades of experience writing for popular American television series, developing critically-acclaimed stage productions, and creating television series in the United Kingdom. With the 2011 debut of Patrimony, he has added the role of filmmaker to an impressive résumé and a diverse career during which he was worked with such talents as Debra Messing, Julie Taymor, Josh Brolin, Marcia Cross, and Stephen J. Cannell. Marcus’s television writing and producer credits include The Young Riders (ABC and MGM/UA), Knots Landing (CBS/Lorimar), Renegade (Syndicated/Cannell-Segall), The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (Fox/Warner Bros.), Prey (ABC/Warner Bros.), Pacific Blue (USA Network/North Hall Productions), and Brimstone (ABC/Warner Bros.). He has also created and developed television series for high-profile media companies such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Granada Television.