FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FILMMAKERS PULL OFF HEIST IN VEGAS, WALK AWAY WITH FEATURE FILM

The Mirror Game, filmed covertly over five nights in a Vegas hotel room, will premiere at Cinequest.

SAN JOSE, CA — AUG 10, 2022 — The Mirror Game, a new feature film from director William J. Stribling (Bear with Us) will screen at Cinequest Film & VR Festival in San Jose on August 20th. The film was produced by Michael Tennant (Pretty Problems, The Novice) and written by screenwriter/podcast producer Marissa Flaxbart (Maximum Film!, Feeling Seen, Sweet Valley Diaries), adapted from her play, “A Mere Conception.” Notably, the film was shot over only 5 nights, covertly and safely, in a single hotel room in Las Vegas.

The project was conceived out of the extreme limitations that the COVID-19 pandemic put on indie filmmakers’ ability to shoot safely and affordably. The cast and crew totaled just 8 and the film was shot in accordance of all safety guidelines. 

“It was an experiment,” said director William Stribling, “a challenge to us as filmmakers. Can we actually pull this off?” Just over one year later, the answer to that question is clear. Stribling continued, “It felt more like pulling off a heist than making a movie. We snuck in the camera and lighting gear in suitcases, completely redecorated the hotel room, and five days later we packed it all back up and strolled out of the place with a feature film in the proverbial can for less than the cost of a decent jet ski.” 

When the pandemic hit, Stribling had two other feature films put on hold. “I was chomping at the bit, going stir crazy. And I didn’t want to walk out of this pandemic without a new movie. So I called Marissa [Flaxbart] and pitched her on the idea. Let’s go to Vegas and make your play into a movie. We can rehearse beforehand, and then shoot the whole thing in four or five days. Looking back, there’s a certain amount of delusion that was required to pull this kind of thing off. It wasn’t quite as simple as we’d originally planned, but nothing ever is.”

The Mirror Game stars Teya Patt (For All Mankind) as Rose, a woman looking to spring a big request on her childhood best friend Abe, played by actor/producer Michael Tennant, who has hidden intentions of his own. Tennant’s latest feature film Pretty Problems recently won the Audience Award at SXSW and was picked up by IFC.

After making its World Premiere at Cinequest’s virtual film festival in April, The Mirror Game spent the summer traveling to regional film festivals such as the Sarasota Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Hill Country Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, and the Indy Film Fest, where it took home the Grand Jury Prize as well as the award for American Spectrum Feature. The Mirror Game will screen twice at Cinequest’s in-person festival; once on August 20th and once on August 25th. Tickets and information available at cinequest.org.

For More Information:

James Duffy, Producer’s Assistant, KOMODO LLC

t. 424-354-9595 e. mirrorgameinfo@gmail.com