Short Film Explores Drug Abuse and Domestic Violence

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. - June 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Award-winning author, playwright, and filmmaker David-Matthew Barnes has adapted his critically-acclaimed one-act play Threnody into a dramatic short film, which was recently shot in Denver. The film is produced by Fairground CineFilms.

Threnody is about a young couple named Dana and Jake (played by Caroline Barry and Santiago Charboneau) who suffer from a horrible drug addiction and a volatile love affair. The stage version of Threnody was first produced in Sacramento, California in 1996. Since then, the play has been performed around the world. “Many actors and theatre producers have told me over the years how strongly they feel Threnody should be a film. I finally took their advice,” says writer and director Barnes.

Barnes’ first film was Frozen Stars, also independently made, that went on to receive worldwide distribution. Like Threnody, his first film was also youth-centric and featured primarily a Latino cast including a then unknown Lana Parrilla who has since shot to stardom on ABC’s Once Upon a Time.

Barnes is no stranger to writing powerful roles for women. His all-female stage Sky Lines recently received a world premiere at the Producer’s Club in New York City. As the child of a single mother, Barnes says he’s determined to bring attention to the lives of women in the films he makes. “Women fascinate me on a creative level. I’m very committed to presenting the female characters I create in an authentic light,” he explains. “There’s a universality in the character of Dana that a lot of women will hopefully connect with. Through her, I want to show how easy is to meet someone, fall in love, and not realize how much damage they can cause if you let them. At the core, Threnody is about a young woman who is forced to find the power within to break away from a dangerous life.”

Threnody is currently being scheduled for screenings at film festivals around the world. “We are determined to get this message out to as many young people as possible,” says the film’s producer Nick A. Moreno.

Threnody features a multicultural cast of nine actors, all from the Denver area, including Caroline Barry, Santiago Charboneau, Amanda Stacy, Trevor Wilson, Jenna Reimonenq, Gyana Lua, Meghan Truckey, Richard Walter Sotelo, and Dorothy Magaña.  

The film is produced by Nick A. Moreno, Jesus M. Medina-Rodriguez, David-Matthew Barnes, and Edward C. Ortiz for Fairground CineFilms.

A promotional teaser for the film can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXnlVVKopiw


For more information, please visit www.threnodythefilm.com or www.fairgroundcinefilms.com

Photo credits: Caroline Barry and Santiago Charboneau as Dana and Jake in Threnody. Photo by Elizabeth Drews.