An actress is unwittingly hired by her stalker to make a low budget period movie about the Black Dahlia murder, but she and her company of young indie filmmakers soon discover themselves to be the real subjects of the terror.
Project Type: Feature
Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes 43 seconds
Completion Date: October 9, 2020
Country of Origin: United States
Country of Filming: United States
Language: English
Shooting Format: Digital
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Film Color: Black & White and Color
Director Biography
Jeanne Marie Spicuzza is an award-winning author, performer and producer, actress, director, poet, painter and herbalist, the founder of Seasons & a Muse, women-run arts and entertainment corporate
conglomerate. A member of the Alliance of Women Directors, Cinefemme, and Film Fatales, Jeanne Marie holds a B.A. in philosophy and psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While working on her M.A. in philosophy, she studied acting in London and Los Angeles, and art history in Italy, Germany, Greece and Holland.
Nominee, honoree and winner of various awards, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, the Vatican Division of Arts and Culture Honorarium, the Golden Headset Award, the National Organization for Women “Woman of the Year,” the Pushcart Prize and the Shepherd Express Best Performance Artist of the Year, Jeanne Marie is published in A Gathering of Tribes, Blue Fifth Review, The Nervous Breakdown and others. Her short films have screened at Portobello Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival and at Women in the Director’s Chair. Her VDKUF award-winning feature thriller "The Scarapist"™ screened at festivals, including a world premiere at LA Femme Film Festival, and at the Berlinale European Film Market. After its limited release in Landmark Theatres, "The Scarapist"™ is now available On Demand. An audio segment of her screenplay “Breath of God: The True Story of Hildegard von Bingen” is on permanent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum as part of Judy Chicago’s historical feminist installation, “The Dinner Party.” Jeanne Marie, to date, remains the first and only screenwriter in history to achieve museum showcase of a screenplay segment in perpetuity.
Jeanne Marie recently completed her second full-length motion picture, “Night Rain,” a thriller that she wrote, co-directed, produces and stars in, which makes its way to the festival circuit in 2020. She is in active development of three additional motion picture projects, “Making Angels,” an award-winning segment of which she recently shot and directed with Tommy Wiseau, “Breath of God,” and an untitled biopic, and is working on three new screenplays and a teleplay.
Jeanne Marie lives in Los Angeles.
Director Statement
I've adored cinema all of my life. My passion for film began at the age of eleven, around the time I began writing. A varacious interest in film noir really kicked in around 2010. I earned a certificate in film noir studies in 2014. I had been writing the screenplay for "Night Rain." The plot about contemporary filmmakers came naturally, after my experience making "The Scarapist." I wanted the subject of the movie within the movie to take place in the 1940s in the genre of film noir. I began researching the period and, coupled with a passion for true crime, James Ellroy novels and "L.A. Confidential," I delved into the Black Dahlia murder. I read a book by Mary Pacios titled 'Childhood Shadows.' She described an interview with the sister of Elizabeth Short, wherein the sister said that her and Elizabeth's mother believed that Elizabeth would be "exonerated." The statement touched me deeply, as a survivor of violent crime. I am too familiar with the notion that victims, particularly women, are often shamed for the violence perpetrated against them. It became a mission, burning inside of me, to help that cause. I endeavored that the only way to achieve that would be to portray Elizabeth Short, her life and death, humanly, accurately and with dignity.
"Night Rain" is the story of a group of young independent filmmakers unwittingly hired by their stalker to make a low budget period movie on location about the person who was violated in this famous, unsolved Los Angeles murder. In a situation of life imitating art, production was punishing! With multiple locations and actors, we sometimes shot with up to eight camera and five operators! Everyone gave so much. I could not have accomplished "Night Rain" without the spectacularly talented and passionate team of artists who worked on this movie, all of whom I am indebted to for their excellence. I'm very proud of the entire cast and crew. Thank you for giving generously of your attention.