THE COVER for Jay Bell's acclaimed novel, ‘Something Like Summer.’

‘Judas Kiss’ director, producer re-team for adaptation of one of 2011′s Best Books

SEATTLE — The makers of this year’s acclaimed scifi fantasy, Judas Kiss, are teaming with Seattle-based Jade Knight Productions to adapt the bestselling coming-of-age love story, Something Like Summer, for the screen.

The new project will be helmed by director J.T. Tepnapa, with screenwriter Carlos Pedraza penning the screenplay, based on the book by author Jay Bell. Tepnapa’s and Pedraza’s Los Angeles-based company, Blue Seraph Productions is a co-production partner.

“I’m honored that Jay Bell and producer Tom Ly have asked Blue Seraph Productions to turn the critically acclaimed novel into a movie,” Tepnapa said. “The life of the main character, Ben, mirrors so many moments in my own life, I cannot help but want to treat his own journey with care. I love this story, and I want to see it come to life.”

ABOUT THE BOOK Something Like Summer traces the tumultuous relationship of Ben and Tim, secret high school sweethearts who grow over the years into both adulthood enemies and complicated friends.

The novel is Bell’s second and most acclaimed, earning a spot in Amazon’s Best Books of 2011 list, with a customer rating of 4.7 out of 5, and outstanding reader reviews on the popular literary site Goodreads.

BEST ROMANCE 'Something Like Summer' is one of five novels nominated for a prestigious Lambda Literary Award.

UPDATE  Something Like Summer was named a finalist on March 20 in the prestigious 2012 Lambda Literary Awards. The other books nominated in the Best Romance category were: Every Time I Think of You, by Jim Provenzano; Settling the Score, by Eden Winters; Split, by Mel Bossa and Tinseltown, by Barry Brennessel.

The awards celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender writing for books published in 2011. Winners will be announced June 4 in New York.

Queer Magazine Online said the novel “not only has lots of passion, humor, angst and twists and turns, it also takes an in-depth look at how the choices we make in life affect not only ourselves, but everyone around us.” The Alpha Reader review commented: “Jay Bell has written one of the most heartfelt and sincere romances I have ever encountered.”

The book was optioned by Jade Knight Productions of Seattle and producer Tom Ly. With Blue Seraph Productions on board, the project moves into development immediately.

KEY ART for Blue Seraph Productions' 'Judas Kiss,' distributed in North America by Wolfe Video.

IN DEVELOPMENT “We are on track to have the screenplay ready by Spring 2012,” screenwriter and co-producer Pedraza said. “J.T. and I are looking forward to translating the magic of this story from page to screen.”

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with J.T. and Carlos,” Jade Knight producer Ly said. “I was so impressed by what they accomplished with Judas Kiss. I know they’ll take us to the next level with Something Like Summer.”

Author Bell had similar praise for Judas Kiss.

“I was blown away after seeing the film in Germany this year,” he said. “My heart was pounding when I left the theatre and I knew that this was the right creative team for a Something Like Summer movie. Ben, Tim, and Jace are in very safe hands, and I can’t wait to see them on the big screen.”

Something Like Summer will be Tepnapa’s and Pedraza’s second feature film, following quickly on the heels of their debut, Judas Kiss, the genre-bending scifi fantasy released in 2011, garnering critical acclaim and multiple awards from film festivals around the world. The film is in distribution worldwide, and continues at the top of the sales charts in its genre.

Blue Seraph Productions is a Los Angeles company headed by Tepnapa and Pedraza. Their work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, The Advocate, Edge Magazine, ATV Network, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC, and other international news outlets.

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LINKS

• Something Like Summer Facebook page
• 24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced
• Amazon’s Best Books of 2011
• Goodreads reviews: Something Like Summer
• Jay Bell Books
• Director J.T. Tepnapa’s IMDB profile
• Writer Carlos Pedraza’s IMDB profile
• Judas Kiss reviews | press kit

CHECK OUT the eScape preview at www.eScapeTheSeries.com

LOS ANGELES — What if you woke up one day at summer camp to discover all the adults had disappeared? That’s how the kids’ adventure series, eScape, begins when it comes to the Web this summer, producers announced today.

Created by Mike Feurstein of New York-based MovieQuest Productions and co-produced by Blue Seraph’s partner company, Runic Films, eScape tells the story of a group of campers seemingly abandoned by their counselors. They soon discover they are trapped in a video game that grants them amazing abilities. But in the real world, this game is the object of a power struggle between powerful corporations and mysterious military interests.

The first three seasons of eScape will premiere on the Web this summer on its Web site, www.eScapeTheSeries.com. A trailer and a preview of the show are available on the site now.

“The show tells a great story in the same vein as Lost,” said Feurstein. “Young and older viewers alike connect with its characters’ struggles to make the right life choices in the face of adventure, danger and unimaginable odds.”

eScape’s third season is currently in production in and around Albany, N.Y., starring local actors and school children. The students also worked behind the scenes to help produce the series.

“Wide release of eScape this summer will introduce viewers to the space- and time-bending world of the show,” said Runic Films producer Ben Alpi.  “It’s a world we plan to continue to explore.”

eScape is the latest project from Runic Films, which comprises the creative team behind the Web series Star Trek: Phase II, winner of TV Guide’s Online Video Award for Science Fiction, and nominee for the Hugo and Nebula awards — science fiction’s highest honors.

Alpi, who had contributed visual effects to the first two seasons of eScape, introduced series creator Feurstein to his Runic partners — writer-producer Carlos Pedraza, cinematographer David Berry, and visual effects artists Joël Bellucci and Matt Jolly — after their recent departure from the Trek series.

Watch the Trailer

Feurstein and his young filmmakers have produced movies that have won gold medals in New York state competitions and top prizes in regional film contests. Feurstein himself earned Best Local Filmmaker kudos in readers’ polls from the Albany, N.Y., Times Union, and the Metroland newsweekly. He has also produced an international educational DVD series on autism, contributed to the blockbuster award-winning Guitar Hero video game and owns Cucumber Alley, a film lighting rental company.

“Ben, Carlos and the rest of the Runic guys came aboard to help make the third season of eScape the best yet,” Feurstein said, “and its release on the Web is an exceptional showcase for the cast and crew.”

Runic Films is a production and entertainment company developing original properties for Web, film and television. Now located in Los Angeles, Runic was founded by two brothers in New York, and has grown to a staff of award-winning writers, directors, artists and technicians. Dedicated to upholding the rich traditions of storytelling, Runic Films harnesses cutting-edge technology and visual effects to create amazing worlds for dramatic tales grounded in humanity.

Based in historic Schenectady, N.Y., MovieQuest Productions is a motion picture production company dedicated to offering young people educational opportunities to create quality films.

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Links

• eScape Web site http://www.eScapeTheSeries.com
• Runic Films http://www.runicfilms.com

DIGITAL AUDITIONS via IMDb, Facebook and Skype facilitated cross-Atlantic casting of Belgian TV star Timo Descamps.

LOS ANGELES — Rising European actor, television host and pop singer Timo Descamps has been cast in the time-bending campus drama, “Judas Kiss,” the film’s producers announced today.

The 23-year-old Belgian was recognized last year by the preeminent Dutch and Belgian musical awards. Nominated in both nations, he won the Belgian award for Rising Talent. Descamps recently began a stint as a host on the Belgian VT4 channel.

In “Judas Kiss,” Descamps will play Shane Lyons, an amoral college senior who will do whatever it takes to win the love of film student Danny Reyes.

“Judas Kiss” is the story of a disillusioned filmmaker’s visit to his peculiar alma mater, where he is trapped in a tug of war between his tortured past and a troubling future.

Descamps’ cross-Atlantic casting for the film was made possible by a combination of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Facebook and Skype, said “Judas Kiss” writer-producer Carlos Pedraza.

“I always play good characters,” Descamps said. “I’m happy for the challenge playing someone different in an inspirational project like ‘Judas Kiss.’”

Descamps made headlines in his home country last year when he came out as gay.

WHAT IT TAKES “Timo wanted to be on this project the instant he learned about ‘Judas Kiss’ on IMDb,” Pedraza said. “We communicated via Facebook and Skype and had him shoot a screentest in the Netherlands with two scenes from the screenplay.”

The digital audition impressed “Judas Kiss” director J.T. Tepnapa, who saw an opportunity to showcase Descamps’ musical talent in the role of singer Shane Lyons.

“Timo showed us he has what it takes to play an unsavory character who has an entire campus twisted around his little finger,” Tepnapa said. “You can’t take your eyes off him.”

“Judas Kiss” is Tepnapa’s first feature film. He has won many international awards for his short films, including the multiple award-winning parody of 1950s teen health films, “Masturbation: Putting the Fun Into Self-Loving,” the comedy “Drag Queen Heist” and a drama about homeless youth, “Begging for Change.”

CHARLIE DAVID (left) and Brent Corrigan also star in Judas Kiss.

Descamps started acting in television at 17, starring in the Belgian soap opera “Family.” At 19, he landed a leading role in the children’s show, “Spring.” A year later, he won third place in the Belgian celebrity singing contest, “Soapstar Superstar.” On the heels of his musical success, he wrote and released his first single, “Phone Call.”

He has dubbed voices in several European versions of Hollywood blockbusters, including “Happy Feet” (Mumble), “Surf’s Up” (Cody), “The Chronicles of Narnia,” (Peter Pevensie), and has hosted a show on Europe’s Nickelodeon network called “Superstar: The Battle!”

Descamps currently stars as Dolf in the Dutch musical “Crusade in Jeans,” and plays a South African student in the Dutch TV drama, “SpangaS.” He just began hosting a kids’ show on the Belgian network VT4.

“Judas Kiss” is being produced by Blue Seraph Productions, a Los Angeles company headed by Tepnapa and Pedraza. Their previous work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC, and other international news outlets.

The film, scheduled to shoot this summer in Seattle, has already attracted attention for casting former “Dante’s Cove” star Charlie David (host of Logo’s travel show, “Bump,” and writer-star of the film, “Mulligans). Also cast is controversial adult film star Brent Corrigan, who appeared in last year’s Oscar-winning “Milk” and the comedy, “Another Gay Sequel.”

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LINKS

• Additional hi-res photos of Timo Descamps
• Co-star Timo Descamps’ IMDb profile
• Judas Kiss movie site
• Star Charlie David’s IMDb profile
• Co-star Brent Corrigan’s IMDb profile
• Director J.T. Tepnapa’s IMDb profile
• Writer Carlos Pedraza’s IMDb profile

The film marks actress Sharon Savene’s first outing as a writer; she will also star. Her past films include The Soloist and Dead Air. She also can be seen on the Web series Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles and Star Trek: Odyssey.

Missed Conception, directed by David Betances, is scheduled for a March 2010 release on the Internet.

WHAT IF the Right One turned out to be very, very wrong?

Love Minus Zero is a short film about a peculiar couple on the verge of breaking up and the hapless restaurant patrons who suffer the fallout as internalized tensions break free.

Writer-Director P.K. Eiselt, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara’s film program, describes the motivation behind his project:

P.K. Eiselt

THERE IS A RUSH, almost a panic, to find the “right one,” or face a destiny of being unlovable. … The threat seems more acute in the gay community, where options are limited … a sort of desperation that sets in, especially in the over-30 crowd.

Blue Seraph is now in pre-production for Love Minus Zero. P.K. has received script consultation from Carlos Pedraza (Judas Kiss, Blood and Fire). We have also been assigning crew, including Director of Photography David Berry (Blood and Fire, The Child). J.T. Tepnapa (Begging for Change, Drag Queen Heist) will be line-producing the project. Blue Seraph will also handle production meetings and casting at its Los Angeles production office. If you have any interest in contributing to Love Minus Zero, or any of our projects, please contact us.

Link

• Minus Zero Productions

WHAT IF the Right One turned out to be very, very wrong?

LOS ANGELES — Filmmaker P.K. Eiselt announced he has signed Blue Seraph Productions and its partners to produce his first short film, written and directed by him.

Blue Seraph recently expanded its services to a full production suite by partnering with other production companies around the country in order to help emerging filmmakers see their projects to completion.

P.K. Eiselt

Love Minus Zero is a short film about a peculiar couple on the verge of breaking up and the hapless restaurant patrons who suffer the fallout as internalized tensions break free.

P.K. Eiselt, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara’s film program, describes the motivation behind his project on his blog:

THERE IS A RUSH, almost a panic, to find the “right one,” or face a destiny of being unlovable. … The threat seems more acute in the gay community, where options are limited … a sort of desperation that sets in, especially in the over-30 crowd.

Blue Seraph is now in pre-production with Love Minus Zero. P.K. has received script consultation from Carlos Pedraza (Judas Kiss, Blood and Fire). We have also been assigning crew, including Director of Photography David Berry (Blood and Fire, The Child). J.T. Tepnapa (Begging for Change, Drag Queen Heist) will be line-producing the project. Blue Seraph will also handle production meetings and casting at its Los Angeles production office.

Congratulations to P.K. for finding the courage and passion to make a film again. If you have any interest in contributing to Love Minus Zero, or any of our projects, please contact us.

Link

• Minus Zero Productions http://minuszeroproductions.blogspot.com/

IN JUDAS KISS, a man tries to avoid a disturbing future by returning to his alma mater to confront a dark past.

What happens when your life feels like it’s over before it ever really began? What if you get the chance to face your past and your future at the same time? How do you deal with the discovery that you’re your own worst enemy?

These questions drive the story of Judas Kiss, a feature film in pre-production by award-winning director-producer J.T. Tepnapa and screenwriter Carlos Pedraza.

You can join the journey of this film’s production, from concept to screenplay, auditions to casting, rehearsals to shooting.

Check out what’s going on at the Judas Kiss movie Web site.

THE BRIDGE of the U.S.S. Enterprise comes under attack in “Blood and Fire, Part 1,” written by Carlos Pedraza.

Pursued and damaged by repeated Klingon attacks, the crew of the Enterprise responds to the distress call from a Federation research vessel.

In a matter of hours, that ship and crew will be consumed by a nearby star while the crew of the Enterprise faces a mysterious horror that threatens both ships.

BLOOD AND FIRE, PART 1 Carlos Pedraza adapted this acclaimed, controversial and never-produced Star Trek: The Next Generation script by David Gerrold into this two-part episode for the award-winning Web series, Star Trek: Phase II. Guest-starring Evan Fowler and introducing Bobby Rice as the Captain’s nephew, Ensign Peter Kirk, Part 1 of “Blood and Fire” breaks new ground for the Star Trek franchise, introducing the first openly gay characters in the original series’ history.

UPDATE Part 2 of “Blood and Fire” is scheduled for release Friday, Nov. 20, according to the Star Trek: Phase II Web site. More information.

Watch a clip from “Blood and Fire”

The 52-minute “Blood and Fire, Part 1,” directed by “Trouble with Tribbles” creator David Gerrold, was released in 2008 and is available online at the Star Trek: Phase II Web site. Part 2 is scheduled for release in late 2009.

A HOMELESS teen (Brandon Larcom) struggles with dangerous choices from the fateful flip of a coin.

In Begging for Change, two universes diverge from a single random coin toss in this dramatic short about desperation and redemption. Living out the aftermath in parallel but intertwined stories, a homeless teen rejects the aid of a handsome jogger, only to continue to live hungry and abused on the streets; in an alternate timeline, the coin flip leads the same boy into the arms of that same jogger, but with significantly different consequences. Will either path lead him home?

Back again at Q-Cinema, Begging For Change won the award for Best Dramatic Short Film. Making a departure from J.T.’s usual comedies, Begging for Change tackles deadly serious subjects.

Festival Director Barb Lee, says “J.T. refuses to let us shut our eyes when the going gets rough. Nor does he allow us our comfortable queer ending. With Begging for Change, J.T. has proved he is more then just the director of gay lifestyle comedy films. He has become an artist of film, able to reflect to us reality whether it is absurd and laughable or serious and important.”

Watch the Begging for Change trailer

This 12-minute film was released in 2006 and is available for purchase on the Begging for Shorts DVD.

Love is not easy for Devon (Greg Nabours) and his boyfriend, Alex (J.T. Tepnapa).

Sunflowers is the story of a gay teenager, Devon, trying to find the right boyfriend.

Devon and his new beau must learn about communication, intimacy, quarrels, and forgiveness.

Although Devon gets loving support from his best friend, Sara, and his mother and father, his parents still have the same fears that every parent has about first dates. Sunflowers is an enchanting, tender film about growing up gay in contemporary American society.

Originally a 25-minute short film for independent film festival screenings, Sunflowers is now available for purchase in its never-before-seen original director’s cut on the Begging for Shorts DVD.