Open casting call scheduled Saturday for local screenplay
WHAT: Open Casting Call for short film Bitter Memories
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 13; 2-4 p.m.
WHERE: McAllen Creative Incubator, 1001 S 16th St, Mcallen, TX 78501
It started as nothing more than a class assignment, but became a prize-winning screenplay.
Mariella Zavala, 16, wrote a piece on masculinity titled Bitter Memories. The story involves a 16-year-old boy who sees abuse from his father in the home and finds himself emulating it toward his girlfriend. Zavala's script, which won the Scenarios USA Scriptwriting Contest, will be developed into a film by director Joshua Marston, who directed the film Maria Full of Grace.
An open casting call is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, at the McAllen Creative Incubator from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again on Saturday, Sept. 20.
The PSJA North Sophomore is excited about the movie, which will be filmed Oct. 10-13, locally. Zavala plans on continuing down the creative path with her career.
"I'm always going to be writing, no matter what," she said. "Books and screenplays. But I also enjoy acting and I'd like to try directing, producing. Things having to do with art and film."
Casting director Candi Mascorro is looking for specific roles to fill, including three 15-18-year-old teen boys, a 30-40-year-old man, a 30-40-year-old woman, a 15-18-year-old teen girl, and a 5-9-year old boy.
Amy Nichol Smith is a features reporter for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4420.
