FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TALK FAST WINS AWARD AT LOS ANGELE'S FIRST GLANCE FILM FESTIVAL

IN HOLLYWOOD YOU ONLY GET TWO MINUTES TO MAKE YOUR PITCH COUNT. TALK FAST.

(Los Angeles - January 2, 2003) Talk Fast, a feature-length documentary by Philadelphia filmmakers Chris Deaux and Chris Emmanouilides screened as part of the First Glance Film Festival on Friday November 8th, 2002 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood and was awarded second place in the documentary category.

Talk Fast chronicles the lives of five screenwriters - a puppeteer, a cult film star, a fallen starlet, a former stockbroker and a new mother - all struggling to make it in Hollywood. The film captures a week in each of their lives as they scramble to prepare for "Pitch Mart," a bi-yearly event that gives many first time screenwriters a rare opportunity to sit down with major studio executives and deliver their best "two minute pitch." The puppeteer, Steve Loeb, is originally from North East Philadelphia.

"Gaining acceptance into the First Glance Film Festival is competitive," says Bill Ostroff, the festival's curator. "Talk Fast was chosen because the "characters" documented are interesting and complicated, and the editing is artful. In addition, it is a classic tale of the trials and tribulations of trying to make it in show business."

"Talk Fast is an honest portrayal of what it's like to spend years chasing a dream that may never be realized," adds the film's co-producer and director of photography, Chris Emmanouilides. "Steve Loeb, for example, has spent ten years in Hollywood pursuing a career as a screenwriter. So far, he has made exactly $250 for his efforts."

"The film is very timely for a number of reasons, one of which is the public's seemingly endless fascination with show business, as evidenced by television shows like HBO's Project Green Light or Bravo's The It Factor," concurs Deaux.

Chris Deaux, of DeauxBoy Productions, is the director, editor and co-producer of Talk Fast. He first heard about Pitchmart two years ago on a radio news segment. "The first thing that went through my mind," says Deaux, "was the opening scene from the movie The Player with all these film makers frantically trying to pitch their movies in just a couple of short sentences. I thought it would be fascinating to see if that was the way it happens in real life. And, it turns out that it's not too far from the truth."

A year later Deaux pitched co-worker and collaborator Chris Emmanouilides - they are both employees of Philadelphia's Banyan Productions - to help develop the idea, co-produce it and serve as the director of photography. After lengthy phone interviews with the writers and studio executives participating in Pitchmart, they flew to Los Angeles to film the events leading up to the November 2001 Pitchmart.

Deaux and Emmanouilides spent nine days in Los Angeles following Pitchmart founder Ken Rotcop, an award-winning writer and former studio executive, and members of his screenwriting workshops.

"The people we met had these unbelievable stories about trying to make it in Hollywood" says Deaux. "Often their personal life stories were more interesting than their screenplays. Their struggles about trying to "make it" seemed to be the real story."

"What I found striking in the writers was their perseverance and willingness to go through hardship to make their Hollywood dreams come true," adds Emmanouilides. "Making it as a writer is such a long shot, and this film takes a glimpse at a less glamorous side of the business."

"I have to admit that I do find great irony in the idea of two struggling, independent film makers making a movie about a group of struggling, independent screenwriters with a soundtrack by struggling, independent musicians," quips Deaux. "We felt very close to all of our subjects mainly because we share passions, dreams and frustrations that are very similar to their own."

Chris Deaux founded DeauxBoy Productions (www.deauxboy.com) in May of 1998 with the goal of creating reality-based television programming and documentary films. In addition to Talk Fast, the company produced a television pilot, Love at First Sight? and is currently in pre-production on a new documentary. In addition to running DeauxBoy Productions, Deaux has worked for Banyan Productions for over five years. During that time, he has served as Executive Producer of The Learning Channel's popular series A Wedding Story, executive produced a series for Lifetime Television titled The Things We Do For Love, produced and directed Atlantic City Casino, a prime-time Discovery Channel documentary, and served as Executive Producer of Development, helping to create, produce and package new television programming.

Chris Emmanouilides is Director of Programming at Banyan Productions where he oversees over 200 episodes of reality-based television programming. Chris is Executive Producer of two prime-time documentaries for the Discovery Channel's On the Inside series and also acted as Executive Producer on Travelers for the Discovery Channel and Reunion for TLC. He is co-founder of Parallax Pictures, an independent production company based in Philadelphia whose focus is on media literacy. He co-produced and photographed The Ad and the Ego, an hour-long documentary on the impact of advertising on contemporary culture which took first prize in its category at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1997. His other films including Remains, Suelto!, and A Border Crossing which have screened at numerous international film festivals including Sundance, Slamdance and AFI.

Talk Fast was selected by The Foundation for Independent Video and Film for a "sneak peak" screening at the Prince Theater in Philadelphia in November, 2001 as part of their Maestro! event. The film played to sold out audiences both nights and received favorable reviews. Talk Fast was also screened as part of the 2002 DC Independent Film Festival & Market (DCIFF.), The Atlanta Film festival, the Cinema Reno Festival and The Philadelphia Festival of Independents. International rights for Talk Fast were recently acquired by the Los Angeles based group Solid Entertainment, an international distributor of documentary films. The film has since been licensed by Canal +.

For more information on Talk Fast , contact Chris Deaux at (310) 566- 7158 or visit the website at www.deauxboy.com

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