Breton Tyner-Bryan's WEST OF FRANK To Make West Coast Premiere At Newport Beach Film Festival

Multi-award-winning producer/director/writer/actor/choreographer Breton Tyner-Bryan latest film West of Frank, will make its west coast debut at the illustrious Newport Beach Film Festival on closing night of the film festival. Recent Winner of Best Director at NYCTVFF, Best Director at NYCIFF, Raw Selection, Cultural Impact Award at Berlin Commercial Film Festival, and Best Dance Film at Emberlight Film Festival, West of Frank was filmed at the iconic Jefferson Market Library formerly a courthouse in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Breton Tyner-Bryan's highly anticipated follow up to films Delusione, Invicta, and Timless Love, is stacked with a cast of 12 Broadway performers, emblematic of the 12 stories of the Women's House of Detention. West of Frank can also be seen having its east coast premiere at the Chelsea Film Festival in Manhattan.

This film features New York City's finest talent, including Gilbert Bolden lll (New York City Ballet), Rhaamell Burke-Missouri (Hadestown Broadway, King Kong Broadway), Elisa Clark (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mark Morris Dance Group), James Jude Johnson (Fiddler On the Roof), Heather Parcells (A Chorus Line Broadway, Chicago), Randy Castillo (Wicked Broadway, An American in Paris Broadway ), Savannah Cranford (INVICTA, Retrofactory Theater C), Kenny Corrigan (Paul Taylor Dance Company, America's Got Talent), Alexa De Barr (West Side Story Broadway, Moulin Rouge), Dajuan Harris (Madonna, Todrick Hall), Mimi Thompkins (San Francisco Ballet, Arizona Ballet), and Tatiana Stewart (INVICTA, The Deuce).

WEST OF FRANK explores the metaphysical energy of the historic Jefferson Market Library, formerly a courthouse attached to the Women's House of Detention in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Through the medium of dance, this film lives as a testament to spiritual freedom, in recognition of public spaces as an equalizer of accessibility.

The characters in the books of the library exist in a suspended reality, bearing witness to the injustices acted upon women and transmasculine prisoners by medical professionals in the American criminal justice system. An art deco 12-story prison from 1932 to 1974 in New York City, the prison housed such inmates as Angela Davis, Afeni Shakur, Andrea Dworkin, Mae West, Valerie Solanas, Ethel Rosenberg, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Sara Harris." said producer, director, writer, choreographer, editor, Breton Tyner-Bryan.

WEST OF FRANK is executive produced, directed, written, choreographed, edited, by Tyner-Bryan who also served as the costume designer (Netflix MOST LGBTQ Channel), sound designer, and casting director. Thomas Shomo (Get Lucky, William Grant and Sons) is Director of Photography, Colorist Ryan Sciaino (Porter Robinson, NIKE), and composer Ai Ishikki (Juilliard, Berklee) masterfully created the luminously haunting score. WEST OF FRANK is produced by Breton Follies Productions.

Additionally, Tyner-Bryan has another film on the festival circuit this year: TIMELESS LOVE which has won over 60 awards including Best Director, Best Editor, and Best Costume Design. Her highly decorated films have screened at Berlin Commercial, London Fashion Film Festival, World London Film Festival, Madrid International Film Festival, Dances With Films Chinese Theater and Regal Cinemas, Micheaux Film Festival, La Femme Film Festival, Emberlight International Film Festival, La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival, Lift Off Global Network London Pinewood Studios, Paris International Short Festival, New York International Women's Festival, Bucharest Film Awards, Big Apple AGENTS AND MANAGERS Lab, ASVOFF14 Paris, French Riviera Film Festival, Stockholm Short Film Festival, Paris Short Film Festival, Bucharest Film Awards, Vegas Movie Awards, Silk Road Film Awards Cannes, New York International Film Awards, New York City International Film Festival, Barcelona Indie Awards, Cannes 7th Art Awards, Europe Music Video Awards, Grahla International Film Awards, Istanbul Film Awards, Tokyo Film Festival, Swedish International Film Festival, and Vienna International Film Awards.

Curt Wiser for OC Movies, TV & Streaming states, Through the power of dance, music and cinematic artistry, West of Frank made brilliant use of this unique library setting, and its various levels and rich history at the heart of the story told. West Of Frank has superb editing, which was perfectly timed with the music and dance, the rhythms of sight and sounds. The well-crafted short explores the spiritual energy within the historic Jefferson Market Library, as part of the tragic history of the prison took center stage on June 28, 1969, when it had ties to the Stonewall Riots. At times, quick cuts make it appears as if these dancers are defying gravity, an element that surprised me in the best possible of ways. The well-choreographed and tragically beautiful dancing of the performers told the story well, and the coda added important context and form to the narrative. I urge you to seek out West OF Frank, and the collective works of Breton Tyner-Bryan."

OC Movies, TV & Streaming has compared her previous work to Darren Aronofsky's film BLACK SWAN and Voyeurs Room 104 calling it "an impressionistic fantasy with eye-catching visuals, a fresh take on storytelling. Breton is at the forefront of this well-crafted dance choreography, making full use of her skills as a classically trained Ballet dancer and filmmaker." Unseen films has described her work as "a delight for the eye and ear, a visual feast".

Breton Tyner-Bryan is an American born multi award winning director, writer, actor, choreographer with Canadian roots, based in New York City. A classically trained ballet dancer and award-winning filmmaker, she grew up in the theater in Hartford, CT. She is known for The Penguin (HBO), Manifest, (Netflix), Great Kills (Tubi), Billions (Showtime), Divorce (HBO), Gossip Girl (CW) working alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Molly Shannon, The Knick alongside Clive Owen, choreographing for BD Wong and Donny Most of Happy Days, Studio City (VICE), Manhattan Love Story (ABC), Shackled (in production), TEST, Stories from the Microcosm with John Sanborn. She often plays detectives, tough seductive roles, and her heritage is Native American, German Jewish, Spanish, Italian, Irish, French, and Indian.

She is the executive producer and director of Breton Follies, a film production company, featured at New Victory Theater 42nd Street, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Directing credits include Village Playwrights NYC, New Victory Theater, New York Fashion Week, Madonna-Washington Square Park, choreographic works include Saturday Night Fever Engeman Theater, "Heading East" starring BD Wong, Prospect Theater, Peter Pan Dreamland Stages, choreographic men-tee under Sergio Trujillo for Donna Summer (Broadway), and choreographic labs for Waitress (Broadway). She has taught for New York University, Fordham University, Smith College, Berklee NYC, Broadway Dance Center, Joffrey Ballet School, The Place (London), Dance Base Scotland, San Francisco State University, LINES Ballet, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She holds a MA in Filmmaking from NYU, a BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Utah and received her training at the School of the Hartford Ballet. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Deadline, Curve Magazine, Broadway World, Pointe Magazine, Dance Magazine and the Huffington Post.

She is currently in pre-production on her feature film TAKE YOUR TEETH OUT, pilot to series I DREAM OF HAZEL that she wrote, will direct, and act in, and 3 feature films she is attached to direct. You can also see her debuting on the second season of "Great Kills" on Tubi coming soon.

Tickets are available for the screening of WEST OF FRANK October 19th 8pm in person at the Newport Beach Film Festival, https://nbff23.eventive.org/films/64ed2a50a2af49001f29b944 which will take place at The Lot. Visit their website for more informtion at https://nbff23.eventive.org/welcome.

 

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