Jon Accarrino, Michael Pinckney, Donna Drake and Frank Radice on the red carpet.

WILLiFEST 2011 took place this past weekend in Brooklyn, NY with over 100 films premiering in four different venues over the course of four days. Despite the rainy weather, there was a great turnout Friday night for the hip hop horror film premiere of "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You," - a film directed by Michael Pinckney and executive produced by Spike Lee.  Donna Drake from the TV Show "Live it UP!" was on the red carpet collecting interviews with the cast and crew.

Locomotive Distribution hosted a private screening at the Knitting Factory where the film's stars showed up to dazzle the red carpet, do interviews and watch as this long-awaited film project launched.  One of the film's top actors, Nashawn Kearse, plays Manchild, a rap star who is the potential next victim of a serial killer on the loose aimed at hip hop stars.  Other stars in attendance included Assiatou Lea, and Jacinto Taras Riddick.

The Hitchcockian film had the right mix of a thriller and hip hop movie with special appearances by rap icons Doug E Fresh, Big Daddy Kane and Ed Lover. 


Nashawn Kearse on the red carpet.

Jacinto Taras Riddick being interviewed at the premiere.

After the film screening, Locomotive Distribution hosted an after party at Trash Bar, a local joint in Brooklyn, where the director and many of the film's stars partied the night away. 

On Saturday, WILLiFEST continued with a block party and some amazing panels which showcased the importance of sound in film, as well as distribution for independent film makers.

Frank Radice moderated a panel entitled "The Sound and the Fury: Music for TV & Film from Some of the Industry’s Best – From Sonic Branding to Creating the Mood." Panelists included Michael "Boogie" Pinckney, director of the movie and founder of Black Noise Media, Mark Constanzo, a well-known foley artist, and Chad "Kotchy" Curlow, a sound editor at Definition 6 who worked on the music in this film.  Mark Constanzo was recently interviewed on the Today Show describing what he does on a daily basis.

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This panel showcased one scene from the "YNTSKY" film where we showed the clip "naked" (with dialogue only), then with foley added to it, then with music tracks mixed in, and then finally with it all together, highlighting the mood changes and importance of how sound can change a scene.

The second panel was hosted by Locomotive Distribution's Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin, talking about the importance of packaging when it comes to making your film/TV show marketable for distribution.  Gabriel pointed out some key things to consider while making your film, like where does it fit in the landscape of the market you are interested in distrubution?  Colleen also pointed out that while you are probably putting all of your money into the film to make it spectacular, you should always consider leaving a portion of it aside for marketing, allowing you to create a potential pitch-tape in order to get your production out to potential buyers.


Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin of Locomotive Distribution

All in all, this was one weekend jam packed with excitement and creativity.  If you missed out on WILLiFEST this year, keep an eye out for next year's schedule!  And if you would like more information about the "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You" movie, please contact Locomotion Distribution at info@locomotivegroup.com.