LIZA ANONYMOUS
LOG LINE
A lonely millennial addicted to support groups disguises herself in different personas while trying to fit in, leading her on a theatrical journey which proves that pretending to be someone you’re not doesn’t get you any closer to feeling seen.
SUMMARY
Liza Anonymous, by Latinx writer Leah McKendrick, is an example of people everywhere searching for their "village” and a place to belong. Liza takes it too far--getting wrapped up in a tangle of lies and ill-informed emulation. She is forced to learn that imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery.
Stay tuned for festival announcements and
screenings in early 2021!
PRODUCTION TEAM
AUBREY SMYTH
LEAH MCKENDRICK
Writer
Director
Leah McKendrick is an award-winning filmmaker/actress originally from San Francisco. She is widely known for the critically acclaimed digital musical series which she created and starred in, Destroy the Alpha Gammas which made her a Webby Award Honoree and a Streamy Award Nominee for Best Independent Series. Her feature film debut as a writer/producer/actress- the revenge thriller, M.F.A.- was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2017 and dubbed "the first horror movie to speak to the #MeToo era" by the New York Times. Leah's romcom script Voicemails for Isabelle was preempted by Columbia Pictures. Her first TV show, What the Fuck, Glenn? is in the works at HBO Max with supervising producer, Bruce Miller. She recently completed her dream job - writing the Grease musical prequel Summer Lovin’ for Paramount.
Aubrey’s comedic writing and colorful visual style has been greatly influenced by the imagination and Americana of her childhood, having traveled to 40 states in her family’s motorhome before the age of 10. In the years after graduating with High Honors in Film & Video and being awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award in Media Arts/Film by the faculty of the acclaimed Pratt Institute, Aubrey set her mind on directing. In 2010 she founded her production company Gingersnap NYC whose earliest clients included Grey Advertising and Pantene Pro-V. Aubrey was the Grand Prize Winner for Moët Moment Film Festival sponsored by Moët & Chandon for her film "The Bout" and recipient of a $25,000 prize. Aubrey won 1st Place for a Lipton Iced Tea spot and was runner-up for a Klondike spot both via MoFilm's International commercial competition. In 2019, her first documentary, "The Need To Know", was executive produced by Tribeca Studios and 23andMe. Aubrey's short films have screened in film festivals across the USA. In Aubrey's commercial career she has directed notable talents Mark Ruffalo, Priyanka Chopra, Busy Philipps, Hasan Minhaj, and Laverne Cox among others. In addition, she has held positions as a writer, editor, line producer and camera operator.
Line Producer
KATIE ROSIN
Katie Rosin has been working in production and marketing for film, television and theater for over 20 years, founding Kampfire Films in 2001 after working in production on films such as American Psycho and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Kampfire Marketing was instrumental in the launch of the Broadway musical, Brooklyn, and the National Tour of Mother Load. Kampfire has been integral in multidimensional campaigns for New York Innovative Theatre Award Recipients, GLAAD Award winners, back-to-back NYMF Best of Fest winners, and Drama Desk nominees. In 2014, she helped launched Stage17.tv, a digital entertainment destination for the world’s largest stage—the Internet. Kampfire Films works in association with MyCarl productions and with them produced the Web Series Gemma & The Bear and the upcoming Beckys Through History. Katie also produced the award-winning feature film, Closure, the talk show Chic Chat, the Reality Series We Are The Jones, and the award-winning short film Speed Grieving. Some of Kampfire’s current and past clients include: 14th Street Y-LABA Theater, Attic Theater, Boomerang Theatre Company, Convergences Theatre Collective, Esperance Theatre Company, The League of Professional Theater Women, MyCarl Productions, New York Innovative Theatre Awards, New York Neo-Futurists, The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, and R.Evolucion Latina. Up next is the feature film, AWoman Abroad. She is currently developing multipleprojects including television series and featurefilms.kampfirefilms.com | kampfirefilmspr.com
DANIEL ORNITZ
Producer and Production Designer
Daniel Ornitz is a filmmaker and designer based in New York City and Los Angeles. His primary areas of expertise range from production design / art direction, graphics, branding, marketing, and architectural / interior design. Additionally, he produces film and episodic content, among them the short film “ENGAGED” starring Daniel K Isaac (Billions) and Ryan Jamaal Swain (Pose), and “ALL HAIL BETH” for BRIC TV. His work has screened at Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, BFI, Palm Springs, Outfest, SeriesFest, ITV/Catalyst, BAMcinemaFest, ABFF, Florida Film Festival, Frameline, New Orleans Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and more.
CHLOE SMOLKIN
Director of Photography
Chloe Smolkin is a cinematographer who studied at NYU. Her extensive IMDb credits include countless TV series and films including Improv Everywhere Originals, Good Morning America, Comedy Underground with Dave Attell, and Love and Hip Hop: New York. Chloe has worked commercially with brands such as Google, Ford, Nike, Trident, Toyota, AT&T, and more
BROOKLYN QUARTER
Brooklyn Quarter is a storytelling collaborative. We sustainably tell beautiful stories through film, performance, writing, visuals, music, and any other art form we don’t even know about yet. The collaborators tell their stories through their mediums, but the story of BQ itself is the amazing people. Just as we should be known for how we love one another, we should expect the same love for each other’s stuff. If we are to value our own stories, we will be exponentially stronger by valuing the story of one another. Some fans will be in it for the tales, and some will be in it for the tale-tellers, but our strength is in collaborating. Everything we make is in an ecosystem with everything else. Since it is impossible to do everything perfectly, and difficult to do many things well, let’s at least accomplish one thing with certainty: building one another up. Everything else is in service to this. www.brooklynquarter.com
KAMPFIRE FILMS
Katie Rosin is an award-winning producer, who has been working in production and marketing for film, television and theater for over 20 years, founding Kampfire Films in 2001. After working in production on films such as American Psycho and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Kampfire Marketing was instrumental in the launch of the Broadway musical, Brooklyn, and the National Tour of Mother Load. In 2014, she helped launched Stage17.tv, a digital entertainment destination for the world’s largest stage—the Internet. Kampfire Films works in association with MyCarl productions and with them produced the Web Series Gemma & The Bear, Wherever You Go, and the web-satire Beckys Through History. Katie also produced the award-winning feature film, Closure, the talk show Chic Chat, the Reality Series We Are The Jones, and the award-winning short film Speed Grieving. In post-production is the TV pilot Outdated, the short film Liza Anonymous and Tonya Pinkins’ horror feature Red Pill. Up next is the short film Fraud and the feature films, A Woman Abroad and Changing Tides. She is currently developing multiple projects including television series and feature films. www.kampfirefilms.com