NEWS

April 22, 2007
Elizabeth Bernstein reads Alice on KQED's Writer's Block, listen to it here! Or download it to your itunes here!

October 23, 2006
Alice isn't shot yet, but there's still some opportunities to see films by Kia Simon. A retrospective of her work, complete with interviews, screens October 23rd at 10pm on San Jose PBS station KTEH.

August 15, 2006
Run out and pick up a copy of Filmmaker Magazine, if you want to read all about Alice! They profiled Director Kia Simon and ALICE in the Summer issue (look for actor Ryan Gosling on the cover).

August 6, 2006
Director Kia Simon had a big, half-page photo in the Sunday New York Times on August 6, which profiled the Joan Scheckel Directors Lab where Kia is workshopping ALICE. Here is the photo of Kia, demonstrating "yearning":

And here's what the Times had to say:
It might look like a dance rehearsal, but these are directors in a filmmakers' lab in Los Angeles run by Joan Scheckel. Directors of "Whale Rider," "One Hour Photo" and "Jesus' Son," as well as the current movie "Little Miss Sunshine" have passed through her workshop over the years, sharpening their skills with actors, working on scenes and their films' emotional tone. In this exercise last weekend, Ms. Scheckel, center right in black dress, extracted physical expressions of the word "yearning" from her students, Lisa Leone, left, Kia Simon, Don Handfield and Ryan Brooks. (photo credit: Mary Ann Marino)

May 25, 2006
Film Independent Continues to support Alice -- Now in the Fast Track Program!
ALICE got selected for Film Independent's Fast Track program, which takes place during the Los Angeles International Film Festival and is designed to help graduates of Film Independent's Talent Development Programs move their projects forward via industry meetings and development opportunities. It's co-sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine. ALICE Director Kia Simon and Producer Lucienne Papon were both invited to the program.

May 10, 2006
Elizabeth and Kia Spill the Dirt
Get your news from another source! Read an article in sf360.org about the origins of Alice.

March 31, 2006
NEW NEWS
Hello and welcome to the new News page for the Alice movie!  So much has happened in the last few months… I’m finally getting a moment to sit down and get caught up here. 

In February 2006, I moved to Los Angeles to participate in the Film Independent Directors’ Lab to develop Alice. As part of the intense seven-week program, we spent the last week shooting an eleven-minute extended trailer for the film.  We got an incredibly talented cast to participate – Rosanna Arquette played the prickly mother, Barbara; Alex Borstein (MadTV, Family Guy) was the nosy teacher, Mrs. Greenwood; and Jackson Douglas (Gilmore Girls) stepped in to play the clueless neighbor, Hal. Bay Area stage actor Kevin Clarke came down to play the affable but useless father, Maurice. 

We lucked out with some fantastic child actors as well, including Najarra Townsend (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Shawnna Youngquist and Jared Lilly.

 
Rosanna Arquette and Kevin Clarke play bickering parents in suburbia.

Make-up artist Lisa Zomer creates a parasitic Guinea worm emerging from a blister.  Shawnna Youngquist, who plays Alice, wonders what she has gotten herself into.
	Alex Borstein, who had the cast and crew in hysterics between every take, tries to nose her way into the house while actor Jared Lilly attempts to keep her out.

Director Kia Simon confers with DP Michael Rizzi and Sound Designer Brian Copenhagen.

Actor Najarra Townsend (Me and You and Everyone We Know), screenwriter Elizabeth Bernstein, Kia Simon and actor Jared Lilly celebrate after the shoot.

Screenwriter Elizabeth Bernstein and Shawnna Youngquist
(Shawnna wears a t-shirt designed by illustrator Hugh D’Andrade who created the Alice Poster)

The monumentally talented Shawnna Youngquist played the title role of Alice, a young girl who has got something under her skin.

Stay tuned to this page for more updates to come!  We’ll upload the trailer as soon as it’s ready. 

Kia Simon, Director