Assassination of a High School President Movie Production Notes

High School. Four of the most important years of your life. But it isn't always dances and keg parties and sucking face in your parents' mini-van. Sometimes it's ugly and hard and complicated. As complicated as a conspiracy to overthrow the president…

There’s something rotten at St. Donovan’s High and sophomore newspaper reporter Bobby Funke (Reece Daniel Thompson) is on it like pink rubber bands on your little sister’s braces.  When senior hottie Francesca Fachini (Mischa Barton) solicits Funke’s help tracking down a set of stolen SATs, Funke uncovers a story dirtier than the lunch lady’s moustache.  After he fingers the school president (figuratively) for the crime, Funke becomes one of the most popular kids at St. Donovan's High. No longer known simply as the freshman who was once tied to a giant snowman penis, Funke wins the respect of everyone from the Desert-Storm-hero-turned-educator Principal Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis) to the kid that farts on him in Spanish class. When Francesca takes Funke to homecoming, even the In-School Suspension delinquents turn nice and offer guidance on how to keep his boner in check during slow dances.

But high school’s not always what it seems. As Funke’s popularity grows so do his suspicions. Did the president really steal the SATs? Or is Funke just a pawn in a conspiracy as complicated as adolescence itself?  Determined to find the truth, Funke digs deeper and unearths the sordid underbelly of St. Donovan’s. Student council members, college bookies, public school brats, everyone seems to play a part. Armed only with a learner’s permit and the spirit of Woodward and Bernstein, Funke must crack the case before it cracks him.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

At some point while preparing, shooting or cutting ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT, first-time feature director Brett Simon decided he would not subject his audience to a montage of adolescent fingers clacking away at a keyboard as his main character composes the page-one story that will get him noticed by Northwestern. 

The film, which joins a boomlet of comedies about articulate teenagers with whom you might actually enjoy spending an afternoon, is too smart for that.  But more important, Mr. Simon knows his audience is too smart to need to see it.

With ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT, Simon and his team have managed to create parallel teen universe permeated by day-to-day menace and a refreshingly laconic sexuality which this particular character, played by Reece Daniel Thompson, must navigate if he is to survive another day at St. Donovan’s.

“I think this movie is about the mysteries that lurk inside high school,” Simon tells a visitor to the film’s main location, a massive Catholic school that takes up an entire city block of Bayonne, New Jersey and looks out over that city’s bustling commercial harbor. 

“For me, high school was about the tension between what you can see, what you can know, and what you can’t see and what you can never know.  I think about that moment in my own life when, as a freshman, I walked onto campus: to this day, those seniors are still older than any sort of adult I’ve seen since,” Simon continues. 

“I wanted to explore that divide in high school between the people who have driver’s licenses and pubic hair and those who don’t, to uncover some sort of truth in the very murky, in-between ground that is the urgency of adolescence, a time when ‘Is this girl going to like me?’ or ‘Am I going to pass this exam?’ are life and death questions.  That’s what appealed to me about the script: its characters had stakes.”
#   #   #
ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT began as a wordy, edgy, smart script that takes the darker sides of teen life – in this case cheating, drugs and social stigma – and puts them into the head and heart of a young, just-discovered Canadian actor who alone must bring the audience into his character’s highly stylized world. 

In this case, the actor is Reece Daniel Thompson, who broke through last year in the acclaimed independent comedy ROCKET SCIENCE, a movie that began its commercial run the very same day ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT began principal photography.

“Reece has a bright light in his eyes that really speaks to the character’s intellectual hunger, his curiosity, his genuine desire for truth,” offers Simon.  “He’s got a grounded, curious quality that was important for a guy who doesn’t quite fit in to his surroundings and yet is able to kind of move between the different cultures within the school.  At the same time, that hunger gets compromised by really normal things -- like wanting to get laid and wanting to be accepted.  I really like the way Reece plays that tension.”

For his part, Thompson sees Bobby Funke as “a forty-year old guy trapped in the body of a fifteen-year old.  Girls still kind of, like, freak him out, but emotionally he’s past high school.  He’s already graduated in his own head.

“I think the biggest bump that he comes across is a girl.  He just doesn’t know how to handle that.  It’s so far away from his head space,” Thompson adds.

“In most high school movies, the characters seem to have these huge romances, which don’t exist in real life.  Sometimes people actually do find love in high school, but pretty much most of the time it’s all in their heads.”

Adds Thompson’s co-star Mischa Barton, “Most high school movies are made by adults trying to figure out what kids would be doing, and they don’t really have their finger on the pulse.  Brett clearly still loves living the high school thing, loves being involved in it and getting all these characters down.”

“The audience has to be seduced by this girl,” says Simon of Barton’s femme fatale character, “Ultimately they have to believe that despite the fact that Bobby and Francesca are of different social strata, and even at different levels of development, they’re going to fall for each other.

“In working with the actors to get there, in some places it was letting Mischa be a little sillier in moments, a little more playful.  In some moments, it was letting her be a little sexier, a little more provocative.  She’s breathtaking to look at.  The minute Reece looks at her, you can see in his eyes a very unaffected joy and excitement.

“But that’s just sort of the shell,” Simon insists.  “Mischa also brings a strong sense of intelligence and playfulness to the character.  I felt this most while we were shooting the slow dance scene: we had them on a dolly, so they were turning and the camera was turning around them.  We were all moving very slowly and the music was playing and there was just such tremendous beauty in that moment for me, a kind of emotional resonance in Reece’s face.  It was moment where I knew we were on the right track.” 

“Working with Mischa’s great,” Thompson adds.  “She’s a really nice girl and she’s really smart, a lot smarter than me.  She uses a lot of big words I’ve never heard before, which actually helps the work.  We have a cat and mouse kind of thing happening where Funke’s this little mouse and she’s coming in pulling him away all the time and leading him around, and he doesn’t know what to do.”

#   #   #

If you ask anyone involved with ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT about the film’s director, all will report that he knew what he wanted to do with the script from the very beginning.  Indeed, screenwriters Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski – former production assistants on Comedy Central’s South Park who wrote this movie while house-sitting for Trey Parker – recall that Simon was uniquely prepared at their very first meeting.

“Brett brought in these notebooks mocked up to look like Cliff’s notes,” recalls Jakubowski.  “On the cover they said ‘Calpin  and Jakubowski’s ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT,’ which won us over right away.”

“Inside the books were quotes from the movie with great still shots of how he’d wanted the movie to look,” adds Calpin.  “He mentioned John Hughes and said:  ‘Why don’t we have high school movies people can connect with anymore?’  He wanted to be true to the script, true to what high school is really like, to make a movie that would point out the dark parts and the hilarious parts, the heartbreaking contradictions and poignant moments.”

That said, as Simon came to make practical decisions about how to bring Calpin and Jakubowski’s screenplay to life visually, the director admits to “sort of talking about of two sides of my mouth” by creating a look of “stylized realism.”

“On the one hand, I want something that looks authentic,” Simon explains.  “On the other hand, Bobby Funke is such a nuanced character that the whole movie should really be seen through his point of view.  So the world can’t fully belong to the world that you and I know.”

Blessed with the freedom to shoot in a huge, working New Jersey high school during spring break, Simon at once exploited the old building’s period detail and more contemporary flourishes.  Describing the setting as “temporally schizophrenic,” Simon explains that “schools get new toys, like video equipment, but the old things stay there too.  I’m using public schools and under-funded private schools as the model for St. Donovan’s, so the audience gets the feeling of a whole bunch of history in one place.”

Reece Daniel Thompson points out how the main school location, which wraps around a central courtyard and features views from the library of the massive white cranes of Bayone’s industrial harbor, inspired Simon to help his actors prepare.

 “One of the best things about Brett as a director is that he goes onto the set before any of us and shoots stills of every shot he wants to do. Everything is completely mapped out, and he always knows exactly what he wants,” the actor says.

Barton agrees.  “Brett had a style for the movie worked out in advance, had all these ideas for the way it should be shot and a very clear vision for each person’s character. He wanted me to have really dark hair and pale skin for Francesca.  Even though she’s the most popular girl in school, she’s got an edge to her, a dark side, the same kind of underlying tone I think the whole movie has. I think this will make it different from other high school movies.  It’s more stylized.”

#   #   #

Movies set in high school often focus on characters who spend a lot of time hovering around the line between the acceptable and the unacceptable, the approved and the taboo.  Think FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF. 

“The thing that I liked about the John Hughes movies is that they weren’t written down to teenagers and they weren’t trying to be movies that would necessarily have a mass appeal,” Simon observes.  “They were very specific and true to a moment, true to a time, and they had a kind of depth and sophistication. Tonally, those movies are a bit all over the place, and I think that’s sort of what the teen years are about.”

Without putting too fine a point on it, Simon will argue that ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT offers a new kind of exploration of the boundaries between what is acceptable and unacceptable in a ‘teen comedy.’  Kathryn Morris’ character, for example, is the kind of school nurse who might one day sell access to her wedding to Entertainment Tonight – after she gets out of prison for sleeping with the groom while he was still in the tenth grade.  He will tell you that the film shot under a much tamer title – THE SOPHOMORE – in case concerned citizens might connect the dots to the recent rash of school shootings, especially since the film depicts an assault on a school assembly – with a paint-ball gun – as the students sing about “America.”  And he will talk about how an ad lib by Bruce Willis made him think differently about how his character – a tightly wound Gulf War veteran  whose battle scars make him uniquely qualified to be a high school principal.

“When Kirkpatrick reminisces about Desert Storm, in a single line where he’s talking about dogs exploding to the screams of Kuwaiti children, what had always been this kind of funny moment suddenly became very moving and even a little chilling.  It was a line Bruce came up with himself.  That’s why Bruce is such a good actor.  He can find in a single line, in a single scene, what’s funny, what’s sad, and what’s scary all at the same time.  The high school principal in teen movies tends to be the clown, tends to be the joke, tends to be this kind of flat character, and he really brought something more to this one.

“The great thing about Bruce,” Simon continues, “is that as long as he’s been doing this, I think he genuinely believes that a director should know what he wants and he will support that vision.  The challenge for Bruce was to play Kirkpatrick very straight, to avoid veering off into the realm of the outlandish.  By keeping one foot in the real and truly understanding where this character was coming from, Bruce brought a life to him that I think audiences will be talking about for a long time.”

MISCHA BARTON (Francesca Fachini) has developed an extensive filmography and theatrical resume that will surely make her one of the most sought-after young actresses of her generation.  She made her film debut with the critically lauded Sundance favorite LAWN DOGS, opposite Sam Rockwell.  Her hailed performance was followed by PUPS, a modern day version of BONNIE AND CLYDE for filmmaker Ash.  She then racked up key roles in the 1999 Blockbusters THE SIXTH SENSE with Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, and NOTTING HILL, with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

Barton subsequently completed work on an additional five features, including LOST AND DELIRIOUS, opposite Piper Perabo, for Lionsgate and JULIE JOHNSON, with Courtney Love and Lili Taylor (both of which premiered at Sundance).  She was also seen in SKIPPED PARTS with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Drew Barrymore.
At age nine, Barton began her promising career in New York Theater with a lead role in Tony Kushner's "Slavs!"  She soon segued into the lead role of Emma Hatrick in James Lapine's “Twelve Dreams” at the renowned Lincoln Center.  Among her varied stage credits are “Where the Truth Lies” and “One Flea Spare,” both of which took place at the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Barton is perhaps best known for her role on the phenomenally popular TV show “The O.C.”  Her other small screen credits include a stint on “All My Children,” ABC's “Once and Again” and the Showtime original film “Frankie & Hazel” for producer Barbra Streisand's Barwood Films. 

A longtime Manhattan resident, Barton enjoys family-life with her parents and two sisters.

REECE DANIEL THOMPSON (Bobby Funke) is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, who  made his feature film debut at the tender age of thirteen, in Lawrence Kasdan’s horror/thriller DREAMCATCHER. Shortly thereafter, Thompson became one of Canada’s busiest young actors, working on many of the locally shot films and TV series.  

In 2007, Thompson starred HBO/Picturehouse film, ROCKET SCIENCE, in the role of stuttering Hal Hefner.  ROCKET SCIENCE was the winner of the 2007 Sundance Dramatic Directing Prize and has also been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.

Thompson most recently shot AFTERWARDS, with John Malkovich and Romain Duris.  AFTERWARDS is expected to be released in 2008.
Thompson enjoys writing and has aspirations to become a screenwriter and director one day. He resides with his family near Vancouver, B.C.

BRUCE WILLIS (Principal Jared T. Kirkpatrick) has demonstrated incredible versatility in a career that has included such diverse characterization as the prizefighter in Quentin Tarantino’s PULP FICTION, the philandering contractor in Robert Benton’s NOBODY’S FOOL, the heroic time traveler in Terry Gilliam’s TWELVE MONKEYS, the traumatized Vietnam veteran in Norman Jewison’s IN COUNTRY, the compassionate child psychologist in M. Night Shyamalan’s Oscar-nominated THE SIXTH SENSE (for which he won the People’s Choice Award) and his signature role, Detective John McClane, in the DIE HARD trilogy. 

Willis, whose recent films include this summer’s blockbuster hit  LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, ALPHA DOG, PERFECT STRANGER and OVER THE HEDGE,will soon begin shooting the sci-fi thriller SURROGATES.

Following studies in Montclair State College’s prestigious theater program, the New Jersey native honed his craft in several stage plays and countless television commercials, before landing the leading role in Sam Shepard’s 1984 stage drama “Fool for Love,” a run which lasted for 100 performances off-Broadway. 

Willis achieved international stardom and garnered several acting awards (including an Emmy and a Golden Globe) for his starring role as private eye David Addison in the hit TV series “Moonlighting,” a role that he won over 3,000 other contenders.  He made his motion picture debut opposite Kim Basinger in Blake Edwards’ romantic comedy BLIND DATE.  In 1988, he originated the role of John McClane in the blockbuster DIE HARD.  He reprised the character in two sequels, DIE HARD 2 and DIE HARD:  WITH A VENGENCE, 1995’s global box office champ. 

His wide array of film roles includes collaborations with such respected filmmakers as Michael Bay (ARMAGEDDON), M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE), Alan Rudolph (MORTAL THOUGHTS, BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS), Walter Hill (LAST MAN STANDING), Robert Benton (BILLY BATHGATE, NOBODY’S FOOL), Rob Reiner (THE STORY OF US), Ed Zwick (THE SIEGE), Luc Besson (THE FIFTH ELEMENT), Barry Levinson (BANDITS), Robert Zemeckis (DEATH BECOMES HER) and Antoine Fuqua (TEARS OF THE SUN). 

Other motion picture credits include THE JACKAL, MERCURY RISING, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS (and its sequel THE WHOLE TEN YARDS), HOSTAGE, SIN CITY, 16 BLOCKS,LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN and Disney’s THE KID.  He also voiced the characters of the wise-cracking infant, Mikey, in LOOK WHO’S TALKING and LOOK WHO’S TALKING, TOOand Spike in the animated RUGRATS GO WILD!

Willis also maintains a hand in the theater.  In 1997, he co-founded A Company of Fools, a non-profit theater troupe committed to developing and sustaining stage work in the Wood River Valley of Idaho, and throughout the U.S.  He starred in and directed a staging of Sam Shepard’s dark comedy “True West” at the Liberty Theater in Hailey, Idaho.  The play, which depicts the troubled relationship between two brothers, was aired on Showtime and dedicated to Willis’ late brother Robert.

An accomplished musician, Willis recorded the 1986 Motown album “The Return of Bruno,” which went platinum and contained the #5 Billboard hit “Respect Yourself.”  Three years later, he recorded a second album “If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger.”  Last year, he launched a U.S. club tour with his musical group Bruce Willis and the Blues Band.

MICHAEL RAPAPORT (Coach Z) made his film debut in 1993’s ZEBRAHEAD, receiving great critical acclaim for his genuine and confident portrayal of a Jewish teenager growing up in a predominantly African-American Detroit neighborhood.  The performance went on to garner him an Independent Spirit Award nomination and the film itself, won the 1993 Sundance Film Festival’s Filmmaker’s Trophy.  People who saw his work, recognized the future was promising for an actor whose talent seemed unstoppable.  Michael Rapaport has delivered on that promise.

In 2006, his film SPECIAL also premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim. In the film, Rapaport plays an average Joe who participates in a clinical drug trial for an experimental anti-depressant and ends up convinced that he is a Superhero on a mission to fight crime and protect the innocent. 

Rapaport also appeared in the 2005 romantic comedy HITCH, opposite Will Smith, as well as the comedy LIVE FREE OR DIE.  Prior to that, he starred in the dramatic thriller, TWENTY NINE PALMS and the independent dark comedy, COMIC BOOK VILLIANS.  He also starred opposite Woody Allen and Hugh Grant in the comic-caper SMALL TIME CROOKS,gave a controversial performance opposite Damon Wayans and Jada Pinkett-Smith in the Spike Lee’s comedy BAMBOOZLED, starred in the period drama MEN OF HONOR with Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding, Jr., co-starred with John Travolta in Nora Ephron’s LUCKY NUMBERS, for Paramount Pictures and in the sci-fi thriller THE SIXTH DAY with Arnold Schwarznegger. 

No stranger to television, Rapaport is currently recurring on NBC’s Emmy-winning comedy “My Name is Earl,”and also starred for two seasons on FOX’s hit comedy, “The War at Home.”  The show focuses on a modern family and their struggle to raise their 3 teenage children.  Rapaport previously starred in David E. Kelley’s critically acclaimed television drama “Boston Public,” which focused on the lives of the faculty members at a high school in Boston as they weave in and out of dealing with trouble-makers, having a personal life, and keeping their sanity.  Rapaport also appeared as a recurring guest on NBC’s hit series “Friends”as Lisa Kudrow’s character Phoebe’s boyfriend.

Rapaport has been consistently singled out for his memorable performances.  From his dramatic roles in John Singleton’s HIGHER LEARNING and Barbet Schroeder’s KISS OF DEATH to his comedic turns in Woody Allens’ MIGHTY APHRODITEand Ted Demme’s BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, Rapaport has exhibited a unique versatility throughout his career.  Additional film credits include METRO, A BROTHER’S KISS, COP LAND, KICKED IN THE HEAD, TRUE ROMANCE, THE PALBEARER, ILLTOWN, PALMETTO and DEEP BLUE SEA.

Rapaport also has his own production company, Release Entertainment.  When not working, he resides between New York and Los Angeles.

MELONIE DIAZ (Clara Diaz) is emerging as one of Hollywood’s rising talents.  She will be seen at Sundance in Michel Gondry’s highly anticipated film BE KIND REWIND with co-stars Jack Black and Mos Def which New Line is releasing in January 2008. 
           
Her vast list of films includes performances in RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, Tom DiCillo's DOUBLE WHAMMY; Catherine Hardwick’s LORDS OF DOGTOWN; A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS, in which Melonie received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at  the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards; FEEL THE NOISE, produced by Nuyorican Productions; I’LL COME RUNNING and BEAUTIFUL ORDINARY.  She recently completed production on AMERICAN SON opposite Nick Cannon, and the comedy HAMLET 2, with Katherine Keener and Steve Coogan.  Her theatre work in New York includes “Love, Medea” at the Bullet Space, The Hip Hop Theater Festivalat P.S.122 and “Woman who Outshone the Son” at the NYC Fringe Festival.

She is currently finishing her degree in Film Production at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

JOSH PAIS (Padre Newell) has a solid history in film, television, and theater and continues to divide his acting time between all three mediums.  He was recently seen alongside Molly Shannon in the film YEAR OF THE DOG, the directorial debut of acclaimed writer Mike Whitethat premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.  Also at Sundance that year, Pais starred in TEETH, the critically acclaimed and much talked about film written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein.  Josh will next be seen in the films ADVENTURELAND,directed by Greg Mottola, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, directed by Charlie Kaufman, andWHEREVER YOU ARE.He will soon begin shooting the Peter Himmelstein helmed film PEEP WORLD.

Raised in New York City’s East Village, Pais’ past film credits include an interesting and diverse slate of work.  One of his earliest roles was playing Raphael in the original TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, in which he was the only actor to physically play and record the voice for the character.  Other film credits include THE KEY MAN(with Hugo Weaving),WATCHING THE DETECTIVES(with Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu), NEAL CASSIDY, JACKNIFE (with Robert DeNiro),THE STATION AGENT, Sidney Lumet’sFIND ME GUILTY, LITTLE MANHATTAN, A CIVIL ACTION(with Robert Duvall),PHONE BOOTH, ROUNDERS, MUSIC OF THE HEART (with Meryl Streep), and the Academy Award winning A BEAUTIFUL MIND.  He also wrote, directed and produced the award winning documentary 7TH STREET.

Most recently, Josh was seen playing legendary New York Daily News reporter Phil Pepe in the baseball-themed ESPN series “The Bronx is Burning” and in 2006 appeared as Zev Charney, lawyer to Corrado “Junior” Soprano, in HBO’s hit show “The Sopranos.”  Other television credits include “Damages,” “Rescue Me,” “Hope & Faith,” “Law and Order,” “Sex and the City,” “Homicide: Life on the Streets” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”

Pais is the creator and sole master teacher of the Committed Impulse Actor Training.  He currently teaches at NYU and the Atlantic Theatre Company’s Acting School, and has taught at Yale and The New School.

LUKE GRIMES (Marlon Piazza) will next be seen in the soon-to-be-released Senator Films feature ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE acquired at the Toronto International Film Festival. He can also be seen in the independent feature WAR EAGLE starring Brian Dennehy, Mare Winningham, and Mary Kay Place. Luke is a graduate of the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts.  He was born in Ohio.

PATRICK TAYLOR (Paul Moore) is a gifted young actor whose recent feature film credits include GRADUAL SUICIDE and INDEPENDENTLY BLUE, along with a guest-starring roll on “Law & Order:  SVU” on the small screen.

His theatrical credits include “Dionysus in 69:  A Revival” at The Performing Garage along with “The After-Dinner Joke” and “Our Town,” both for The Barrow Group Theatre and Atlantic Theatre Company’s production of “As You Like It.” 

Taylor recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in acting. 

JOHN MAGARO (Cipriato) is a Cleveland, Ohio native and proud to star in another project  selected to be screened at Sundance after his short film "Bomb" appeared in the 2007 festival.  He is currently filming Richard Kelly's latest feature THE BOX, starring Cameron Diaz and Frank Langella.  This past fall, John made his feature film debut in Neil Jordan's THE BRAVE ONE, opposite Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard.  He will soon be seen in the upcoming features IN BLOOM, with Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood, and the HBO film "Taking Chance" with Kevin Bacon. 

Past television credits include NBC's "Law and Order" and "Conviction.” An accomplished theatre actor, John has been seen in many productions in New York and throughout the country, including originating the role of White Steve in Adam Rapp's "Gompers."  John currently calls New York City home.

ROBIN TAYLOR (Alex Schneider) is a native of Shueyville, Iowa and a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Speech.  Robin was most recently seen starring opposite Justin Long in Universal's feature film ACCEPTED, directed by Steve Pink.  He is appearing in another Sundance 2008 selection, Austin Chick’s AUGUST.  Other recent festival appearances include Kevin Connolly's THE GARDENER OF EDEN (Tribeca 2007) and with Spike Lee’s JESUS CHILDREN OF AMERICA (Venice 2006) along with the Wim Wenders-produced feature THE HOUSE IS BURNING and Ian Gelfand’s short “Pitch,” which both premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. 

On the small screen, Robin has appeared on NBC's “Law & Order,” CBS's “The Late Show with David Letterman,” and ABC's “One Life to Live.”
Robin is the co-host and co-creator of “Creation Nation,” a monthly theatrical event at Ars Nova, which was selected and performed at the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival in 2006.  Other theatre credits include “The
Shooting Stage” at The Culture Project, The Young Playwright's Festival (2001 & 2004) at The Cherry Lane Theater, “Boy Beautiful” at Here Arts Center, “No. 11(Blue and White)” at McGinn/Cazale Theatre, “Henry IV” at La MaMa, and “Schmoozy Togetherness” at Manhattan Theater Source.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

BRETT SIMON (Director) makes his feature directorial debut with ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT. 

Brett’s music videos have captured intricate narratives and visceral performances while maintaining a strong commitment to visual experimentation.  He has worked with such bands as Queens of the Stone Age, Sum 41, and The Killers.

Brett’s short films and videos have appeared in festivals around the world including Sundance, Toronto, Telluride and ResFest, where they have won several first prizes. His short “The Sailor’s Girl” was created under Fox Searchlab and screened at Sundance 2005.  His short “Counterfeit Film” was made with a photocopy machine and won awards around the world. 
Before moving to Los Angeles, Brett taught film history and digital filmmaking at UC Berkeley.  Brett graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing.

TIM CALPIN & KEVIN JAKUBOWSKI (Co-Writers)

Timothy Calpin is an extremely handsome man.  He was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania and attended Scranton Preparatory High School.  He went on to receive his degree in Television and Film from Syracuse University.  He currently resides in Santa Monica, California where he works out several times a week. 

Kevin Jakubowski drives a ’97 maroon Ford Taurus. He grew up in Batavia, Illinois and attended Fenwick High School, a Catholic prep school in Oak Park, Illinois. In 2001 he graduated from Villanova University and went on to receive an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin in Ireland.

In 2005, while working as production assistants on “South Park,”Tim and Kevin began writing.  In less than three years, the two have since collaborated on five feature scripts including comedies for Lions Gate and MTV Films.  ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENTis the team’s first feature to be produced.  They are currently attached to produce and direct their latest original script, LATE NIGHT IN PARTYLAND.

Yari began his career in Hollywood after receiving a degree for Motion Picture in Cinematography. After working for several years as a Producer and Director, Bob concentrated his efforts in the real estate industry. His real estate ventures have included syndication, construction, and development of office towers, malls and residential complexes. Yari also is an owner and board member of the Mexmil Companies, an aerospace manufacturing group with over 1,000 employees worldwide.
Yari has produced over 35 features including Crash, which won the Oscar® for Best Picture. He also produced The Illusionist, which was one of the top grossing independent films of 2006. 
In addition to The Accidental Husband, the upcoming titles for the Yari Film Group include: Killing Pablo, the story of the life and death of Cocaine Kingpin Pablo Escobar.

M. DAVID MULLEN, ASC (Director of Photography) studied filmmaking and cinematography at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he received his Master’s Degree.  Since then, he has photographed more then thirty independent feature films.

He was nominated for the IFP Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography in 2000 for TWIN FALLS IDAHO and again in 2004 for NORTHFORK, both films by Michael and Mark Polish.

He also has photographed a number of features in high definition video, including JACKPOT, the first 24P HD feature to be released theatrically in North America. Other 24P HD features include D.E.B.S., WHEN DO WE EAT? and THE QUIET.

In 2004, he became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers and in 2007, a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

Recent projects include AKEELAH AND THE BEE for Lionsgate, THE ASTRONAUT FARMER for Warner Brothers, and HBO’s new season of “Big Love.”  He also updated the classic textbook Cinematography with original author Kris Malkiewicz, and has written a number of articles about his own work for various filmmaking magazines. 

SHARON LOMOFSKY (Production Designer) started her career in South Africa in the 80's working on commercials with renowned directors Ian Gabriel, Keith Rose and Jonathan Taylor.  She moved to New York in 1990.  In 1994 she gained international recognition for her production design of Milcho Manchevski's BEFORE THE RAIN (Winner of "The Golden Lion", Venice 1994, Oscar Nomination, Best Foreign Film, 1995).

Sharon has gone on to design critically acclaimed movies such as MANNY AND LO, CLAIRE DOLAN, PINERO, A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG and BRING IT ON, which topped the box office both in the U.S. and several European countries.  Other credits include THE KING (Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film festival 2005), STEPHANIE DALEY (Winner of Waldo Salt Award, Sundance 2006), Leon Ichaso’s EL CANTANTE and the Chris Rock comedy I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE.  She also served as production designer for another 2008 Sundance film, MAN ON WIRE (in competition).  Her work has taken her all over the world, including South Africa, Namibia, Macedonia, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Sharon has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies and is a member of USA local 829. She currently resides in New York.

ANU SCHWARTZ (Art Director) easily melds his training as a fine art painter with his passion for film, bringing a unique perspective to the duties and responsibilities as an art director.  His art direction credits include:  ANGEL RODRIGUEZ (Dir. Jim McKay, HBO Films); THE KILLING OF JOHN LENNON (Dir. Andrew Piddington, Picture Players and IFC Films); WEST 32ND (Dir. Michael Kang, CJ Entertainment); DAS VATERSPIEL (Dir. Michael Glawogger, Lotus Films and Tatfilm). 
Anu has also produced the short “Tracks of Color” (Dir. Federico Castelluccio) and feature length film “The Last Romantic” (Dir. Aaron and Adam Nee), starring James Urbaniak and Shalom Harlow.

AMY WESTCOTT (Costume Designer) is a resident of both coasts, a Philadelphia area native and a graduate of Syracuse University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design. Amy's first foray into film was as a wardrobe assistant on James Mangold's COPLAND. Thereafter, she ventured into independent films, receiving her first design credit on the graphic novel-inspired horror film, CAMPFIRE STORIES.

Her notable feature film design credits include Noah Baumbach's THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, which won 2005 Sundance Film Festival awards for Best Director and Best Narrative Screenplay and ROGER DODGER, directed by Dylan Kidd, which won the 2002 Tribeca film festival award for Best Narrative Feature.  She continued collaborating with Kidd on his subsequent feature P.S.

Other credits include THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS for director Alan Rudolph, OFF THE MAP for director Campbell Scott and SMART PEOPLE for director Noam Murro (due to be released in April 2008).

Most recently, Amy was the costume designer on her 4th season of HBO’s “Entourage,” for which she was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild award.

ABOUT THE YARI FILM GROUP

Founded in 2002, Yari Film Group has established itself as one of the most successful independent film companies in Hollywood, with over 30 films produced over the last three years.  Casting top-tier talent in compelling projects with consumer appeal, the company is dedicated to ensuring creative freedom for its filmmakers.  YFG just wrapped production on the thriller NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, written and directed by Rod Lurie with Kate Beckinsale, Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda and Vera Farmiga.  The company is currently shooting THE LONELY MAIDEN, a comedy directed by Peter Hewitt and written by Mike LeSieur starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy as well as the drama REAL MEN CRY, starring Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke.  Joe Carnahan’s KILLING PABLO, based on Mark Bowden’s best selling book, stars Javier Bardem and is scheduled to begin filming next summer.  The company’s credits include Oscar 2005 Best Picture Winner CRASH, DAVE CHAPPELLE’S BLOCK PARTY, The Pierce Brosnan-starrerTHE MATADOR,THUMBSUCKER, HOSTAGE, LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG, PRIME, starring Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman, THE HOAX, starring Richard Gere and THE PAINTED VEIL,starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. 

In its new releasing venture, Yari Film Group distributed THE ILLUSIONIST, starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel and RESURRECTING THE CHAMP,starring Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, Teri Hatcher and Alan Alda.  In 2009, Yari Film Group will release THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND, a romantic comedy starring Uma Thurman, Colin Firth and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.