LOS ANGELES - Sept. 16, 2019 - Writer-Director Aleem Hossain's genre-bending short The Thin Orange Line will premiere at Beyond Fest Shorts Program 2: This Is Crime-time on September 29 from 2 PM at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The 2004 short film has found a new lease of life after Hossain won Best Feature Film for After We Leave at this year's Sci-Fi London.
Tipped as yet another gritty cop film with a dancing orange bear, The Thin Orange Line is about a cop, hellbent on avenging his partner's death who meets an unexpected obstacle in the form of his childhood imaginary friend.
The Thin Orange Line was shot on 16mm in 2004 during the final year of Hossain's MFA film directing program at UCLA. "I came across a photo in my parent's attic. It was from 1988 and it was a mundane picture of our driveway. In the lower-left, there was a small grey stone. When I saw it, I was hit by a wave of emotions. That stone was my imaginary friend. As I looked at that photograph I found myself asking: what would this stone, who had known me so well in 1988, think about me now? This question turned into the short film."
The film's two main actors James Black and Brian Silverman are regular collaborators with Hossain and also star in the award-winning science fiction feature After We Leave. Black has recurring roles in Anger Management, Six Feet Under, and Family Business. Silverman stars in the upcoming web series West Rosencrantz and has roles in Grimm, Leverage, Cold Case, S.W.A.T., and Ray Donovan.
Aleem Hossain is a film writer-director, virtual reality creator, and assistant professor of Digital Storytelling at Occidental College. He was selected for the initial Oculus Launchpad program run by Facebook/Oculus, where he developed his ongoing documentary VR series I Never Told You. He was a 2017 artist-in-residence at the VR Action Lab where he created No Easy Answers, a VR anti-bullying project, in collaboration with Google, Harmony Labs, and Screenwriters Colony. He is currently developing You Are Forever, You Are Everyone, an interactive narrative sci-fi VR experience with the support of the Tribeca Film Institute.
After We Leave will have its North American debut later this year. "After We Leave is a brilliant debut for director Aleem Hossain, a vibrant script, satisfying special effects and outstanding performances." critialpopcorn.com
Beyond Fest - Free Shorts Program 2
September 29 from 2 PM
The Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
http://www.thethinorangelinefilm.com
Media Contact
Ginger Liu
