Player Profile: Dana Raja

Ice Grill, USA cameo star Dana Raja gets some shine this month. Bringing NYC swagger and yellow stilettos to the table as Ali Frasier's arm candy dimepiece, Ms. Raja made her mark on the male-dominant, testosterone-soaked landscape that is IGU's Atlantic City. Sharp as she is lovely, Dana has her sights set on doing work on both sides of the camera with her audacious debut written project All American Trash coming into form, soon destined for a screen near you.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York of Albanian and Puerto Rican descent, Dana graduated from Pace University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. Getting a taste of showbiz in her youth as a child model, she later studied at Stella Adler & Upright Citizens Bridage Theater to get back in to the game. She most recently landed a spot in the film East Fifth Bliss starring Dexter's Michael C. Hall.

Player Profile: John Antorino

John Antorino is Jersey through and through. The product of a single parent home, John epitomizes the hustle and determination necessary to break out of the Atlantic City cycle and to create a greater reality for yourself. Initially cast in the part of Neil Milano, when his character was cut creating the final IGU shooting script, John stepped up as a featured extra and stole the show.

A working model on both coasts who has been featured in prominent places like Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness and MuscleMag, John has crossed over to film work and can be found in Light's Out on FX as well as in the big budget movie sequel Sex in the City 2.

A product of the aspirational essence at the heart of Ice Grill, USA, John's tenacity, profession

alism and hard work will no doubt vault him to big things.

Player Profile: Jenna Pace

This week we're going to highlight another member of IGU's scene-stealing supporting cast. This time it's the dynamic Jenna Pace who brought class, sass and ass to the game of Catholic high school prostitution as Ho Spit Girl #1, and made her imprint on some of Ice Grill, USA's most memorable scenes. The entire IGU family expects big things from Ms. Pace in the future and looks forward to expanding her role in a future Enlightened Party production.

Most recently, Jenna has been working behind the camera directing music videos and short films. She was the Lead Entertainment Host and Director of Talent for 2.0 Television and produced 48 episodes focusing on independent music, cutting edge fashion and the underground culture of New York City. She co-wrote and starred in The Awesome 80's Prom, one of the longest running Off- Broadway shows, now in it's 7th hit year (winner of the Improvisational Theatre Award) and played Kimberly in the Broadway workshop of But I'm a Cheerleader (winner of the NYMF Audience Award). She has been featured on Life is Wild (CW) as well as Life on Mars (ABC). Jenna has and continues to work on several indie films, commercials, readings and experimental theater projects.

Ice Grill, USA Wins Big in Atlantic City

Ice Grill, USA had a huge return to its birthplace in September, winning best Homegrown Feature and Overall Best of the Fest at the inaugural Atlantic City International Film and Music Festival. This was the second Ice Grill, USA screening in Atlantic City during its first year on the festival circuit.

There was the biggest turnout of the fest for the IGU screening on Saturday afternoon, September 11th, 2010 at The Claridge Theatre in AC and IGU actors Connor Fox, Michael Angelo Ortiz, Los Jones, Tyler Noble, Mark Kochanowicz and Bill Haas were in attendance along with IGU co-creators Mark Bernardi and Greg Santarsiero.

The entire Ice Grill, USA family humbly thanks festival director John Paxton and his staff including Elaine, Esther and filmmaker Alrick Brown for the opportunity and the honor bestowed upon our film.

IGU Comes Home to Atlantic City

After a triumphant year on the festival circuit, Ice Grill, USA returns home to Atlantic City, where the epic working class tale was first born as part of the inaugural Atlantic City International Film & Music Festival on Saturday afternoon, September 11, 2010 at 2:15pm.

Here is coverage of the event from The Press of Atlantic City: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/life/article_9e78aa7b-9a13-59e2-b2ad-3d2bbb1efd26.html As well as coverage from AC Weekly: http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/arts-and-entertainment/features/Atlantic-City-International-Film--Music-Festival-100441809.html

You can support the IGU movement by coming out on the 11th, or passing on the official Facebook invite with all of the details: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=135263466515832&ref=mf

For further info on what promises to be an amazing cultural event for South Jersey, check out the official ACIFMF site here: http://acifmf.com/ as well as following @ACfilmandmusic http://twitter.com/ACfilmandmusic and IGU co-creator @GSantarsiero http://twitter.com/GSantarsiero on Twitter.

We look forward to seeing you all where it all started on 9/11/2010.

A Big June for IGU

After a busy June that had Ice Grill, USA screening 5 times in Long Beach Island, Hoboken, Philadelphia and Detroit, IGU closed out the month by taking home Best Feature at Philadelphia's new celebration of multicultural film, the 2010 Urban Suburban Film Festival.

Here's a link to Urban Suburban's award winners: http://www.urbansuburbanfilmfestival.com/awards.htm

Also, a link to staff photographer Alex Errico's phenomenal pictures from the event at the beautiful Hilton on City Ave. in Philadelphia. This album can be found on the IGU Facebook fan page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=186338&id=58827735674&ref=mf

The entire Enlightened Party family would like to thank George, Andrew and the rest of the crew at Urban Suburban for their hospitality and for bestowing this honor upon our film.

June also found Ice Grill, USA featured in several Jersey media outlets including the prestigious Asbury Park Press. The APP piece included quotes like, "What elevates Ice Grill, USA above so many other street wannabes and Scorsese knock-offs is a searing devotion to authenticity... Forged through blood, sweat and tears, the film is a macrocosm of the American Dream that its characters strive for."

To read the rest of Stephen Bove's stirring IGU review, check it out here at Jersey Shore Metromix.com: http://jerseyshore.metromix.com/movies/article/review-ice-grill-usa/1983857/content

Ray Schweibert also covered IGU's Philly win in the hometown periodical Atlantic City Weekly. Here's the link:

http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/arts-and-entertainment/features/Ice-Grill-Garners-Gold--98439739.html

IGU in the Garden State Film Festival

In something of a Jersey shore homecoming, Ice Grill, USA rolls into Asbury Park, NJ for the prestigious 8th Annual Garden State Film Festival on Saturday, March 27th at 8pm.

For details and to RSVP check our IGU Facebook fan page invite here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=341179830767&ref=mf and for further details on the festival, check out the official Garden State Film Festival website here:http://www.gsff.org/

IGU.3.27.2010.NJ.

IGU's NYC Premiere

Enlightened Party Multimedia is starting 2010 large as it brings the Ice Grill, USA movement to NYC. IGU's New York City premiere will be as the Saturday matinee of the inaugural SoHo International Film Festival.

Be there on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 11:30am for a brisk winter afternoon as Atlantic City takes over the Big Apple.

The first SIFF will be held at the chic Chacala, NYC's "secret spot" located at 394 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Seating is limited, so get your tickets online and reserve your spot ahead of time here:
http://www.siffnyc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=69

The IGU movement is on the rise... Join us as our journey rolls into New York City.

IGU.2.20.2010.NYC.

IGU Wins 5 in AC

In a triumphant homecoming for it's East Coast Premiere, Ice Grill, USA won 5 awards at the Downbeach Film Festival's AC Cinefest. With a packed house to open the festival including stars Connor Fox, Tyler Noble, Michael Angelo Ortiz, Los Jones, Ray McKnight, Rory Dunwoody and Kevin Interdonato, the Ice Grill, USA movement rolled on with five jury awards: Audience Award: Best of Fest, Best Young Actor for Connor Fox, Best Supporting Actor for Michael Angelo Ortiz, Best New Jersey Based Feature and Best New Directors for Mark Bernardi and Greg Santarsiero. Some coverage of the weekend's events follows here:

http://blogs.atlanticcityweekly.com/ac-central/2009/10/23/ice-grill-usa-wins-audience-award/

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/chuck_darrow/20091016_CasiNotes__Downbeach_Film_Festival_is_in_a_Garden_State_of_mind.html

http://www.shorenewstoday.com/news.php?id=5449

http://www.philly2philly.com/entertainment/2009/10/20/22148/the_downbeach_film_festival_presents_the_atlantic_city_cinefest

IGU October: East Coast Premieres

Following an award winning world premiere in Los Angeles, Ice Grill, USAcomes home for its East Coast premieres.

First (oh so appropriately) in Atlantic City as the opening film of the Downbeach Film Festival on Friday night 10/16/09 at 7:30pm at the screening room at Resorts Hotel & Casino. The screening will be followed by a Q&A and a reception running until midnight. The following afternoon at 1:30pm, the IGU creators, Greg Santarsiero and Mark Bernardi, will take part in the "Independent Filmmaking in the 21st Century" panel also held at Resorts. Tickets are available now online here:https://downbeachfilmfestival.ticketleap.com/buy-tickets/film/downbeach-film-festival-opening-night-film-and-reception/atlantic-city/002ADEDC-CF59-49C7-861F-5C9636D0F07

The following Friday, on 10/23/09 at 10:00pm, IGU arrives at the birthplace of the Enlightened Party movement, the setting of Rise By Sin, our home away from home--Philadelphia, PA as a spotlight screening in the prestigious FirstGlance Philly 12 Film Fest held at the Franklin Theatre at the Franklin Institute in center city Philadelphia. Tickets for this hot event are available now for presale (so get em while you can) here: http://www.firstglancefilms.com/buytickets

IGU Wins Jury Prize at World Premiere in LA

Ice Grill, USA wins the Best Feature Bronze Jury Prize at the Cinema City Int'l Film Festival in Los Angeles on September 12, 2009.

After a strong world premiere screening attended by the writer/producer/director team of Mark Bernardi and Greg Santarsiero, and IGU stars Tyler Noble, Los Jones, John Antorino and Frankie DiVita, as well as IGU female lead Denise Ramirez's sister Dania (X-Men) and Napoleon Dynamite's Efren Ramirez (no relation), IGU received stellar scores being edged out by the award-winning feature Like Dandelion Dust starring Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper and Cole Hauser.

Look for the East Coast premieres of Ice Grill, USA this October.

IGU World Premiere: Los Angeles, 9/11/09

Ice Grill, USA is set to make its world premiere as part of the Cinema City Int'l Film Festival. The premiere will be screened at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, 9/11/09 at 4:45pm. Be there.

The IGU MySpace is LIVE...

The official MySpace page for Ice Grill, USA is live.

So check it out, add us, top friend us and tell your peoples to do the same.

http://www.myspace.com/icegrillusa

Ice Grill, USA's First Major Review

"If you're looking for an example of under-evolved hypermasculinity, you can find it in the pleasure pit of Atlantic City, NJ. In Ice Grill, USA, co-filmmakers Mark Bernardi and Greg Santarsiero, who spent their younger years near AC, craft a tale of class-consciousness, sexual favors, and underground violence in the town's ugly underbelly."

Read more of IGU's first major review which dropped today on AMC's filmcritic.com, penned by esteemed film critic Eric Meyerson here:

http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Ice-Grill-USA

Player Profile: Rory Dunwoody

This week we're going to feature one of the other critical players that made IGU the vivid, enigmatic universe that it is--Rory Dunwoody. In his few scenes, Rory stole the show as Marc "The Piss Guy" Bevilaqua, a reformed criminal who has turned to God after finding his life's calling supplying clean urine to prospective casino employees and parolees alike.

Rory has been family since day one, starring in both of our films, and on a personal level is an absolute joy to work with and a blast simply to be around. He's a witty, charismatic and extremely talented method actor who truly becomes each character he undertakes. He is a unique and authentic practitioner of his very signature brand of craft. What follows is a little info on the man behind the madness.

Rory Dunwoody grew up in Philadelphia and attended St. Joseph's Prep High School, which is known for its theater program's successful alumni. Having appeared in plays from the age of 12, Rory debuted in the Bernardi and Santarsiero debut film Rise by Sin. While living in Japan for three and a half years, Rory co-starred in a Japanese TV Movie 'Jiku Keisatsu' (Time Police), appeared in the feature film 'Baruto no Gakuen' (The Ode to Joy), co-starred in a documentary and was featured in several months issues of 'Spymaster' magazine as a fashion model. After returning to the US, he appeared, after some consideration, in a smaller role as Marc 'The Piss Guy' Bevilaqua in Ice Grill, USA. Now back living in the NY area and settled, Rory is committed to his craft and will no doubt be leaving his mark on films for many years to come.

"It Takes a Village..."

Once I mused that though they say "it takes a village to raise a child, on rare occasions, a child must step up to raise a village." Though probably not fair to a couple of middle class Jersey boys, over the years we have no doubt charged ourselves with that responsibility... Much like Auggie who'd unfairly take it upon himself to save everybody until eventually everyone around him began to expect exactly that. It is motivating to think, though, that were we so fortunate to break on through to the other side, we'd hold the door wide open for all of the good and decent, talented and hungry folks we'd been so lucky to encounter on that steep ascent up life's great mountainside.

That said, we've met so many benevolent, supportive, positive people on our way to bringing IGU to fruition. These wonderful individuals proved that it does indeed take a village--to bring a dream to life. These are just a few of the many we will cast a light upon in future days from this very platform...

Andy "A-Robb" Robbins from BPG (http://www.BigPictureGroup.net), who we bumrushed with DVDs and biz cards at Sundance 2004 and who was hip and open-minded enough to see the hunger in our eyes and the unique voice in our words. Reading every script along the way and signing on to orchestrate the multimedia tour de force that has been the IGU marketing materials, we are forever in his debt. A man of talent, vision and honor, we've been so blessed to have him in our corner since day one. Thanks for believing in us, Andy.

Katherine "Kat" Hinchey and the ladies of Weist-Barron-Ryan. In the seminal planning stages of IGU pre-production, our lone resource was the time to meticulously put together an astonishingly talented and diverse cast. Our goal became a reality because of the efforts of a few very special ladies. Whether it was the brilliant casting instincts of Kat spending her nights and weekends filling in the gaps and finding the exact actors we envisioned in our mind's eye when we first penned the script in '06 to Ursula and Stefanie so generously opening their Atlantic City doors to us, helping us hold the auditions that would find some of our most integral characters and populating our backgrounds with some amazingly hard-working and dedicated extras. These ladies quite clearly made contributions to Ice Grill, USA that are so great they as yet are still unquantifiable.

Anthony "Tony" Vorhies. The producer extraordinaire was among the very first to believe that IGU was even possible. From the first pre-production meetings to the day we wrapped sound, AV was Ice Grill, USA's lucky talisman. Quirkily charming, immensely resourceful and connected out the ass, AV could always be counted on to make shit happen. Keeping the ship afloat when Mark & I were locked in the lab with Andy or Chen, AV was exactly the man this film needed and he delivered in the clutch every time. Much respect goes out to AV for his hustle, his heart and for having our back. Keep doing your thing, my brother.

These are just a few of the many names that turned chicken scratch on yellow legal pads into viable art. In the future we'll shout out many more stellar members of the IGU dream team like "The Mayor", "Tall Shady", "The Phenom" and "Big Rich".

"Desperate Measures"

Auggie Logan's plight in "Ice Grill, USA" is no different than the life events we've lived through. The struggles of his friends not unlike what we've witnessed first hand. In South Jersey, there are limited options on the road to success. You either become a cog in the machine or you dedicate your life to greasing its gears. To be honest, neither of those options ever much appealed to me.

Brigantine, we referred to as "The Rock", because much like Alcatraz, it was an island quite difficult from which to escape. A great place to grow up, a safe place to raise your kids, but very much a world unto itself. A world where it is easy to lose a decade or two in the blink of an eye if you aren't always fully aware of its grasp. Sometimes an exodus would take extreme measures, like spending 4 hours in a two hundred mile daily commute (been there, done that) or heroically signing your life over to Uncle Sam (much respect to PFC Jon, Angry).

One easy, safe venture off of The Rock was to work at a casino. Corporate enough to feel like you were doing something business-like, but close enough to stay in the loop. I know this intimately, as through college and for a few years beyond I worked as a bouncer at a casino nightclub. I saw my share of shit during that time, enough to belly up to the underbelly and be able to look back and proudly proclaim my survival. I saw the rampant drug abuse and alcoholism, the infidelity and immorality, the hustlers in their mink coats and rental cars. I also encountered and observed many decent, hard-working folks with hearts of gold, doing what they had to do to get by.

It was in fully considering both sides of that poker chip that we approached first writing "Ice Grill, USA". To pay homage to the folks that spend their lives raising their kids right in the face of vice, to show love for the good cops like Haberkern and Julie Cash, to forever memorialize the casualties of that world like Rocco, Learn and CW. It was to call out those that have lost their way, steering their whip recklessly down the wrong street, with no regard for their own safety or that of those innocent pedestrians that surround them on the road that is their runaway life. That goes from our close friends that got caught up in a game they couldn't win, to doctors moonlighting as drug dealers slinging pharmaceutical grade heroine to junkies posing as patients. This movie is dedicated to all of them--the wicked and the virtuous, the lost and the found and all of those that operate in the vast gray expanse in between.

IGU is the story of that shadowy middle realm and the people who live their daily lives there. It is an ode to the South Jersey working class, a love song to the good folks--both those doing their dirt and those keeping it clean, who keep the big Atlantic City roulette wheel spinning.

"IGU Slanguage"

Here's a few words unique to "Ice Grill, USA" and the Atlantic City area in general. Feel free to use them at your discretion...

shoobies- out-of-towners vacationing in Atlantic County. Named as such for bringing their belongings to the beach in a shoe box.
bupies- Buprenex aka buprenorphine. Preloaded syringes of synthetic opiate painkiller. Similar to morphine.
B-More Greasy- Tony's Baltimore Grill. Iconic Atlantic City restaurant. 2800 Atlantic Ave. Home to some of the best pizza in the known world.
safe boy- non-threatening male trusted to keep tabs on your woman.
tweaker- one addicted to painkillers or recreational drugs.
geebers- GHB or gamma butyrolactone. Date rape drug originally popularized by bodybuilders.
axe wound- derogatory term for female genitalia.
the god's staff- self-aggrandizing term for for male genitalia.
roxies- Roxicet. Opiate painkiller pills chemically similar to percs.
Ho Spit- nickname for major Atlantic County Catholic high school.
percs- Percocet. Opiate painkiller pills combining oxycodone and acetaminophen.
back of the house- employee-only access portions of a casino. See also the female anus.
math- Private phone numbers and contact info.
ganked- Stolen by force. See also jacked or vicked.
dirty rottens- Negative term for female club-goers. Term coined by the late John Rock.
vikes- Vicodin. Opiate painkiller pills chemically similar to percs and roxies.
wolves- predatory males.
Men's Wearhouse- Male casino executives. See also Today's Man.

"Ghost Dog, The Wrestler and IGU"

Every so often films come around that just have that special undefinable thing that speaks to your soul. They are so different and authentic and unique, that you feel that the auteur behind them is speaking directly to you... That the film was made with you and your tastes and life experiences in mind. I cherish these films and I only come across them rarely, but as an artist, ultimately I aspire to create something for somebody out there that has a similar intimate impact.

I know these films are of those sort even before I see them. I get that little shooting pain in the pit of my stomach--that authentic envy that turns you a couple of shades of green when it envelops you. To know that somebody out there beat you to the punch and made a film you wish you made. That feeling, to me, is what separates a great film from the films I truly love.

I remember feeling that way when Jarmusch came out with "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai". It was so strange and beautiful. It touched on antiquted themes like code and honor. It depicted the journey of a solitary hero and Rza laced the whole thing with what was at the time a revolutionary score (pre-Kill Bill).

When Darren Aronofsky came out with "The Wrestler", I again was given pause (Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei in the real Jersey? Are you fucking kidding me?). It had these similar themes with an East Coast gladiator of old hanging on to an era and a life that had passed him by. Both films depict these damaged warriors in a sad and sympathetic light, and in a manner that many may find depressing--but not me. To me there is nothing so righteous and noble as to die in the arena; for the gunslinger to meet his end with his boots on.

"Ice Grill, USA" is a very personal story for us and one that I feel, though on the surface very different than the films I've referenced, has a gritty and genuine, melancholic soul that is brave and feels true and honest. My only hope, is that for some blue collar kid out there, "Ice Grill, USA" can strike a chord. That IGU could be anything close to them what these films have been to me... That it can remind them of who they are and where they come from or at the very least leave an impression that lasts. I can only dream that IGU could someday make another young Jersey filmmaker envious, inspiring them to tell a story of home in their own unique and authentic voice.

"Hip Hop and the EP Experience"

It is amazing how embedded in my gray matter and in our creative aesthetic hip hop music will forever be. I've always loved music, with stacks of vinyl when I was 7 yrs old, but my life definitely changed when my pops bought me Run DMC's King of Rock cassette at a ticket broker/bookie in Scranton in the 3rd grade. I listened to it over and over again and "let the tape rock til the tape popped." My boy Mark Michalczyk had his big brother Joey's bootleg Memorex 2 Live Crew tape that was banned from stores--we smuggled that tape like it was weapons grade uranium.

Moved to the Jersey shore at 10. By 6th grade my little catholic grade school was deep into rap. NWA, Naughty by Nature, Cypress Hill, House of Pain... Classic. One of the earliest common interests that bonded Sko and I was our love for this angry, poetic, misunderstood artform.

Equally balanced by how my mom raised me and the multiethnic, multicultural experience that was running the streets and playing ball as a kid on the South end of Brigantine, Public Enemy's music so influenced my views on racism and social equality in modern America. I'm so thankful for the lessons taught by Chuck D, Flav and Terminator X.

I remember me and Sko hitting up the spots at the Shore and Hamilton Malls to scoop up tape singles and going to Rainbow Records on Atlantic Ave with Jerry to get the new mixtapes from New York. I remember being a white kid at Holy Spirit and being one of the only freshmen (Joey Mac too) that openly listened to hip hop. By the time I was a senior, everybody was so burned out and kumbaya that I had rich white girls borrowing my Raekwon and Mobb Deep CDs.

Even the videos on BET, The Box and Yo! MTV Raps back in the day had a profound impact on me as a visual artist... Gritty realism, frenetic editing, rich colors a female curve or two... They are part and parcel of what is constantly evolving and maturing into the EP look ("Glam Grit" as Gus would say).

I've long found myself defending hip hop to people of all walks of life who just don't get it and probably never will. That said, I've also opened many a heart, mind and ear to the music we love and can boast many a hip hip conversion in my day. This minor missionary work, and the words that flow from our pens and the images we put on screen are a small way of paying back this music form that has contributed so much to our lives. Thank you, hip hop. I owe you.