ONE HALLOWEEN - An HBO SHORT FILM

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Rebecca Murga is a U.S. Army veteran and filmmaker who recently completed the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women. This year, announced at the Latino Reel panel at the Sundance Film Festival 2016, it was announced that she is a recipient of the NALIP Latino Lens Incubator grant. The short film is called ONE HALLOWEEN. It follows a Colombian born immigrant, who was wounded in the Afghanistan war, through one Halloween night as he tries to connect with his 10-year-old daughter on his first day home after being let out of the hospital. After all, the only thing harder than going to combat, is raising a 10-year-old-girl. The film is available on HBO GO and HBO NOW. For a review on the film please click here.

The NALIP film incubator, funded by the Time Warner Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, provided contributions for pre-production, production, and post-production tools, resources, and assets to support the four filmmakers in the program.

Grants were also provided by Panavision New Filmmakers Grant and a grant from the DAV.

WHY THIS STORY

The story is based on my experience with soldiers in Afghanistan, as well as some of the documentary work Rebecca completed at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio. The main character was played by Joey Banegas, a US Army veteran who lost his leg in Afghanistan.

The intent with this film is to surround him by an incredible cast of professionals to make a short film grounded in the reality that Joey faces every day, but authentic in nature.

This film deals with themes of soldiers returning from war, family dynamics in a lower socio-economic immigrant family, love, and what it is like dealing with a disability.

It asks the question: how do you learn to love your new-self again when a tragedy happens, that changes your physical body as well as your independence? How do you balance your family again when you are forced to move in with them?

INDIE GOGO CAMPAIGN VIDEO

Help produce this veteran-made film on an immigrant soldier and his difficult return from a war that dramatically changed him – physically and emotionally. How do you learn to love your new-self again when a tragedy happens, that changes your physical body as well as your independence? How do you balance your family again when you are forced to move in with them? And how do you cope with all these changes, coming from a war that also affected your perception of life and the world? The only thing harder than getting blown up in Afghanistan, is raising an 10-year-old girl. This is the tag line reflecting the spirit of ONE HALLOWEEN, a short film that provides a realistic, touching and dramatic insight into the complex challenges that veterans coming from war zones face, as they seek to reintegrate in their lives back home. ONE HALLOWEEN tells the story of soldier who was wounded in the Afghanistan war, through one Halloween night as he tries to re-connect with his daughter. DONATE AT: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/one-halloween-a-short-film/x/272608#/

FILM TRAILER

Over 25 veterans and 3 wounded veterans worked on the cast and crew to create ONE HALLOWEEN, a NALIP Latino Lens incubator short film. ONE HALLOWEEN is lucky enough to to be supported by several grants, including the Panavision New Filmmakers Grant, the NALIP Latino Lens grant and a grant from the Disable American Veterans. However we are still raising the finishing funds for this film. If you would like to contribute and take part in the making of this film please go to : INDIEGOGO: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/one-halloween-a-short-film/x/272608#/ ABOUT THE FILMMAKER Writer / Director Rebecca Murga is a U.S. Army veteran and filmmaker who recently completed the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women. This year, announced at the Latino Reel panel at the Sundance Film Festival 2016, it was announced that she is a recipient of the NALIP Latino Lens Incubator grant. The NALIP film incubator, funded by the Time Warner Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, will provide contributions for pre-production, production, and post-production tools, resources, and assets to support the four filmmakers in the program. NALIP will also consult with these content creators on a viable distribution strategy to maximize exposure. Also announced at the Sundance Film Festival Latino Reel Panel, HBO announced they would signed on to distribute the films on one of their platforms in an effort to increase diverse voices in filmmaking.

AVID BLOG

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ABOUT PRODUCTION

Production for this film took place in North Hollywood, California in 2016. Production consisted of three days, with over 25 veterans involved in the making of this film, as well as 4 wounded veterans.