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Description
In "The Blue Hour," several strangers in Los Angeles weave their stories of loss and hope, not knowing that their lives have brushed up against each others in small but sometimes profound ways. A multi-ethnic ensemble drama, the film explores the connections between a Mexican graffiti muralist, an Armenian camera repairman, an African- American Blues guitarist and an English pensioner living near the Los Angeles River.
Happy is a talented teenage graffiti muralist with a passion for spray paint and Hip Hop. Her playground is the concrete banks of the Los Angeles River. While painting a mural of her trademark Payasa, a sad-faced Lady Clown, she encounters Sal, a mentally challenged homeless man who attempts to make contact with her.
Unable to communicate with Happy, Sal then crosses paths with Avo, a vintage camera repairman living with his wife Allegra on the East Bank of the river. Their apartment overlooks Happy’s Payasa mural near the area where their 4-year old daughter Heidi recently drowned. Since Heidi’s death, Avo and Allegra have not spoken. As Happy toils on the Payasa, Avo attempts to reconcile with his wife in the wake of the family tragedy.
A block away from Avo’s apartment, Ridley is a struggling blues guitarist staying in an old hotel by the river. He has returned temporarily to Los Angeles to care for his mother. One night, Ridley hears an enigmatic voice coming from somewhere inside the hotel. Haunted by its mysterious presence, Ridley sets out to discover the source of the voice, running into Sal in the wake of a hit-and-run accident.
Humphrey is an aging pensioner living in an apartment overlooking the ‘islands’ in the river. One morning he wakes up to the sound of Sal screaming on the sidewalk. Having recently lost his wife Ethel, Humphrey spends his days eating lunch by her grave, a few feet from Heidi’s resting place where he sees Allegra. Unsure when his time will come, Humphrey readjusts to everyday life, crossing paths with Happy as he wanders the riverside neighborhood.
Connecting each character peripherally through the Los Angeles River, The Blue Hour explores the delicate ties and common humanity among strangers in a seemingly disconnected landscape.
Cast
PAUL DILLON - Sal
KAREN KONDAZIAN - Tello
ALYSSA MILANO - Allegra
DERRICK O’CONNOR - Humphrey
BAADJA-LYNE ODUMS - Mama
EMILY RIOS - Happy
YORICK VAN WAGENINGEN - Avo
CLARENCE WILLIAMS III - Ridley
RENN WOODS - Aria
Festivals
55th San Sebastian International Film Festival - Zabaltegi New Directors
World Premiere
25th Torino International Film Festival
Official Selection
10th AFFMA International Film Festival
WINNER - Best Director
U.S. Premiere
Sedona International Film Festival
Official Selection
The Method Fest
Official Selection
Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival
Official Selection
Golden Apricot International Film Festival
WINNER - Best Film Armenian Panorama
WINNER - Ecumenical Jury Award
WINNER - The Prime Minister's Award
WINNER - The Diaspora Ministry Special Award For Directing
IV Digital Barcelona Film Festival
Official Selection
New Beijing International Movie Week
Official Selection
Brooklyn International Film Festival
Official Selection
Monaco Film Festival
Official Selection
Lisbon Village Film Festival
International Feature Film Competition
Pomegranate Film Festival
Rising Star Award
Production Credits & Notes
Written and Directed by Eric Nazarian
Produced by Lynnette Ramirez and Brian Knappmiller
Executive Producer: Nick Slatkin
Co-Producer: Barry Satchwell-Smith
Co-Executive Producers:
Jay Hernandez
Daniel Mayer
David Squires
David Ruchlamer
Joe Ballarini
Ziba Shadjaani
Oded Tzur
Boro Vukadinovic
Director of Photography: Sam Levy
Editors: Helen Hand, Emily Koonse
Production Design: Tim Grimes
Music: Aldo Shllaku
Sound Designer / Re-recording Mixer: Jeremy Peirson
Casting: Valerie McCaffrey, Pam Gilles
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