On July 29th, 2015 a group of 31 kids wrapped up a 2 month shooting period for their film, The Art of Escape. Written & directed by 15-year-old actor and director, Ethan Paisley, the project centers around a motivated, artistic, high school student, Elise Henderson, whose life falls apart after falling in with suspicious social butterfly Alianna Thompson. The film explores the pressures of modern day teenage hood including social status, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and sex, all of which are chronicled on social media.
The film’s dark plot drew inspiration from actual stories about teenagers in Sonoma County, which were then shaped and given depth in the final draft of the script. The filmmakers’ primary goal in going forward with the project was to spread awareness about the risks teenagers take everyday, and also to remind the teenage community that every kid has similar instincts, makes similar mistakes, and has similar outcome. Through kickstarter.com, the production team was able to raise $691 to make the movie and film it throughout June and July of 2015.
The Art of Escape just recently debuted at The Lark Theater in Larkspur, CA. A full theater was buzzing with great responses and the production team is feeling ready to go forward with the official release! The film will be available online for viewing November 6th on https://vimeo.com/ethanpaisley and hopefully will be screened at a couple of major film festivals in 2016 such as NFFTY, The American Movie Awards, and North Hollywood Cinefest.
