Things aren’t always what they seem in the new short film “Ipso Facto (based on true stories),” written and produced by Kenneth Abbett, a Weehawken resident and published author. Abbett also plays a major character in the film.
The movie, which will be showcased at the New Filmmakers Festival in New York on Sunday, July 5 at 7:15 p.m., is about “living secrets, double lives, and walking contradictions,” he said.
The plot involves a struggling writer who purposely dives into the multimillion dollar drug industry in New York City in order to find inspiration for what he hopes will be the next bestseller.
“It’s about the underground home drug delivery service in New York City,” said Abbett.
Because the film includes scenes of a child watching his mother snort cocaine, Abbett recommends that the film be watched by mature audiences.
Behind the scenes
“This was specifically for the art and the craft of filmmaking, shot on film for quality, to tell a good story” said Abbett. “It was a professional production.”
A time-lapsed cityscape shot from Boulevard East in Weehawken that makes an appearance in the movie took perseverance to capture.
“What we tried to do was catch the sun at dusk,” said Abbett. “We would just roll the camera for 10 seconds, wait 30 minutes, and then roll again.” The scene shows the transition from daytime to night time.
“It can only be done from this side of the city,” said Abbett. “If you did it from the East River, it would be as good, but it has been told so many times. It’s seldom shown from the Weehawken side.”
The production required three days of shooting and a $25,000 budget. It was a project by 2HI-2C productions.
“The toughest part was the parking,” said Levine.
Supporting women in film
Rachael Levine was the director of photography for the film. She is a local resident, award winning
“I’m becoming more aware of the issues of trying to break that barrier and how important it is to support other women in different roles.”—Rachael Levine
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Levine, who moved to Weehawken last year from New York, and who has worked on numerous projects such as a recent NBC pilot, major motion pictures, and with actress Jenna Fisher from the popular NBC show “The Office,” is starting The Society of Women Cinematographers.
The organization hopes to help those women that work “below the line” as film crew members.
“I’m becoming more aware of the issues of trying to break that barrier and how important it is to support other women in different roles,” said Levine. “It’s a boys’ club.”
The director, producer, and another executive producer for Ipso Facto are women as well. “I really didn’t care who the department heads were, but I wanted good people,” said Abbett. “As it turned out, they were the women in film.”
To learn more about Levine’s organization, visit: www.sowc.org.
Where to catch Ipso Facto
Ipso Facto can be seen at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave. at Second St., New York, on July 5 at 7:15 p.m. A greeting table will be set up for a basic meet and greet and the $6 price of admission will cover the cost of a FREE copy of the film for viewers to take home. It can be autographed if desired. To learn more about Abbett, Ipso Facto, and 2HI-2C Productions, visit the website: www.2hi-2cproductions.com.
Melissa Rappaport may be reached at mrappaport@hudsonreporter.com