Graduate Philip Dorling (left) is interviewed by his former instructor Tassos Rigopoulos (right) at New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy Graduate Philip Dorling is headed to Sundance for the second time! Philip, who graduated from New York Film Academy’s One Year Filmmaking Conservatory in New York, directed short film Predisposed as his thesis, which played at Sundance Film Festival 2009. Three years later, Philip has completed the feature film of Predisposed, which has just been announced as a late entry to Sundance 2012.
Jesse Eisenberg, Tracy Morgan, and Melissa Leo in Predisposed
The film was one of only four late entries selected to screen at the festival. The list includes This Must Be The Place featuring New York Film Academy acting graduate Eve Hewson, daughter of Bono, opposite Sean Penn and Frances McDormand. In a statement from the festival, John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, noted, “Each of these four films is an accomplishment in its own right, and collectively, their addition to our program allows us to present a broader look at independent filmmaking. With these four films, we will present a total of 117 feature-length films at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival – a strong indication of the vitality of the independent film community.”
Philip and Tassos
Predisposed was written and directed by Philip Dorling and Ron Nyswaner and stars Oscar Winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Oscar Nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), and Emmy Nominee Tracy Morgan (30 Rock). The film follows Eli (Eisenberg), a piano prodigy dealing with his troubled mother (Leo) on the day of his audition for a prestigious music program. When Eli enlists help from a hapless drug dealer (Morgan), events begin to spiral comically out of control.
Philip visited New York Film Academy in November to screen the short and talk about the process of developing the piece into a feature, fundraising and finding investors, and working with A-list talent. During the Q&A, Philip commented that the key way the short developed was in adding more humor to the script. Philip had just sent the film to Sundance that week, and New York Film Academy is thrilled to celebrate Philip’s acceptance!