Cli·Ché
An unheard story of friendship, love and loss
Cli·Ché – The Film
Synopsis
In New York City, 2016, successful businesswoman Anna lives with her gay best friend, aspiring writer Matteo. Despite her success in her professional life, Anna struggles finding love. Due to his success with men and his sassy personality, Matteo steps up to help his best friend. Thanks to Matteo, Anna becomes involved with Bryan, a successful New York dentist. However, after a few months of living a dream life, things go terribly wrong. Anna finds herself in a dilemma that shatters her friendship, loyalty and love, and will make her question everything that she once thought was a certainty in her life.
Cast
Cast & Crew
Cast : Tabata Burdell, Harry Lopez, Anton Simone, Ricky Herrera
Director : Tabata Burdell
Assistant Director : Joanna Orrego
Cinematographer : Nathan Mikita
Producer : Michael Solo & Tabata Burdell
Editor : Nathan Mikita
Writer : Tabata Burdell
Script Supervisor : Michael Solo
Sound Designer : Matt Petrunak
Makeup Department : Abigail Black, Breanna York
Sound Department : Matt Mikita, Steve Zimmerman
Acting Coach : Joanna Orrego, Gabriel Vill, Michael Solo
Background : Jenna Johnson, Mary Farah, Naeem Montanez, Brittany Aguayo, Tramar King, Francis Allen, Charles Fletcher, Patrick Fox, Alejandro Castro, Joanna Orrego, Michael Solo
Production Assistants : Brittany Aguayo, Mary Elysee Velasco,
Jason Pierre, Mary Farah
Crew : John Smith, Daniel Smith, Edwin Cologne, Alejandro Castro, Vincenzo Merola, Keven Vazquez
Cli·Ché – The Team
Harry Lopez
Harry Lopez is an American Actor living in Miami, Florida. He spent 4 years studying theater at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Harry started acting at the age of 8 when he performed in community theater and Spanish soap operas in Miami. Harry is passionate about elevating the voices and stories of underrepresented minorities in television and society. He is a highly dedicated and talented actor who continues performing in hopes of being a key voice for the Latino community.
Anton Simone
Anton Simone is a SAG-E American actor who began acting in 2012, first appearing as an extra in the movie Rock of Ages. He then went on to pursue acting studies, and thereafter began performing in stage plays and musicals and has appeared in numerous student and indie films. Anton is a gifted, skilled and devoted actor, and his background in psychology has deepened his understanding of human motivations and actions, aiding him as he delves into the lives and minds of his characters.
Ricky Herrera
Ricky Herrera is an actor from Hollywood, Florida who began studying acting in 2015 at the University Center for the Performing Arts. His training included method acting and acting for film. He performed in plays such as: The Swimmer, Pounding Nails, and The Imaginary Invalid. His most recent work is the independent film, Nostalgia, and he is currently working on Cli·Ché. With his natural bold raw style, and multifaceted approach to his characters, Ricky Herrera is certainly a one of a kind actor.
Joanna Orrego
Joanna Orrego is a director, playwright and actress based in South Florida. She studied theater and method acting at the University Center for the Performing Arts. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BFA in theater performance. Her writing credits include: The Twelve Days of New Year’s Eve, performed at The Vanguard during their Mixed Nuts holiday play showcase directed by Nicole Stodard. Joanna made her directorial debut at FAU where she directed Tape written by Jose Rivera.
Nathan Mikita
Nathan Mikita was born and raised in Youngstown Ohio where at a very young age he gravitated to the performing arts. First trained as a theater actor and then as a stage manager, Nathan moved to filmmaking in college. Since then Nathan has worked as a cinematographer in two feature films and numerous shorts. His close approach to working with actors and crew make him a distinctive professional. Nathan’s goal is to create films with meaning and passion that provoke thought in the audience.
Michael Solo
Michael Solo is a SAG-E actor and producer. His studies began at The University Center for the Performing Arts in South Florida in 2011, which included method acting, theater and acting for film. He performed in plays such as Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Taming of the Shrew. He has worked as an actor in several films including Fanny Back, La Llave del Rey, I Hate Sundays, and Care Package. Michael Solo has also performed in two web series; Catching Up With Gigi and The Break Room.
Tabata Burdell
Tabata Burdell is a Brazilian-American actress, screenwriter and filmmaker. Following four years of theater and method acting study at the University Center for the Performing Arts, she began studying acting for film at New York Film Academy in Manhattan. Tabata has been fortunate enough to work with some of the best talent during her six years in the industry, including Kelly AuCoin, Malin Akerman, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, and Asia Kate Dillon. Enlightened by a passion and belief that art is an opportunity to tell the untold stories and unheard tales, Tabata continues along her path as an artist, confident in her abilities and excited by the notion that the best has yet to come.
Images
Awards
London International Filmmaker Festival
[Nominee]
Best Director of a Short Film 2019
Tabata Burdell
London International Filmmaker Festival
[Nominee]
Best Lead Actor in a Short Film 2019
Harry Lopez
Official · Trailer
Reviews & Commentary
“Cli·Ché has been a true labor of love. Firstly, I want to say that we have been so very fortunate for assembling an extremely talented cast and crew who truly believed in our project from the get go. As for the essence of Cli·Ché itself, the message in Tabata Burdell’s screenplay is one that resonates deeply to the core of my beliefs, because it speaks of love, equality, acceptance, tolerance and unity. My ultimate aspiration concerning Cli·Ché is for it to impact strongly upon the hatred, bias, racism, injustice and discrimination that has a major grip in our society today. To me, this film is a monument to our primary humanistic rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am sincerely grateful and very proud as a producer to have collaborated in the making of this wonderful piece of cinema.” — Michael Solo
“Tabata Burdell and I became friends through our mutual love of acting, filmmaking, storytelling and shared beliefs on social injustice issues. Cli·Ché is a story about friendship, love and loss; but mainly about acceptance and diversity. This story has happened to thousands of friendships, and so many can relate to, no matter what your background or orientation. We don’t get to hear the stories about minorities or marginalized groups, and so I want to commit my life to giving these unheard stories a voice and a place in art and film. I have many friends and some family members who are a part of the LGBTQ community, so I want to continue to be a part of storytelling that tells the stories of people we don’t usually hear about. I want to continue to be a part of many more films and plays that give a voice to multicultural and diverse communities, because they also deserve to be seen and heard.” — Joanna Orrego
“I chose to become a part of Cli·Ché because I strongly believe in the message that Tabata Burdell is trying to share; that love surpasses and outshines hate, that love can come when you least expect it, and in the most beautiful and unexplained ways. My hope is that this film will help open the eyes of those individuals who have been blinded by society into believing that love only comes in traditional forms and relationships. When you understand that the feelings of love that you feel for others is the same feeling that someone who may not be quite like you feels for another, your stereotypes, biases and preconceptions will start to melt away, and you will accept that the most important thing we can obtain in this life is to give and receive love, because it is a blessing whenever and however it comes to us. Some of us have never experienced true love at all, or are afraid and reluctant to express it for fear of castigation stemming from religious and societal biases and stigmas. My desire is that through the message in Cli·Ché, we can help individuals break through these stereotypes and allow the full expression of love in our society, regardless of its form.” — Anton Simone
“The main goal of our film is to break the stigma of sexual orientation that pervades our society. Cli·Ché is a project that was written by Tabata Burdell as a social impact piece aimed at promoting inclusion, diversity, equality and love. The purpose of this film is vital given the widespread division, racism, discrimination, intolerance, bigotry and prejudice that have gained a significant platform in our nation. This is precisely what we seek to achieve with our film – to bring a sense of understanding, acceptance, and love. In Cli·Ché, the story of Anna and Matteo was born out of a relationship between the screenwriter/director, Tabata Burdell, and her beloved gay best friend, Gabriel Vill. This friendship transcended all boundaries of love and exemplified the truth that is born out of acceptance. Tabata and Gabriel, immigrant artists from Brazil and Venezuela, respectively, fled their native soils to chase their dreams in the United States. Tabata was profoundly moved by the painful history that made up Gabriel’s life, but she was even more moved however by his ability to love and bring joy to her life and to those around him. Gabriel was her inspiration for creating this project. A project that would speak to the essence of the LGBTQ community and hopefully inspire the greater community to seek justice, equality and love. A modern day, multicultural, Will & Grace.” — Harry Lopez
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