Pentwater Productions Presents
LOVE AND
NEAR-DEATH
🏆 Winner 🏆
Atlanta Women's Film Festival
&
Atlanta Comedy Film Festival
Storyline
In “Love and Near-Death” at the exact moment, Amanda Turner (Annie Watkins), a thwarted romantic, and down-on-her-luck elementary school art teacher finds out her best friend stole her boyfriend – by text message – she is blindsided by a traumatic near-death experience. As Amanda floats “In between” life and death, she encounters her soulmate, “Scott”. But, just as they’re about to share eternity together in the afterlife, Amanda is pulled back to the living world – and will now do anything to find her true love, in real life – only to find that in the real world, they are far from perfect for each other. What follows is an ambitious, humorous, touching, and twisted, exploration of whether love transcends the boundaries of mortality.
Rising Indy Film and Theater Stars
The film is led by the stunning performances of rising indy film and theater stars, Annie Watkins, who starred as Jan Brady in the Off-Bway production of “The Bardy Bunch”, and Alex Nicholson, who is currently captivating audiences as the Lead Swing for Alexander Hamilton, Burr, Washington, and King George in the National Tour of HAMILTON currently in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theater. Nicholson brings both gravitas and surprising comedic flair to his love interest role of “Scott”, while Annie Watkins delivers a tour-de-force comedic and dramatic performance as Amanda Turner, with her signature balance of charm and vulnerability. Together their chemistry ignites a captivating story that mixes the genres of Comedy and Romance with twists and surprises, it promises to both melt hearts and tickle funny bones with its unconventional narrative. Rounding out the cast are Television and Broadway legends such as Vasthy Mompoint as the stern and feisty Psychic Medium, Geraldine – Ms. Mompoint has starred on Broadway in musicals such as SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical, The Prom, Rocky, Hot Feet, Ghost, Film/TV: The Prom, High School Musical: The Series), and Stephanie Hogan (Grinding Doubt) plays Katie, Amanda’s best-of-intentioned best friend – who always steals her boyfriends).
Supporting roles include cameos from many well-known New York Television, Film and Theater Actors, Chris D’Amato (Blue Bloods), Ramona Floyd (The Punisher, The Blacklist), Mike Timoney (Star Trek V: The Voyage Home), Lori Hammel (Rob Peace, The Other Two), Jacob Shull (Sesame Street S54); James Prendergast, Erik Ramos, among others.
Written by:Stephen Garvey
Directed and Edited by: Jay Stern
Produced by: Joshua Shull
Cinematographer: Alan McIntyre Smith
Composer: Logan Medland
Choreographer: Lorna Ventura
Executive Producers: Joshua Shull, Jay Stern, Annie Watkins, David Watkins, Stephen Garvey
Amanda
Scott
Katie
Geraldine
Production Designer: Becca Gialanella
Costume Designer: Sara Frey
Hair, Makeup & SFX Key: Monique-Ann Shull
Post Sound: Noel Jasso
VFX Supervisor: David Piombino
Colorist: Oliver Eid
Original Songs recorded and engineered at Flux Studios, NYC:
Read more about the cast, crew, and reviews.Cast in Order of Appearance:
Amanda: Annie Watkins
Brianna: Mei Smith
Katie: Stephanie Logan
Medic: Wilson Bienaime
Doctor Timoney: Erik Ramos
Nurse/Dancer 1: Mallory Pettee
Nurse/Dancer 2: Stephanie Young
Clumsy Nurse: Dan Renkin
Scott: Alex Nicholson
Mom: Lori Hammel
Dad: Mike Timoney
Principal: Chris D’Amato
Mrs. Wilcox: Tamar Schoenberg
AJ: Sam Shull
Life Saver: Zane Michael Powell
Geraldine: Vasthy Mompoint
Robert: James Prendergast
NDE Moderator: Ramona Floyd
Bruce: Josh Shull
Tired Kid in Support Group: Jacob Shull
Support Group Member 1: Stephen Garvey
Support Group Member 2: Amanda Wilson
Support Group Member 3: Renn Beard-Galati
Film Crew
1st AD: Thea Brooks
2nd AD: Nate Shull
Production Coordinator: Matthew Martinez
BTS Photographer + Key PA: David Tiger-Cortes
1st AC: Kunga Choephal
2nd AC/DIT: Emma Sabol
Key Grip: Riley Dun
Gaffer: Desta Mutisya
G+E Swing: Dylan Nowinski
Production Designer: Rebecca Gialanella
Set Dresser: Ella Friedman
Key Hair + Makeup Artist: Monique-Ann Shull
Hair + Makeup Artist: Alexis Santos
Wardrobe Designer: Sarah Frey
Wardrobe Assistant: Renn Beard-Galati
Location Managers: LOC8 NY
Sound Mixer/Boom Op: Samuel Perez
Sound Design/Post Engineer: Noel Jasso
Recording Engineer: Daniel Sanint
Colorist: Oliver Eid
Colorist Assistant: Adam Raikovich
VFX Supervisor: David Piombino
VFX Artists: Mila Pominova, T’Naige Wallace, Yeva Vyhovska, Jaydyn Murphy
Casting: Jay Stern, Annie Watkins, Joshua Shull, Thea Brooks
Graphic Design: Amanda Spielman
Music Credits
Original Songs recorded and engineered at Flux Studios, NYC:
“I’m Falling for You”
Composer: Logan Medland
Performed by: Annie Watkins and Alex Nicholson
Guitar: Kevin Kuhn
Produced by: Josh Shull and Jay Stern
Pentwater Productions, 2023
AWARDS
“A unique journey of love, fate, and deep connections will soon unfold with the upcoming 27 minute short film, “Love and Near-Death” by acclaimed filmmakers -Director and editor, Jay Stern; Writer, Stephen Garvey; and Sibling Producers, Annie Watkins and Joshua Shull.”
New York, NY
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