LouLife

I am the father of a beautiful little girl. She is two years old. She drives me crazy sometimes, but then she smiles and says, “I love you!” and it’s impossible for your heart not to melt. Little children are precious, wonderful things, and so it is confounding when nearly every day the news brings a story of a child abused or abandoned or killed. It is terrible and it is horrifying and it is easy to lose hope in such an apparently cruel world.

But then there are the people who choose to do something about it, in whatever way they can. We can’t all be there personally for the children, but we can bring awareness to the issue. This is the raison d’etre behind the film “Mother’s Red Dress,” which has its Kentucky premiere at the upcoming Derby City Film Festival.

“Mother’s Red Dress” is the combined effort of producer John Paul Rice and director Edgar Michael Bravo, who are dedicated to making films which explore pressing social issues and bring them to the public eye. I had the privilege of meeting with both of them over Skype for a discussion on their new film and the mission behind their production company.

John is originally from Louisville. After snagging a small acting part in the film “Remember the Titans” he moved to Los Angeles in 2001 for an entry level job in film production. He worked for Mandate Pictures, which has produced films such as “Juno,” The Grudge,” and “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” There he learned about sales and distribution and other aspects of film production.

Edgar attended UCLA, where he received a Master’s degree in writing and directing. He became involved in television and independent features. He and John met and worked together and eventually formed No Restrictions Entertainment.

The first film they made with their new production company was “One Hour Fantasy Girl,” which is about a girl who sells a unique service: she will act out any man’s fantasy for an hour, as long as there is no sex and nothing illegal.