Film
An epic dark comedy
A young Irish priest and an English medical intern find themselves in hedonistic 1930′s nightclub La Chatte Agile, thrown together on a mission to close down a showman who exhibits living babies on the boardwalk, Jack and Father O’Riley immerse themselves in the indulgent, dark but tempting world of Coney Island.
Jack coaxes the showman’s daughter to unravel the secrets of her mysterious father; his story takes us back to the decadent squalor of Paris under Siege, an extraordinary zoo keeper, an encounter with the Queen of Prussia, Berlin beer halls, the smuggling of French babies across the English Channel and a remarkable love story.
As the curtains open it seems the showman isn’t the only one with problems brewing on Coney Island. Jack’s credibility is threatened as he falls in love with the showman’s daughter and Father O’Riley abandons his religion in the arms of a burlesque performer.
As the world they are appointed to investigate starts to consume them they begin to discover the unlikely truth about a showman who changed the world.
‘Losing My Religion’ is based on an extraordinary and true life story that Mike and Claire discovered on their travels. Ably assisted by Dan Cadan, Mike and Claire have written the screenplay themselves and will be at the helm Directing Cinemission’s first feature film project.
THE COLLECTIVE
Mike and Claire Manumission
Writers, Producers & Directors.
The creators of the world of Manumission, Mike and Claire have been making filmic art for many years, creating for example many ‘silent movies’ that would play at their iconic Manumission nights.
They have directed, choreographed and art-directed many of these pieces and have developed an iconic visual style that Manumission fans the world over would instantly recognize and identify with.
U2’s and Pink Floyd’s set designer Mark Fisher has said that Mike and Claire’s art direction stands amongst the best in the world.
Mike and Claire are set to direct Cinemission’s first feature project ‘Losing My Religion.’
Danny McGrath
Producer
Danny has over 20 years experience in feature film production, with Assistant Director credits in feature films as well as music promos, commercials and short films.
He has worked closely with many of the industry’s leading Directors including Ridley Scott, Guy Ritchie, Michael Apted, Mira Nair, and Atom Egoyan, on mid-budget UK independent films to Hollywood blockbusters.
Having completed work on the latest ‘Sherlock Holmes’ with Guy Ritchie and recently finished ‘Alien – Prometheus’ with Ridley Scott, he is now at the helm of Production on Losing My Religion.
Danny’s Filmography includes:
Alien – Prometheus – Ridley Scott. Sherlock Holmes 2 – Guy Ritchie. Robin Hood – Ridley Scott. Sherlock Holmes – Guy Ritchie. Amazing Grace – Michael Apted. Kingdom of Heaven – Ridley Scott. Vanity Fair – Mira Nair. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Sharon Maguire. Rogue Trader – James Dearden. Gullivers Travels – Charles Sturridge.
Dan Cadan
Associate Producer & Screenwriter
Dan began working with Guy Ritchie in 1998 on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and continued to work alongside him on Snatch and Revolver. He has also worked extensively with Madonna on promos and documentaries including Madonna: Sticky and Sweet Tour.
Other projects have included short movie ‘The Devils Wedding’ with Lena Headey and Stephen Graham, the re-writing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in rhyming couplets performed by 50 stars of film, TV, music and sport.
His own beloved project about a group of 80’s UK Wrestlers, “Walk Like A Panther”, starring Sean Pertwee and Tom Meighan from Kasabian is currently in network negotiations.
Dan has written the first draft of a ‘Led Zeppelin’ feature film biopic and also co-written the period feature screenplay ‘Losing My Religion’ with Mike & Claire Manumission.
Ronnie Taylor
Script & Cinematographic Consultant
Brilliant, much-respected camera operator and cinematographer, who worked for some of the biggest names in British, American and Italian Cinema. Starting out as an operator and working on many beautifully shot films throughout his career, he later served as cinematographer for Dario Argento and Richard Attenborough, sharing the Best Cinematography Oscar with the great Billy Williams for “Gandhi”. He collaborated three times with Italian horror master, Dario Argento, most notable on the audaciously shot 1987 film, “Opera”.
Ronnie Taylor and Mike & Claire meet regularly on the Island of Ibiza to discuss the script and cinematographic aspects of the film ‘Losing my Religion’.
Rich + Tone Talauega
Choreography
The talents of Rich + Tone Talauega extend far beyond the reach of conventional dance choreographers, encompassing wide-ranging success as music video directors, creative directors, musicians, producers, and performers who are at the forefront of today’s pop culture movement. As multi-faceted artists, they are able to achieve truly unique results in their work as choreographers which continue to make them highly sought after by the top names in the industry.
The list of artists seeking their collaboration includes Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Chris Brown, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue, Missy Elliott, Black Eyed Peas, The Backstreet Boys, Monica, Pink, and Dirty Vegas….They have been nominated for numerous MTV Video Music Awards for videos such as Jennifer Lopez’s “Get Right,” Madonna’s “Sorry” and “4 Minutes,” as well as Chris Brown’s “Wall to Wall” and “Forever.”
Rich + Tone collaborated with Daivd LaChappelle on the critically acclaimed film “Rize”, which was picked up at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival by Lions Gate Films. It was released in June of 2005, and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described the film as “A knockout! A visual miracle!”
Rich + Tones’ success as directors and choreographers transitioned seamlessly into 2011 with several high profile projects. In addition to choreographing the much anticipated Cirque du Soleil “Michael Jackson: The Immortal” World Tour, Rich + Tone have also worked on “StreetDance2” Feature Film (2012), the critically acclaimed “Kia Soul Hamster: Party Rock Anthem” Commercial and Chris Brown’s 2011 MTV VMA’s performance. Rich + Tone most recently served as both the creative directors and choreographers for Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E. Tour.
Eric Dover
Art Director
Born in Argentina 1963, Eric left his hometown at a young age to begin his life journey of personal research.
This journey has led him to many adventures along side others such as Miguel Androver, Eugenio Recuenco, Nina Ricci, Loewe, Playstation, LÓreal, Rammstein, aW H I T E L A B E L, Lavazza, Puig and many more.
He has directed runway shows, installations, video clips, shortfilms and opera. His journey continues as Art Director on the feature film ‘Losing My Religion’, working with his chosen, brilliantly creative team including Eugenio Recuenco and Marisa Wanda Ringer.
Eugenio Recuenco
Associate Art Director
Born in Madrid, studied Fine Arts and is now considered Spain’s finest photographer. His style has been described as “cinematographic” by Versace.
Eugenio is considered an “image maker” working in fashion photography as well as film, commercials, set and art direction, with clients as diverse as Spanish Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Hello, Diesel and Chanel to name but a few.
He has won numerous awards for Photography and Film at Cannes and other international festivals. His style is cinematic, detailed and dreamlike, creating fantastical worlds with a theatrical flourish.
Working again now with Eric Dover on Art Direction, they are creating captivating visuals and artistic visions for Losing My Religion. Including the images of Mike and Claire seen here on this site.
Marisa Wanda Ringer
Associate Art Director
Marisa Wanda Ringer was born in Zürich in 1979. Studied Fine Arts at the University Complutense in Madrid and photography at the London College of Printing.
Her many individual and collective exhibitions have included Art and Science at the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid and the Young Artists Competition at the Centro Cultural Conde Duque. She joined Eric Dover’s Art Team in 2007 and is Associate Art Director on Losing My Religion.
Ben Munro
Stand by Art Director
Ben Munro has worked closely with the industries leading designers, including Arthur Max, Andrew McAlpine, and Nathan Crowley to name but a few. His ability to see each set from a practical film-makers point of view ensure that the best elements of the overall production design are always evident in each shot.
His work includes : Snow White and the Huntsman Prometheus X-Men First Class John Carter Robin Hood The Duchess An Education.
Trevor Wood
SFX Supervisor
Trevor’s career has spanned three decades in special effects.
He has worked along side some of the best creatives in the industry.
In 2007 he won the Academy Award and Bafta for Best SFX for the Golden Compass.
His extensive filmography includes Prometheus, Robin Hood, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Golden Compass, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Cold Mountain, The Mummy Returns, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, The Fifth Element, Mission: Impossible and Dune.
Stefano Pepin
SFX Floor Supervisor
Stefano has been Trevor Woods Floor supervisor for many years and has worked with film-makers at the very forefront of SFX technology, including, on several occasions, Sir Ridley Scott. He and his team are an asset to any production that requires SFX.
Christine Blundell
Hair & Make up
Christine first got involved in hair and make up when styling bands in the late ‘70s and working in a salon in Kensington Market. She went on to open her own hairdressing salon, which she ran successfully for four years and then embarked on an intensive three-month make-up course. After completing the course, Christine worked on Phantom of the Opera doing prosthetics and went on to work for LWT, gaining invaluable experience on sketch shows and TV films.
Her first feature with Mike Leigh was Life is Sweet, which marked the beginning of a long and successful working relationship that has spanned 20 years and produced ten features including Secrets and Lies, Topsy Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year. For Topsy Turvy Christine won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA Film Award and in 2004 received BAFTA nominations for both Vera Drake and Finding Neverland. Christine’s other varied film credits include The Full Monty, Closer, The Constant Gardener, Casino Royale, Eastern Promises and London Boulevard. Christine has recently completed work on the upcoming sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law and has just finished filming on Michael Hoffman’s Gambit, starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz.
http://cbmacademy.com/christineBlundell.html
Simon ‘purple’ Hayes
Production Sound Mixer
Simon Hayes is a sound mixer on the very cutting edge of his craft. Ridley Scott himself once said of Simon, “I have never in all my career had sound recorded so well, and with so little to do to it in post production”. He and his team are the masters of on-set sound recording.
His credits include:
Prometheus, X Men First Class, Nanny McPhee, Kick Ass, Mamma Mia, Stardust, Revolver, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels & Snatch (for which he won Best Production Sound Mixer Golden Reel Awards).