NEWS
Blackbird and Sunscreen Official Selections for Wendy
Two festivals on the same weekend with screenings at the exact same time?
Wendy is an Official Selection for Blackbird Film Festival at SUNY Cortland, NY and Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersberg, FL!
Both festivals fun the weekend of Thurs 4/27 - Sun 4/30 with screenings at 5:30pm on Sat 4/29. One-Eyed Rabbit is splitting up to make both fests! See you there!
Wendy wins Audience Choice Award at NYCITFF!
Wendy is an award-winning short film!
Wendy won the Audience Choice Award for Best Short at NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival hosted by the New Ohio Theatre!
We love sharing this film with audiences and bringing folks back to the days of their big messy awkward middle school feels. If you missed us in NYC, you can catch Wendy at the Garden State Film Festival on Sun 3/26 at 2:45pm!
Maren gives Keynote Speech at Léman Manhattan Film Festival
Maren served as judge and keynote speaker for Léman Manhattan High School Film Festival 2023.
Maren was honored to be selected as a judge for the second year in a row for Léman Manhattan's 2023 edition of their student film festival. She was asked to provide the keynote speech for the film festival awards ceremony!
Clifton Park makes Screencraft Film Fund Quarterfinalist List
Clifton Park is a quarterfinalist!
One-Eyed Rabbit's latest short horror script Clifton Park is now a Quarterfinalist in the Screen Craft Film Fund competition!
We're so excited about this script and can't wait to film it in the fall of 2023!
NYCITFF and GSFF Official Selections for Wendy
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The Official Selections are rolling in for Wendy!
Wendy is an Official Selection for the NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival hosted by the New Ohio Theatre! NYCITFF runs in person from February 16 -19, 2023.
Another Official Selection for Wendy is the Garden State Film Festival, which will run in-person in New Jersey from March 23 - 26, 2023.
We're excited to continue sharing Wendy with audiences across the country!
One-Eyed Rabbit’s 2022 BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT winner announced!
SO excited to announce...
... the recipient of One-Eyed Rabbit’s 2022 BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT! Congrats to Tramaine Raphael Gray for being selected as the 2022 award recipient!
One-Eyed Rabbit's annual Black Screenwriters Grant was established to amplify Black voices, create a bridge between Black writers and more funding opportunities, and to increase representation within the film & television industry.
We hope this micro-grant can continue to lift Tramaine’s work up in this coming year!
Tramaine Raphael Gray is an award-winning multidisciplinary director and writer, who specializes in: film, theater, and experimental performance art. An ever evolving black queer storyteller that cultivates and ministers thought provoking experiences that explore sexuality, spirituality and self enlightenment in his work. He aims to ignite revolutionary conversation by restoring humanity in how the world specifically views the black, brown and LGBTQIA+ communities. You can find Tramaine on Facebook or follow him on Instagram at @tramaine.raphael
Maren selected as one of 33 directors for Shoot Online's 2022 New Directors Showcase!
Maren was honored at the Director's Guild of America as one of Shoot's 2022 New Directors!
Shoot Online's annual New Directors Showcase recognizes up-and-coming directors with work entries spanning commercials, PSAs, spec advertising, promo fare, branded content, short films, music videos, trailers, and episodic TV.
Maren is honored to have been selected as one of the 33 New Directors of 2022. The NDS 2022 Showcase Reel debuted at the SHOOT 20th Annual New Directors Showcase Event at the Directors Guild of America (DGA Theatre) on Thursday, November 17th. The reel is live on SHOOTonline and you can check out Maren's profile page here!
Ava Ramey Nominated for Best Performance at Soho International Film Festival!
Congrats to Ava Ramey!!!
We are SO PROUD of Ava for her Nomination for Best Lead Performance In A U.S. Short for her performance in Wendy at Soho International Film Festival!
Congrats to all of the nominees and winners! Having our World Premiere at SIFF 2022 was already such a win for us. This performance nomination was just an added honor!
Wendy's World Premiere & SIFF 2022 Opening Night!
WOW! What an incredible World Premiere for Wendy.
Thank you Soho International Film Festival! We had a great time at Opening Night and had a fulfilling World Premiere for Wendy. We felt so supported by our collaborators and community. Seeing the film on the big screen for the first time at Village East Cinema was profound. I'm so proud of this film!
Wendy - World Premiere at Soho International Film Festival!
Wendy is having its World Premiere at Soho International Film Festival in October!
SO EXCITED to announce Wendy’s first film festival official selection and WORLD PREMIERE at the SIFF 2022! We can't wait to premiere this film!
Wendy is screening on Sunday October 9th at 1:45pm at Village East Cinema. Come check out the film!
Keeper's Finalized Festival Run!
So proud to showcase the 2021 & 2022 Official Selections and Awards for Keeper!
We are so proud of Keeper for the fantastic festival run it had in 2021 and 2022! Keeper had its World Premiere in 2021 at the Lake Placid Film Festival and then was an official selection at the NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival, NYWIFT's Online Shorts Festival, Blackbird Film Festival, Katra Film Series, the International New York Film Festival and Chain Film Festival.
Keeper was a semi-finalist for the 2020 Screencraft Film Fund and was awarded "Best Dramatic Short" and an Audience Choice Award at Blackbird Film Festival.
Keeper screened to audiences throughout the US and started many thought-provoking conversations. We're happy with Keeper's run!
Keeper - Chain Film Festival Official Selection
Returning to Chain Film Festival with Keeper!
We can't wait to return to Chain Film Festival with our final in-person screening of Keeper! Catch Keeper's final film festival screening at The Chain Theatre in August!
Keeper at Katra Film Series!
Keeper's Big Screen Debut!
Seeing Keeper on a massive screen at the Times Square Regal Cinema with Katra Film Series was surreal!
Thank you Katra for featuring our film and having us there to represent the film. We had such a great time!
Check out our interview on the Katra red carpet talking about all things Keeper.
Wendy’s Trailer is here!
SNEAK PEEK of Wendy!
Check out the trailer for Wendy! We CAN'T WAIT to share this film with the world!
Keeper - International New York Film Festival Official Selection
Another Official Selection for Keeper!
Excited for the Official Selections to keep rolling in for Keeper! We love sharing this film with new audiences.
Keeper Blackbird Award Wins
Keeper is an Audience Choice Award and Best Dramatic Short Award Winner!
Thank you a million times over to Blackbird Film Festival for bringing us into such a lovely community of filmmakers. We are honored, impacted, and inspired by the films we saw and the filmmakers we met. The Audience Choice and Best Dramatic Short awards are just the cherry on top. We are humbled and grateful! Thank you to all of our new filmmaking friends for your unending support!
Blackbird Award Nominations for Keeper!
We are so honored to be nominated!
Thank you Blackbird Film Festival for nominating Keeper for Best Dramatic Short, Cinema Director Award, and Best of Fest! Keeper also received an Audience Choice Award for the Brother's Keeper block!
The caliber of films in this festival are top notch. We're incredibly honored to be nominated amongst such remarkable films!
Keeper - Katra Film Series Official Selection
Keeper is coming to the REALLY big screen!
We've been selected to screen at Katra Film Series at the Regal Cinema in Times Square! Our screening is on Wednesday June, 15th at 6:15pm.
We can't wait to see our film up on the big screen!
Maya's Finalized Festival Run!
So proud to showcase the 2021 & 2022 Official Selections and Awards for Maya!
We are so grateful for the incredible festival run that Maya has had in 2021 and 2022! Maya had its World Premiere at the NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival, then was an official selection at The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, PrideFLIX, qFLIX Philadelphia, Chain Film Festival, Astoria Film Festival, Atlanta Women's Film Festival, Chelsea Film Festival, and NYWIFT's Online Shorts Festival.
Maya was awarded "Best Writer of a Short" at the Chain Film Festival and "Best Performance" went to Erin McCarthy, who plays Phoebe, at the Astoria Film Festival. Maya also won "Best All Female Cast" and an Audience Choice Award at NYWIFT's 5th Annual Online Shorts Festival.
I'm so beyond proud of Maya, our little film that could!
Maya - Best All Female Cast
Maya wins Best All Female Cast from NYWIFT!
Thank you NYWIFT and iWomanTV for awarding us the category win of Best All Female Cast! We also received an Audience Choice Award for this festival! What a great send off for Maya as we wrap up our festival run.
iWomanTV will continue hosting Maya after the festival is complete! Check it out here!
Keeper - Blackbird Official Selection
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We are so excited to bring Keeper to the Blackbird Film Festival!
We'll be heading to Cortland, NY in May with Keeper for Blackbird.
Keeper is in the Brother's Keeper shorts block with an in-person screening on Saturday May 21st at 10am.
Maya & Keeper - Official Selections for NYWIFT’s 5th Annual Online Shorts Festival on iWomanTV
Maya & Keeper are Official Selections for NYWIFT's 5th Annual Online Shorts Festival!
We're thrilled to have both of our films screening on iWomanTV with NYWIFT's 5th Annual Online Shorts Festival. Films are hosted on iWomanTV through March 31st! Create an account to watch for free!
Keeper - NYC Premiere at the NYCITFF!
Keeper is an Official Selection at the NYCITFF!
We are SO EXCITED to RETURN to the New Ohio Theatre’s NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival 2022 with Keeper.
Keeper is in the Family Ties shorts block with an in-person screening on Saturday February 12th at 12pm and online screenings from Monday February 14th - Monday February 21st.
We're so honored to return to NYCITFF with Keeper and we can't wait to share the film with an NYC audience!
One-Eyed Rabbit’s 2021 BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT winner announced!
SO happy to announce the WINNER…
... of One-Eyed Rabbit’s 2021 BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT! Congrats to Denise Marinez Lopez for her incredibly hilarious script, Miss Match! Denise was awarded a $500 grant to aid her in submitting her winning script to larger screenwriting competitions and/or to further her writing career in whatever way she chooses.
Chelsea Film Festival Opening Night!
Maren Lavelle at the 9th Edition of the Chelsea Film Festival at Regal Union Square in October of 2021
Flashing lights…
Maren represented Maya at the Chelsea Film Festival Opening Night red carpet event at Regal Cinemas Union Square! One-Eyed Rabbit is so honored to be a part of this incredible festival! Films are available to watch online through October 31st.
Keeper - World Premiere at the Lake Placid Film Festival!
Keeper is a Finalist at the Lake Placid Film Festival!
So incredibly happy and proud to announce Keeper’s first film festival official selection and WORLD PREMIERE at the Lake Placid Film Festival.
Keeper is in the Your Shorts are Showing competition block. The film festival takes place from Thursday 10/21 - Sunday 10/24!
Erin McCarthy wins Best Performance at Astoria Film Festival!
Congrats to Erin McCarthy!!!
We are SO PROUD of Erin for her Best Performance win for Maya at the Astoria Film Festival!
A well-deserved win and we're so happy to be able to celebrate the talented women featured in our film!
Best Drama and Best Director Nominations at Atlanta Women's Film Festival!
Maya nominated... again!
Maya was nominated for Best Drama and Maren was nominated for Best Director at the Atlanta Women's Film Festival!
We're so proud and excited of Maya's accomplishments so far and can't wait to see what more is to come!
Maya screens at the Atlanta Women's Film Festival on Sunday 10/3 at 5:30pm, with the Awards Ceremony at 7pm that same day!
Best Drama and Best Performance Nominations at Astoria Film Festival!
Maya has been nominated!
Maya is a Finalist for Best Drama and Erin McCarthy is a Finalist for Best Performance at the Astoria Film Festival!
Maya screens at the Astoria Film Festival on Sunday 10/3 at 9:30am. The awards ceremony is the same day at 7pm. Tune in!
Awarded Best Writer of a Short Award by Chain Film Festival!
We are now award-winning writers!
One-Eyed Rabbit, aka Maren and Matt, were awarded the "Best Writer of a Short" award by the Chain Film Festival Jury for our writing on Maya! We are so honored and proud to be awarded this accolade and so proud of Maya and all that it's accomplishing!
Maren and Wendy featured in Delaware Today!
Maren was interviewed for the Sept. 2021 issue of Delaware Today!
I got to talk about how rewarding it was to return to my alma mater to create a film and the incredible experiences we had working on Wendy at Cab Calloway School of the Arts! Give it a read!
2021 BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT is here!
Submissions open…
On August 1st 2021 for One-Eyed Rabbit’s 2nd annual BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT! We're so excited to bring this grant back for it's second year. This year one winner will be awarded a $500 prize to do with what they please.
One-Eyed Rabbit's annual BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT was established to amplify Black voices, create a bridge between Black writers and more funding opportunities, and to increase representation within the film & television industry. Visit One-Eyed Rabbit for more info on the grant!
Maren interviewed about Wendy for Delaware Arts Info Blog!
Maren is featured in a blog post on Delaware Arts Info Blog!
It's an in depth interview about the process of making Wendy at Cab Calloway School of the Arts and my journey as a filmmaker!
Check out the full article here!
The Reviews are In!
Maya was reviewed by OneFilmFan.com!
We're so happy to see this film make such significant impacts on its viewers and know that the story is resonating with folks!
Presenting: Wendy
One-Eyed Rabbit proudly presents Wendy!
Wendy is a short film about Wendy, a quiet but imaginative 8th grader, who attempts to find the courage to approach her secret crush while working on a production of Romeo & Juliet.
Wendy was filmed at Maren's alma mater, Cab Calloway School of the Arts! Stay tuned for updates on where to catch it as it enters the film festival circuit!
The Lie makes From The Heart Productions 2021 "Hot Films in the Making" List!
We are so honored!
From The Heart Productions named our script for The Lie one of their 2021 “Hot Films in the Making” List!
Days before a razor-thin Senate election in Atlanta, Georgia, budding Black journalist and father-to-be Carlyle Walker is being celebrated for his front-page profile on rising political star Dash Clemenson. But when Carlyle receives a phone call accusing the progressive white candidate of rape, he is forced to investigate his responsibility as a journalist, a father, and a member of the Atlanta community. The Lie sits at the intersection of race, politics, and sexual assault and challenges viewers to acknowledge the lies we tell ourselves and others in the name of progress. In a time when so much is at stake, how much is the truth really worth?
Maya at the Chain NYC Film Festival!
We're so honored to be representing Maya at the Chain NYC Film Festival!
We are so proud of Maya and the impact it's having on its audiences. We had an incredible time meeting other filmmakers and seeing the other films at the festival!
Check out our interview from the opening night of the festival!
One-Eyed Rabbit at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival!
Maya is an Official Selection at The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival!
We were so excited to attend our first IN-PERSON Film Festival to represent Maya at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival! We had an incredible time and we are so honored to have been included in this amazing line-up.
Check out our interview where we chat all things Maya!
Wendy Production WRAPPED!
Wrap on Wendy!
We’re happy to announce that we have wrapped production on Wendy, One-Eyed Rabbit’s latest project! Filmed at Maren's alma mater, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, and starring the CCSA 8th grade theatre majors! We had an incredible weekend filming this short film about a shy 8th grader attempting to approach her crush, in the very halls that Maren used to walk as a student, daydreaming about her own high school crushes.
Keeper’s Trailer is here!
SNEAK PEEK of Keeper!
Check out the trailer for Keeper! We're excited to share this film with everyone!
Maren is featured in a Head and Shoulders Commercial!
Check out Head and Shoulders #TakeBackYourFuture Campaign:
You may just see a familiar face!
Maya - World Premiere at the NYCITFF!
Maya is an Official Selection for the NYCITFF!
So incredibly happy and proud to announce Maya’s first film festival official selection and WORLD PREMIERE at the New Ohio Theatre’s NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival 2021.
Maya is in the Surprising Relationships shorts block. Films will be available from Wed March 10th at 12pm to Sun March 14th at 11:45pm.
Maya’s Trailer is here!
SNEAK PEEK of Maya!
Proud and happy to release the trailer for Maya. Stay tuned for exciting news!
Presenting: Keeper
One-Eyed Rabbit proudly presents Keeper!
Keeper is a short film about two adult brothers who are forced to renegotiate their tumultuous relationship after a traumatic accident leaves one of them disabled and the other must care for him.
Keeper has a big film festival circuit submission plan, stay tuned for updates!
Presenting: Maya
One-Eyed Rabbit proudly presents:
Maya, our first project as well as a proof of concept for Thank You Five. Maya follows a queer NYC stage manager who reflects on her break-up while trying to manage the rehearsal of a play about a gay couple falling in love.
Maya will be submitted to film festivals around the world, check back here throughout 2021 for updates!
One-Eyed Rabbit’s BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT winners announced!
Proud to announce the WINNERS…
... of One-Eyed Rabbit’s inaugural BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT! Congrats to Lamar Lewis and Anndi Jinelle Liggett for their fantastic scripts! Each winner is awarded a $250 grant to aid them in submitting their winning scripts to larger screenwriting competitions and/or to further their writing careers in whatever way they choose. Congrats to the 2020 winners!
Keeper featured on The Mountains We Climb Podcast:
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Talking all things Keeper on TMWC Podcast!
Matt and I were featured on The Mountains We Climb, a podcast hosted by Jordan Kilpatrick-Smith that takes audiences on an exploration of the mental landscape. Each week, Jordan and a guest dive deep into the guest’s story of overcoming challenge, adversity, and beating the odds.
In this week's episode, we explored Matt and my journey through the writing, directing, and producing of Keeper, as well as how our relationship played into our work dynamic throughout the project.
You can find the audio podcast on your favorite platform by searching The Mountains We Climb or following this link.
Wrapped production on Keeper!
That’s a WRAP!
We’re happy to announce that we have wrapped production on Keeper, One-Eyed Rabbit’s first short film! As we head into post-production, we’re excited to bring the story of adult brothers, Marc and Caleb, to life. Stay tuned for more updates!
Keeper script announced as a semifinalist in the ScreenCraft Film Fund competition:
Keeper is a semifinalist!
We’re so happy to share that Keeper was announced as a semifinalist in the 2020 ScreenCraft Film Fund Competition!
One-Eyed Rabbit announces BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT!
Submissions are now OPEN…
For One-Eyed Rabbit’s inaugural BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT! One-Eyed Rabbit's annual BLACK SCREENWRITERS GRANT was established to amplify Black voices, create a bridge between Black writers and more funding opportunities, and to increase representation within the film & television industry. Visit One-Eyed Rabbit for more info on the grant!
Production on Maya is wrapped!
One-Eyed Rabbit has wrapped its first project!
We wrapped production on Maya after a day and a half on a COVID safe shoot! Maya moves into post-production, with the final product serving as both a proof of concept for the webseries Thank You Five, as well as a standalone short film. Updates coming soon!
Pitch to Screen Film Awards
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Maren Lavelle and Matt Steiner at the Pitch To Screen Film Awards at Lincoln Center in October of 2019
Roll out the red carpet…
One-Eyed Rabbit was invited to represent at the Pitch to Screen Film Awards at Lincoln Center this month! Congrats to all of the winners!
Thank You Five Launch Party
Maren Lavelle & Matt Steiner at the Thank You Five Launch Party in October of 2019
The Thank You Five Launch Party was a success!
We had an incredible launch party for Thank You Five at The Artist Co-op in Midtown! Thanks to everyone for attending and celebrating the stage managers who keep our theatre community running. Don’t forget to donate to our #ThankYou50 campaign so we can make Thank You Five a reality!
One-Eyed Rabbit is here!
One-Eyed Rabbit, LLC
It’s official!
One-Eyed Rabbit, a new film and television production company co-founded by Matt Steiner and I, is officially incorporated. OER seeks to offer new perspectives through character-driven narratives to illuminate the full scope of our shared humanity.
We’re excited to see where One-Eyed Rabbit takes us, as we have numerous projects in the works. Stay tuned!