BFC FILM PROJECTS
RISE OF THE BARRYMORE: THE REBUILDING OF AMERICA’S FIRST FILM TOWN
Feature Film (2025 estimated release year)
In Post-Production
Coppola, Huston, Minnelli, Barrymore — these names are unique in film history. They are dynasties that span the history of cinema from the modern era to the early silent era where talent from Broadway theater and Vaudeville fueled the stories. The Barrymore name particularly carries the weight of film history. The name is found interconnected in the roots of a cinema family tree that was originally planted in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the original studio town. A place that undeniable shaped and influenced the way we enjoy cinema today.
This is the story of Ethel, Lionel and John Barrymore’s early years as pioneers in the burgeoning art of film acting. It’s about discovering a town’s rich forgotten past and preserving the legacy of America’s film history.
THE CHAMPION: A STORY OF AMERICA’S FIRST FILM TOWN
SHORT FILM (2017)
In the early part of the 20th century advancements in motion picture cameras by inventors like Edison made opportunities abound in the film industry. Immigrants, artists, minorities and entrepreneurs fueled by ambition made a go in the film business looking for the American dream. As the art-form advanced, dozens of motion picture companies sprang up to fill the tremendous demand. Thousands of films were produced in the silent film era. In those early years two small towns on either side of the nation with an abundance of space and scenery jockeyed for a position as the center of film production, with dozens of bustling studios calling them home. However, only one would ultimately survive as as the undisputed studio town, as the other would fade into history.
In 1910 promising film producer Mark Dintenfass made the trek to a sleepy little village across the Hudson River called Fort Lee, New Jersey. With a mixture of amazingly interchangeable scenery close to New York City’s Broadway talent, it was the perfect location to shoot pictures. Dintenfass joined dozens of filmmakers like D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Carl Laemmle learning the new trade. Here he would form The Champion Film Company, the first of eleven studios that would become the epicenter of the film industry for a decade before the California sun proved too enticing. This is a story of the birthplace of the motion picture industry and the effort to save our film history.
Premiere: 2014 Golden Door Film Festival
Festivals and Awards: Nominated for a 2018 Emmy Award, 2015 Garden State Film Festival (Winner), 2015 Americas Film Festival NY, 2015 Cinecon5, 2015 Pordenone Silent Film Festival (Italy), 2015 Raindance Film Festival
Directed by: Marc J. Perez
Produced by: John L. Sikes, Tom Meyers
Executive Produced by: Kristian Fraga
Distributed by Milestone Films
Meet the Team
MARC JOSEPH PÉREZ is a Spanish-American Emmy® Award-Winning director and producer. Marc is a graduate of New York University where he studied marketing and finance. Before entering the entertainment industry Marc worked in precious metals trading and emerging marketing equity trading at large institutions such as UBS and Republic Bank (now HSBC). Since moving into the entertainment industry he has produced and directed award winning films and television shows (Anytown USA, Severe Clear, The Inside Reel, The Champion, The Troublemaker) that have been shown in theaters, television, streaming and festivals around the world. His recent 3-part documentary series, Sopranos Sessions, about the epic HBO television series The Sopranos had its U.S. theatrical release May 2021 in hundreds of theaters around country and is streaming on major platforms like Amazon Prime. The second part in the series, The Last Supper: A Sopranos Session was recently nominated for an 2023 Emmy® Award. Marc is currently directing Rise of the Barrymore: The Rebuilding of America’s First Film Town, about the Barrymore acting family featuring prominent actors like Jodie Foster.
Marc is also producing Citizen Stone, a multi-part documentary series about Academy-Award winning director Oliver Stone, that is currently in post-production. Marc recently completed directing a documentary about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for UnivisionTelevisa’s new Streaming platform ViX to be release in the winter of 2024.
Marc is a Trustee of the Friends of Fort Lee Film which operates the Barrymore Film Center, a 260 seat theater and museum in the birthplace of the motion picture industry Fort Lee, NJ. Marc has also produced and directed dozens of award-winning commercials and brand videos for LG, Konami, Hover-1, Abrams Books, Combate Global, GlaxoSmithKline, Altec Lansing, HMH Publishing and Vivitar. Marc won a 2021 Emmy® for directing a short form, Spanish language public service video for the 2020 U.S. Census, Por Qué Deben Responder Al Censo Los Latinos.
KRISTIAN FRAGA is a graduate of the prestigious film program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 1997, Kristian and his partner, Producer Marc Perez, founded Sirk Productions. In 2010 he wrote, directed, and produced the feature documentary Severe Clear, based on video footage shot by members of the Marines at the outset of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Hollywood Reporter called it “a visceral true-life portrait of the brutality and chaos of war.” The film had its world premiere at SXSW and received a Jury Special Mention at the International Rome Film Festival. Severe Clear had a 10-city theatrical release in the United States, playing in highly-regarded theaters such as New York’s Angelika Film Center and the Hollywood Arclight. In 2005 Kristian directed the feature-length documentary Anytown, USA, a look at the charade of partisan politics in an increasingly polarized nation. He won the Emerging Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Festival and the award for Best Director at both the Trenton and Staten Island Film Festivals. Anytown, USA was also featured at the Atlanta, Woodstock, Newport Beach, and the True/False Film Festivals. The film was theatrically distributed by Film Movement in 13 U.S. cities. In 2001, Kristian produced and directed the award-winning PBS documentary The Inside Reel: Digital Filmmaking, which The Hollywood Reporter dubbed “a must see for anyone who loves movies.”
In addition to producing film and television projects, Kristian has also directed dozens of award-winning commercials and branded content for clients that include Abrams, Altec Lansing, Hasbro, StarVegas, and Major League Soccer.
GARY DONATELLI. After attending Indiana University on athletic scholarship as an Art Major, Gary relied on his own accomplishments in football and wrestling to capture a unique perspective through the lens, filming for ABC’s Wide World of Sports, events like the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, Indy 500, the World Series, Heavyweight Championship bouts, and Monday Night Football, amassing 4 NATAS Emmy Awards. MNF brought well deserved acknowledgment for his talent, as well as allowing him to excel in another outlet as author of The ABC Monday Night Football Cookbook & Restaurant Guide. He also shot for ABC News events like Presidential Inaugurations and NASA Space Shuttle events. Looking to expand his abilities and contacts, he bought production equipment and through his company Hav Cam, began working as a Director of Photography. This led to many corporate and music videos , working with talents like James Brown, Grover Washington, Mel Torme, Miles Davis, Neil Young, along with bands like Boston, Spyro Gyra, KC and the Sunshine Band, The All-American Misfits, and Lifehouse to name a few.
While working in the freelance world, he maintained his job at the ABC network climbing the ranks from cameraman to Technical Director to Director.
Garyʼs talent soon became well known, making him a much sought after director. In 1993 he took the helm for ABCʼs Loving, followed by a four year commitment at NBC on Another World. Eventually lured back to ABC, he found a home as director for One Life To Live from 1998-2011 where he directed over 1000 hours of network drama. The awards continued with 7 Emmy Nominations and 3 more Emmy Awards for “Best Directing Team in Daytime Drama” in 2007, 2008, and 2012. He has since directed on The Bold & The Beautiful and General Hospital.
During that time, on the outside, he annually directed the Variety Children’s Telethon with “Cousin Brucie” Morrow for 10 years, a 5 hour live entertainment broadcast that raised over $20 million annually for children’s charities.
In addition, in 2001, Gary produced and directed the documentary series Lean on Me, a post 911 series for the Fire Department of NY Counseling Services Unit, and is currently completing a criminal investigation documentary Clearing Larry Floyd, as well as a yet untitled film on geothermal sustainability.
Gary is always eager to share his expertise and has done so as a faculty member of the Primary Stages Theater Company, as an Adjunct Professor for NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and by mentoring at the Bronx Digital Academy and the Disney Mentoring Program. He has been honored with a Quill Award from Marymount College for his mentoring work, and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University.
More recently, Gary was a Producer of the film 23 Blast, which can be seen on Amazon and iTunes. He also produced and directed Return To Hollywood on the Hudson, a short film instrumental in aiding State Senator Loretta Weinberg in her successful push for the NJ Jobs in Film and Digital Media Act recently signed by Governor Murphy, which has garnered a rebirth in NJ film and TV production.
Currently Gary is a Trustee of the Friends of Fort Lee Film which operates the Barrymore Film Center. Nationally, recognized by his peers, he has served as the 6th, 4th and 2nd Vice President of the Directors Guild of America and has fostered contribution drives for the DGA-PAC, of which he is a Co-Chair on the Leadership Council.
His hobbies include perennial flower gardening, sculpture, and playing music with a band Friends of Friends.