Poet
The
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Director's Statement | Arthur Allan Seidelman
"Poe: The Poet by Carol Hummel is one of the most beautiful screenplays I have ever read. There is no other way to say it. I have been directing films for over fifty years and theater for over sixty. I have read and directed great scripts; never have I been more moved, more determined that this story must be told. I have many more films behind me than I have in front of me; Poe: The Poet must be one of the few stories I have left to tell."
Michael Pollack | Producer
Michael Pollack has held leadership positions for more than 35 years in the legal, financial and entertainment industries. Michael is the founder and former President of a litigation support firm that is today part of an international group of companies. He has held directorship positions for more than a dozen financial institutions that are both private and publicly held. Specializing for decades in M&A and Turnaround Management he has spearheaded tens of billions of dollars of financing in commercial real estate, business and entertainment related transactions.
Michael is the Chairman and CEO of Pollack Films and a managing partner of APW Film Partners. He has been involved in the production of theatre and screen features for more than 35 years.
Michael's current projects include the feature films Delfino's Journey, Major, The Black Cyclone, The Poet, Cold Feet: A Wedding Tale, A Six Gun for the Devil, Meet Me In The Kitchen At Midnight, & The Untitled Chic Harley Project. In addition, Michael's company Pollack Films is developing an exciting new episodic television series slated for 2023.
Jean-François Cavelier | Producer
Originally from Paris, France, Jean-François Cavelier has more than 30 years of experience in international and domestic film and television sales and distribution. He is known among his peers for his strong relationship-building ability. He held the position of Domestic & International Distribution Consultant for Comerica Bank (Los Angeles), Liberty International (Los Angeles), Pueblo (Geneva, Switzerland), and Syrena (Warsaw, Poland). He is an astute executive with a strong combination of industry knowledge and cross-cultural experience in motion picture and television content marketing and sales.
Cavelier has been active over the past ten years in the acquisition and production of media content in mainland China and Latin America as well as in the distribution of Hollywood content to the global markets. He acted as a Producer for the biggest budget feature film ever produced in China, “The Bombing,” a.k.a. “Air Strike,” a WW2 epic film, negotiating the hiring of Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson respectively as Lead Actor and Co-Director.
Recently, Cavelier was the Co-Producer of “Wonders of the Sea,” a feature documentary narrated by Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Jean-Michel Cousteau. He has also been involved and in the foreign distribution of a brand new naked-eye 3D cell phone called ROKiT. Cavelier is active in the protection of the environment and marine sustainability through the documentary films he represents.
Scott Robinson | Line Producer
Scott Robinson has produced and managed film and television productions for over two decades. He has worked with Fox Television Studios, Fox Digital, A&E, ESPN, and Freedom Films.
Between 2009-12, Robinson worked as a studio executive and producer for Emmett/Furla Films on a wide range of features including The Frozen Ground (Nicholas Cage and John Cusack), Broken City (Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe), Fire With Fire (Josh Duhamel, Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson), Freelancers (50 Cent, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro), Touchback (Kurt Russell), All Things Fall Apart (50 Cent, Mario Van Peebles), and Caught in the Crossfire (Chris Klein, Adam Rodriguez).
In 2013, Robinson opened a new production studio, Drama Free Zone, and teamed with Drew Hall from Frame29Films to produce Convergence (Clayne Crawford, Ethan Embry, Mykelti Williamson) and Nigel & Oscar vs. The Sasquatch (Paul Brittain, Adam Herschman, Neil Flynn, Tim Meadows). Both films will be releasing shortly. They are currently in development on the epic sci-fi film Aether. Robinson lives and works in both Los Angeles and New Orleans.
Writer's Statement | Carol Hummel
Looking back at the beginning, the idea for The Poet came to me after watching David Rappaport, a young dwarf actor’s amazing and touching performance in the film The Bride (of Frankenstein) 1985, directed by Franc Roddam, co-starring singer/actor Sting and Clancy Brown.
As I watched this very small man carry the heart and soul of the film, I continued to reflect upon his powerful presence on screen… So, I wrote Poe: The Poet with David in mind and sent the screenplay to his agent Nina Tassler at Triad Artists (now WME). Ms. Tassler, in turn, forwarded Poe: The Poet to David who was filming in Australia at the time.
After David read Poe: The Poet, I was told by his agency that it was now David’s “dream project” and that he would co-produce with A-list actors within Triad Artists Agency.
Soon after Poe: The Poet was optioned by Triad, we heard the terrible and shocking news of David’s suicide that stunned and grieved us all. It was not public knowledge that David had some history of suicidal thoughts, reportedly from voices in his head due to a swelling of the brain associated with his type of dwarfism.
I saw this sweet, funny, talented, kind and lovable man as a hero, and like Poe’s character in the screenplay, Poe: The Poet, David had to live his life “in a different way” and it had never been easy.