PCS WinnerWin, Lose or Draw
For the past 16 years, Access Sacramento has sponsored “A Place Called Sacramento” (PCS) Film Festival. Access Sacramento is a non-profit organization that provides media resources to the Sacramento community. The PCS challenges local scriptwriters to write 10-minute scripts about the people, places, and events that make our community such a unique place to live. Every year 10 scripts are chosen to be produced for the festival.
After working as script supervisor on the TV pilot “RELLIK,” Orangevale’s Donna Preston was anxious to keep the production ball rolling. “I wanted to use the PCS Festival as an opportunity to showcase the amazing talent and professionalism of the local Sacramento film community,” explained Preston. Her script, “Win Lose or Draw,” was one of the 10 scripts chosen. It follows the path of Jimmy Draw, played by Eric Olsson, and Lisa, played by Courtney Conklin. The couple’s relationship is strained when the unexpected death of Jimmy’s father offers a life-changing opportunity. Sarab, played by Michael Ray Clark, a single father mourning the death of his wife, is caught up in the event. Lisa is forced to make some tough decisions as Jimmy’s behavior escalates beyond appropriate levels. “The festival inspired me to write a compelling story with relatable situations and characters,” continued Preston.
Actress Courtney Conklin was no stranger to the PCS, acting in a small supporting role in 2013 for the PCS short film “The Lottery Ticket.” Conklin and Preston became fast friends while working on the “RELLIK” pilot. “The Lottery Ticket” was written by local writer and producer Brian Jagger who was asked by Preston to direct the film. Jagger played a major role in making “RELLIK” a reality for local filmmakers and was excited to show what he could do in his short film directorial debut.
After months of planning, production, and post production, the 10 teams of filmmakers gathered at the Crest Theatre, which plays host to the world premiere event each year. After all the films were shown, the audience voted for their favorite; this year’s vote was sponsored by Sacramento Casting. Sacramento Casting is the premier resource in town for connecting actors with filmmakers. They provided the technology for the audience to be able to vote via text message, where as in the past, votes had to be tallied manually from handwritten ballots.
After nervous anticipation it was announced that “Win, Lose or Draw” was the audience favorite. “Sacramento is growing into a fantastic film community and we were lucky to have some of the best cast and crew in the community as a part of this project,” said Jagger. It wasn’t the only vote for the night; the 10 writers who had the winning scripts had the opportunity to vote for their favorite film. “Focused,” by Katherine DaSilva, tied with the PCS’s first documentary entry called “Death of Del Paso,” by Phil D’Asaro.
“Win, Lose or Draw” is now being entered into the Seattle International Film Festival where it hopes to be accepted and presented for future audiences. “Win, Lose or Draw” will be available for viewing on YouTube, courtesy of Access Sacramento. For more information on the PCS and “Win, Lose or Draw,” visit the public pages on Facebook.
Source: AccessSacramento.org