my newest feature film - a documentary (2023/24)
forty years in a box
news about forty years in a box
film festivals
Q&A after screening
Upcoming Festival
STARFISH TRAILER
Preview of STARFISH
STARFISH AUDIENCE QUOTES
Here's what people have said...
Quotes
"I loved the sense of being inside Lily's life, with all its sorrows and small comforts. Several times I teared up and I laughed out loud at Joan's sister and brother-in-law, who were perfect-in fact I swear they weren't acting at all, which is the best compliment anyone can give an actor. But all the actors were convincing, and very aptly cast.
What made the movie a special pleasure is that there was not one moment of "exposition," as the English teachers call it. I felt I was meeting these people and gradually finding out their histories without having them stop what they were doing to laboriously explain, which is exactly what happens when you met new people in real life."
Anne Tyler (author)
"What a sensitive, beautifully constructed film you have created."
J. Greentree
Quotes
"I LOVED your film... You feel unsure what the film is about or what the conflict really is except perhaps this great character study and then WHAM! It's funny! It's moving! It's surprising!! It all comes together just beautifully.
It was shot beautifully - loved the beachy look and feel of so much of it. You could almost smell the salt water. And the acting was really strong... Has some wonderfully funny moments... And then I was very moved at the end. In a way I didn't think I would be. Loved the music as well."
J. Russell
"I REALLY liked the film!! I am truly impressed. Very well done, sensitive, emotional, great writing and acting - and directing."
J. Dachs
starfish
"Several scenes made me tear up, and the overall message of loss and healing and hope is beautiful."
R. van Wagtendonk
starfish
"When the movie started I prepared myself for grieving realism BUT found myself in the middle of a Murakami story where the pacing and the character unfolding lead to truths and possibilities...with each verbal or visual encounter layered on its predecessors, reaches emotional truths and offers possibilities of healing and even some future joy."
M. Wilson
starfish
"I honestly was taken aback with the emotion I felt... could not speak right away... I didn't want to leave the place I was in, I was there with those people...felt very connected..had so many thoughts and feelings come up, thinking of losses in my life, how I've dealt, continue to deal, loving the friendship she had with her friend Harry, relationship with her sister, or non-relationship, re-connecting with her niece, how that happened...there was not a second that I lost my connection. The dogs were great!!...Great writing! Perfect casting!
R. Madison
starfish
"Yesterday I was fortunate to attend a screening of Starfish... I hope you find a home for your unique and ambitious film... You took a very difficult subject and made it come alive. You rallied talented actors, and a crew to make a compelling film. You are a good filmmaker, please keep making more."
M. Jacobsohn
starfish
"That was superb - warm, taut, visually beautiful...brava!
D. Levin-Becker
"I was very impressed by your film. I especially like the 'layers.' What an accomplishment."
M. Wurgaft
"I thought the film had a lyrical vibe and it is full of heart. You have a nice touch."
C. Campbell
Film Festivals
Where STARFISH Was Seen
Chain NYC Film Festival
NYC Premiere
STARFISH screened at Chain NYC Film Festival on August 15, 2018.
La Femme Film Festival
California Premiere
STARFISH screened in Beverly Hills, CA at La Femme Film Festival on Friday October 12, 2018.
Mystic Film Festival
Connecticut Premiere
STARFISH was the opening night film of the Mystic Film Festival on Thursday October 18, 2018 in Mystic, CT.
Black Bear Film Festival
Pennsylvania Premiere
STARFISH screened at the 19th Black Bear Film Festival in Milford, PA on Sunday October 21, 2018.
Mystic Film Festival
Opening night red carpet event
Leading ladies of STARFISH: Margaret Curry (center), Linnette Roe (left), Sophia Colon Roosevelt (right)
Mystic Film Festival
Closing night 10/21/18
STARFISH won an Audience Choice Award at the closing night award ceremony.
Mystic Film Festival
Audience Choice Award 10/21/18
Thrilled that STARFISH won an Audience Choice Award at the closing night award ceremony.
Veritas Film Festival
Screening November 9, 2018
STARFISH screened at Veritas Film Festival in PA, November 2018.
SHORT FILM TRILOGY
Three stories where "invisibles" become visible through unexpected connections.
Upside Down (2014)
A 10 year-old girl befriends a transgender woman in her building, against her mother's wishes.
* OutWest Film Fest 2015
* Black Bear Film Festival 2015
* The American Psychological Association
Film Festival 2015
* Northside Film Festival (Brooklyn, NY) 2015
* XpoNorth 2015 Film Festival (Scotland)
* Springfield LGBT Film Festival (AUDIENCE
CHOICE AWARD WINNER) 2015
* Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film
Festival (India) 2015
* Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival 2017
Old Junk (2013)
An isolated but vital old man discovers a box of junk that he transforms into a sculpture.
* Global Peace Film Festival
* Black Bear Film Festival
Last Day (2012)
On the day a young man plans to kill himself, an unexpected encounter presents him with opportunity for change.
* Black Bear Film Festival
* The Animal Film Festival
* A.C.T. Film Festival
* The National Museum of Animals
(Los Angeles)
Upside Down (2014)
Third short film of the trilogy
Old Junk (2013)
Second short film of the trilogy
Last Day (2012)
First short film of the trilogy
Audience Responses
Old Junk
Anne Tyler - author
«That was a beautiful movie. I loved every closely observed second of it — very touching. Thank you so much for telling me it existed.
I hope it gets lots of attention and appreciation.»
Old Junk
Paul Griffin - writer
«It was so beautiful, from start to finish. I loved the music too. The classical was so pretty and quiet, and perfect for the picture. I loved the end title song too. The reveal of the “dolls” at the end was so great. It was so sad but so inspiring too, how Horace just kept going, finding ways to make his day meaningful, making art no matter what. The old pictures were wonderful. It was perfect from the opening frame to the last. Horace is my hero. I always dreamed of living that long, to get to relax and feed the squirrels and just take in the day and notice all the beauty around. Bravo. Bravo. Bravo.»
Upside Down
Rita Madison - hair & makeup artist
«Just watched the film. It is terrific!!
… I love it, everything works so smoothly, and it is a
wonderful, heartfelt story!
I was moved and LOVE the ending!»
Old Junk
Patti Seitz - family therapist
«I really loved it even more than the first time I saw it. ... I started crying after seeing it. I just wanted to let you know, how moved I was by it and how much I appreciate your filmmaking and how you are able to illuminate the deepest places and touch our humanity.»
Last Day
Paul Griffin - writer
«Shira got me teary-eyed! So beautiful!!! …
I'm a sucker for animals-save-the-world stories, but Last Day brought that idea to a much more intimate place, one that I haven't seen in a long time. It's gorgeous -- the cinematography, the acting (both the guy and the kid were fabulous), the sense of place, but most of all the story. Absolutely perfect for this viewer.
It has an O Henry feel. …
So hard to do, to bring a story and a character full circle in just a few minutes, but Shira nailed it. I absolutely loved it.»
Last Day
Cathy Curt
«WOW! Shira....This was a powerful film....congratulations! You captured all the emotions beautifully without any words!»
Upside Down
Will Voelkel - Director of Black Bear Film Festival
«We love Upside Down! Like the other two films in the trilogy, it's charming and moving.»
Uprooted
Marie Wilson - Psychotherapist
«...loved UPROOTED. Never thought a bush could be such an emotionally moving character...»
The Trilogy
Nancy Shapiro
«This cannot wait until tomorrow! I just watched Last Day, Old Junk
and Upside Down. WOW! Gentle messages…incredible photography…
I loved each one for different reasons.
I felt so much unstated loneliness in Old Junk…loneliness with so much grace.
My favorite of the three was Last Day.
It was powerful in its quietness.
I just had to tell you how moved I was by your beautiful work. Thank you.»
Last Day, Old Junk
Judy McVety
«...Both films are compelling reminders of the commonality of human experience and emotions, the desire to be loved, feeling isolated and hopeless
and how music, creativity and nurturing bring us together and heal our spirits.
Each time I watch them I come away with a transformative inspiration
and quiet celebration, in today's disheartening deluge of bad news,
of how genuinely good and caring most people are...»
Script Consultation
Bring your project to the next level
STORY, CHARACTER, STRUCTURE, TRUTH.
Story, Character, Structure, Truth. That is my mantra.
I work with writers - beginners to professionals - to help improve their scripts. As a consultant, I have worked with screenwriters, playwrights and performance artists. Before I started teaching, I was Director of Development for Martin Scorsese's company, for six years, where I worked with writers and directors on their projects. However, I've learned more from teaching than from anything else I've done. I love to teach, consult and help writers find, develop and deepen their stories.
I focus on helping you more fully understand and develop your characters in order to be able to create a transformation for them that makes sense for the story you are telling. I ask many questions with the goal of making you think about your story in ways you might not have imagined.
I start where you are. I go at your pace and adapt the way I work to fit your needs. Please feel free to contact me to discuss your project and how I might help. We can see if we're a good match. I'm a writer too… I get it.
If you are looking for a script consultant, I highly recommend Shira Levin. Shira’s experience as a writer, director, teacher, and as a script development executive to one the most influential filmmakers in motion picture history, makes her the real deal. With a keen eye and true understanding of story, structure and character development, Shira will provide you with an honest evaluation of your project and offer the type of professional feedback that one rarely gets from story consultants.
Rosalie Muskatt, Producer, Inwood Productions
I have always been a storyteller who desperately wanted to put down all my stories on paper. It led me to developing the urge of writing a full script. But writing a feature film was something which I thought happens to people who live in the land of Hollywood.
Life passed by and then one day out of the blue I joined an on-line Screenwriting class at NYFA, taught by Shira Levin. And from the start of the first-class till the end of the 15th week, it was the most wholesome journey for me and my story, which I put on paper.
And all thanks to our screenwriting mentor Shira. She doesn't just give us encouraging lectures on how important it is for the writer to write, but she taught us the vital methods and techniques which helped me finish the first draft of the 120-page script.
Shira’s lectures were enlightening, crisp, distinct and so easy to grasp. She is so particular about do’s and dont's that at the end of the program I imbibe them fully and started to follow them naturally.
Now when I look at the first draft of my script complete in my hands I know that joining Shira’s screenwriting class was one of the best decisions I have made. The road is long but thanks to Shira I have embarked on it taking the first step.
Jashanpreet Kaur Gill, writing student
"Shira Levin was my first introduction to screenwriting, narrative structure, character development, and film analysis. The way she was able to teach me not only the basics about these concepts, but also to encourage my learning about them while writing my first screenplay, changed the course of my writing career. She once told me I was the kind of student a teacher loves to have in class. But I would say, she is the kind of teacher a student loves to learn from. Shira gave me a toolbox, filled it with the tools every screenwriter needs, and it is one I still use today. Everything I know about screenwriting, the very essence of it as an art form and a narrative device, I learned from her. If you are looking for someone who will teach you, encourage you, and challenge you to be the best writer you can be, I would highly recommend learning from Shira Levin. My first semester of film school was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. But I will never forget, at the end of her course, Shira sat me down, looked me in the eyes, and said, "You can do this. Keep learning and writing." She saw something in me I didn't see then, and it kept the fire lit within me until I found my own confidence. It is a fire that is still lit today, in no small part because of her. She is a wealth of knowledge and experience, and she is so willing to share it with the next generation of filmmakers and screenwriters. I cannot recommend learning from Shira enough."
Lexi Nicholas - writer
I've had Shira during the first quarter of my Masters at New York Film Academy, and I must say that she was an excellent teacher, not only for the commitment that she shows, but for the professional and strict approach that she has with everybody’s work. She is the kind of person who demands from you a lot as a student and pushes you not to stay in your comfort zone. Every class she fills your brain with new questions, thoughts and makes you move forward and think deeply of what you are writing, of your contents. Along with those, she also has a clear and vast experience with formats and structure. I personally think, that her being a psychotherapist helps you as a writer to really get to the main themes your material is trying to explore and to stay honest with what is believable and what is not. Great teacher, precise and extremely professional.
Agosto Latino - writer
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