Evan Ari Kelman’s latest film, the elevated kidnapping thriller “Barron’s Cove,” premiered recently at the Hampton International Film Festival. The script was a semifinalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships and appeared on the Black List in 2021. Evan is also the CEO of ScriptGen, an AI company that creates tools for writers, designers, and producers to accelerate production and eliminate inefficiencies.
SHOW NOTES:
More about the film and Evan
Produced by Mandalay, it’s an elevated kidnapping thriller with an acclaimed cast that goes all out including Garrett Hedlund, Brittany Snow, Stephan Lang, Hamish Linklater, Raul Castillo and Christian Convery, and an intimately personal film to Kelman. As an artist, he’s become fascinated with the nature of the father/son relationship and draws inspiration from his own relationship with his father who has now passed. BARRON’S COVE was a semifinalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships and appeared in the 2021 Black List. You can view look images here.
Kelman’s other credits include BANDITO, his NYU thesis film that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2015, winning the prestigious Wasserman Award for Best Directing. Kelman returned to Tribeca in 2016 with ONE GOOD PITCH, and in 2017, his short film WHERE THERE’S SMOKE premiered at Tribeca, later winning the Grand Jury Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the Edmonton International Film Festival and qualifying for the 2019 Academy Awards. Additionally, Kelman’s first feature film script, WITH THESE EYES, about his father’s world- changing invention of modern cataract surgery, earned the 2016 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Writing Award. As a freelance commercial director, Kelman has directed content for major brands including Bonobos, Foot Locker, Converse, Uber, Chevrolet, Gillette, Golden Nugget Casino, and Coppertone.
