East River Story (2022)
A disgraced Wall Street banker (Desmond) who has come to the East River walk to kill himself rather than turn himself in the next day at his pre-arranged report time, strikes up a conversation with a homeless man (Henry) as a way to procrastinate, and they spend the night reflecting upon their lives and how they both ended up in the same place.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
This is a film about the value of mutual respect and really listening to another person. We have more in common than we realize.
PRODUCTION
East River Story was filmed mostly on the night of Friday, March 4-5, 2022. The cast and crew pulled an all-nighter in 30-degree weather on the windy East River walk, in Stuyvesant Cove Park. Surrounded by the sounds of the city and the fabulous view of the city lights across the river in Queens and Brooklyn, the two lead actors literally lived the full experience of Desmond and Henry as they connected on their mutual “dark night of the soul”.
In between scenes and setups, the cast and crew drank coffee and huddled in a tent around a diesel-fueled heater to keep warm. The perseverance and professionalism paid off, as the morning sunrise brought the most beautiful colors, punctuating the superb cinematography of Director of Photography Guillermo Cameo and his team.
Filming was completed on the much warmer Sunday, March 6, 2022. After the all-nighter on Friday, the cemetery scene was relaxed and poignant. Richard and Enga finished off the last scene in eight takes, and we wrapped around 5:30 p.m.
CAST:
Desmond ..........…......………………………………………........... Richard Bird
Henry ..........………………………………………..................... Tomike Ogugua
Chandra ………………………………………………………….…......... Enga Davis
Expensive Attorney ………………………………………………… Jarvis Smith
The Doctor ………………………………………………………….. Wesli Spencer
CREW:
Written & Directed by ......……………………..…….….…... Bruce Gorman, Jr.
Producers ………………….. Ketevan Kulidzhanova & Bruce Gorman, Jr.
Associate Producer ………………………….…………….……………. Richard Bird
Director of Photography .....…………………….……......... Guillermo Cameo
Camera Operator .............………………...……………………....... Juan Puentes
Gaffer ..........................…………………....………………………....... Patrick Koehle
Sound Recorder ......…………………………............................ Jose Ochoa, Jr.
Sound Editor & Re-Recording Mixer ..……….…………..... Ken Wilkenson
Editor ..............................………………………………..…………….......... Ian Carsia
Color Correction ……………………….……………………..…………..….… Jan Klier
Post-Production Consultant ......….………………................ A.E. Bevington
Music Consultant ........………....………………..................... Nani Pitimashvili