This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with JT Mollner.
JT Mollner is one of the brains behind the Freakling Brothers’ haunted house in Las Vegas and the writer and director of his first full-length feature, “Outlaws and Angels.” The film was presented at Sundance earlier this year and is set for release in select theaters nationwide, including AMC at Town Square in Las Vegas on July 15th.
Mollner's debut feature film, produced by Rosanne Korenberg (“Half Nelson,” “Hard Candy”), Luke Daniels and Chris Ivan Cevic, is described as a brutal, ultra-realistic home invasion drama / love story. “Outlaws and Angels” breaks down traditional constructs in a fresh new take of the western genre while paying homage to Mollner's inspirations from 60's and 70's auteur filmakers. The picture was shot on 35mm motion picture film and will premier in Park City on an actual film print.
Mollner's writer/ director credits include “The Red Room” (2008), “Henry John and the Little Bug” (2009) and “Sugartown” (2011); all three award winning short films that played the festival circuit and have now been acquired by Shorts International for worldwide distribution -- a rarity in the world of short form cinema. In 2015, Mollner made an impact by presenting screen legend Dee Wallace (“America's Mom”) in the against-type role of a drug addicted, chain smoking bad girl in his 16mm short film Flowers in December - inspired by the gritty blue collar dramas of the 1970's. He has directed numerous commercials and music videos, most noteworthy being a spot for Lincoln MKS that aired during the Grammy Awards in 2011. After winning multiple awards at Hollyshorts Film Festival, Mollner became a Jury member in 2012 and has remained ever since.
A proponent of celluloid image capture, Mollner partnered with Kodak Motion Picture Film and Panavision on multiple projects including his debut feature. His production company No Remake Pictures is committed to injecting original, unique, and sometimes controversial stories into a market saturated with remakes and safe, formula fare. The company (an advocate of real film stock, and not digital) is a proponent of practical effects over CGI and VFX.