"February" is a film written and directed by Nathan Deming as a part of the "Year Project"
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Miguel (David Duran) is a recent immigrant to a small Wisconsin town and struggling to fit in. His sister (Nayeli Hernandez) is worried about him, her husband (Erick Inestroza) less so - until a strange man (Ritchie Gordon) offers to take Miguel ice fishing.
Writer/Director Nathan Deming (Speaking in Tongues) continues his "Year Project" with DP Leo Purman (AFI '20) and producer Adam Stunkle (Purity Camp). Edited by Patricio de la Maza (Heat).
Winner of the 2024 GOLDEN BADGER AWARD and the AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD at the Wisconsin Film Festival!!
QUICK LOOK
Runtime: 48 minutes
Languages: Spanish, English
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Color: Color
Audio: 5.1, Stereo
Format: DCP
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"Deft, economic visual storytelling"
Director's Note
As I approach making a film for each month of the year, I am not just thinking about likely stories or Wisconsin culture that might have a place in that episode (it's going to be hard to avoid the topic of hunting come "November") but more how the month makes me feel. February to me is about the doldrums, the monotony of winter as the holidays are truly behind you and all you can really look forward to is the hope and possibility of spring.
I'm not sure where Miguel initially came from, or his story, but I knew I wanted to explore someone as different as possible from the protagonist of "January", a 75-year-old church volunteer and longtime Wisconsin resident. As soon as he arrived, it was like a welcome visitor I wanted to learn more about - diversity is sometimes hard to find in Wisconsin's small towns, but it is there all the same and there's many people living similar lives in the same place that get arbitrarily separated by race / culture / language. In "February" I sought to explore the things we have in common rather than the things that separate us.
- Nathan Deming
The Cast
David Ezekial Duran is an actor from Los Angeles, CA. He studied acting at Riverside City College where he performed in both theatre and short films.
Nayeli Michelle Hernandez is an actress from Los Angeles, CA.
Erick Inestroza is an actor based out of Los Angeles with a passion for storytelling on and off camera. After studying post production at CSUF Erick landed his first gig placing him in front of a camera which allowed him to discover his passion for acting. Since, Erick has appeared in multiple commercials and short films. When he isn’t busy acting Erick spends his time working as a freelance motion graphics / visual effects artist.
On his free time Erick enjoys boxing and practicing calisthenics which helps keep him grounded with his busy schedule.
Insta: @erick_ai
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Ritchie Gordon is a jack of all trades from New Auburn, WI. Despite never having acted in a film before, Ritchie went all in on his first screen performance - teaching the cast and crew about ice fishing (one of his hobbies) as well as regularly pointing out the inaccuracies depicted in the filmmaking ("There's no fish in this lake!!"). He lives with his wife and two children and still loves ice fishing.
The Crew
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Nathan Deming is an award winning filmmaker from Wisconsin, based in Los Angeles, who studied at the London Film School. His 2020 microbudget feature Speaking in Tongues premiered at the Austin Film Festival and is available to watch on Amazon and Tubi, and the 2014 short film on which it is based played at the Edinburgh Film Festival, the London Short Film Festival, and British Shorts Berlin. Besides his feature work, he is also working on a multi-year short film project called "The Year Project" about small town life in Wisconsin.
Leo Purman is a DP from Milwaukee, WI. Learning from mentor Matty Libatique, Leo explores abstract and expressive visuals rooted in character perspective. Leo has honed his craft shooting throughout Africa, India, Japan, Mexico and the Middle East. He earned his MFA in cinematography from The American Film Institute and his BFA in Photography from New York University. Leo prioritizes impact driven projects, and hopes his work can have purpose beyond entertainment.
Adam Stunkle is a producer and director from Nashville, TN. A graduate of the London Film School, Adam has worked as an editor (Severed Garden) and is currently developing his first feature (Purity Camp).
Mark Arditi is a graduate of the Chapman University Filmmaking program, originally from Istanbul. Mark has worked on a variety of large budget Turkish productions, including Kara, Turkish Ice Cream, and Muslum.
Maria Medrano-Miranda is a set decorator and Production Designer from Compton, California.
Joel Schaeffer is a DP from New Zealand and a graduate of the American Film Institute.
Full Credits
Cast (In order of Appearance)
Miguel
Louie
Rosa
Amelia
Anna
Marty
Tom
Co-worker
Co-worker
Co-worker
Abuelito
Dogs
Pool mom
Pool teens
Store Owner
Carl
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David Ezekial Duran
Erick Inestroza
Nayeli Hernandez
Emma Peralta
Reya Lahn
Becky Brown
David Lowell
Glenn Lawrence
Arden Maden
Christopher Parker
"Rocky" Marciano Moreno
Sully
Clark
Amy Radloff
Addie Ross
Linnie Mae
R. Scott Purdy
Ritchie Gordon
Crew
as Carl
Writer/Director
Director of Photography
Producer
Production Designer
Camera Operator
1st Assistant Camera
2nd Assistant Camera
DIT
Special Thanks
Filmed in Wisconsin
Nathan Deming
Leo Purman
Adam Stunkle
Nathan Deming
Maria Medrano
Joel Schaeffer
Jad Tannous
Tristan Evans-Fargione
Armando Garcia
Jad Tannous
Marquette University
The Tomah Cash Store
Americ-inn Tomah
Raj Patel
John Rose
Jim H. Campos
Kate Schanhoffer
Robin Curry
Anna Gordon
1st Assistant Director
2nd Assistant Director
Production Assistant
Art Department
Sound Recordist
Mark Arditi
Ben Dame
Clayton Backes
Aaron Kuse
Ethan Best
Ross Husch
Wyatt Whipple
David Bryan Herrera
Andrew Hoffman
Emerson Cole
Jeremy Schmidt
Old Fast Glass
North American Camera
Mark Khalife
Xia Magnus
Gaffer
Key Grip
Electric
Color Gradist
Kishan Patel
Casear Flores
Kyle Bower
Zach Richemer
Daniel Duran
Belal Hibri
Lucid Post