http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab51/RhyDinLittleTheatre/61.jpg Chase Dawson Staff Reporter

Lights!

Camera!

Action!

Never before have so many been so indebted to so few in the thriving entertainment industry right here in our own city. While the theaters do their part, there is one thing that Rhy'Din has been lacking to really make its mark upon the various entertainment communities of the multiverse. But no longer, for approaching is the long-awaited premiere of Rhy'Din's very first home-grown movie, written, produced, and released exclusively by 21twelve studios, the brain child of one Ms Lelah Rivka, formerly of New York, Earth.

A child model, and then child star, whose personal life and personal demons have been extensively documented by the press on her native planet, Lelah is no stranger to controversy and interest. No one could have predicted that in a city that clings to its ancient heritage and somewhat medieval atmosphere, despite its remarkable access to all the wonders of technology, the concept of a film studio would have been so warmly received. Many of you will remember the interest raised by open auditions in the spring, and the reports of difficulties on set during filming that seem to have focused entirely upon the willingness of the film's star, Aimee Savage, to sell her stories to anyone who was happy to print them. However, despite these apparent troubles, our patience is about to be rewarded with the multiverse premiere of A Murder of Crowes, this very weekend.

To tell the tale of this extraordinary endeavor, I must, of course, begin at the beginning. In this case, the beginning is a meeting with Lelah Rivka herself at her offices in the Plaza De Troyes. I wasn't sure what to expect of someone whose history is so well documented by other press organisations, but I did find myself welcomed into Lelah's inner sanctum with a warmth and sincerity most Hollywood actors on Earth definitely lack.

Lelah herself seems relaxed in her personal work space, surrounded by all the accoutrements of her trade. Papers, books, DVD cases and mock-ups of props and sets lie scattered over every available horizontal surface, including the floor, though the director herself isn't in quite such disarray. As always, she manages to somehow look perfectly put together, in charcoal grey wool slacks and a bright yellow cashmere cardigan, topped with a smile familiar to anyone who has opened a magazine to read about her. I am brought inside and offered a seat, even a cup of coffee - which I accept; I'm a professional, not an automaton - and treated to an informal chat before the business of our interview is even considered. It's a testament to how easily one relaxes in Lelah's company that I find myself talking about my own life, before remembering that I am actually here to discuss hers.

Refreshingly, Lelah has no restrictions she insists upon in her dealings with the press. "No, nothing's off limits," she tells me confidently. "I've seen other actors' struggles with keeping the most dark, most embarrassing parts of their lives under wraps and in the end, it always gets out. I think that if I talk about the dark parts of my past, I'll control the spin and will be able to shift the attention away from them." As though hearing herself for the first time, she snorts with laughter. "And here I am, being entirely too forthright for my own good."

Reassured with a promise to keep the transcript and tape of this interview as far away from Emmet Bane as I can conceivably contrive, Lelah seems a little relieved when the interview itself gets underway. Of course, the first question that must be asked is ....Where did Lelah Rivka come from"

Proving herself far too comfortable with sharing her personal information, the beautiful director launches into a background for me that would make most biographical researchers green with envy. "My parents met in England, actually, at London College. My mother, who is from Cadiz, Spain, was studying the cello, and my father, who is from a very small village in the mountains of Iran, was studying electrical engineering. They fell in love almost immediately, and my father converted from Islam to Catholism so he could marry her. After they graduated, they moved to New York City, which is where I was born."

For those who have not yet had the pleasure of seeing Ms Rivka in person, let me tell you right now - this mixed heritage has produced one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the honour to meet and talk with, not just in physical looks, but in manner and presentation as well.

"When I was three, my mother and I were at a playground in the Upper East Side, when I was discovered by an agent," she continues, laying out the beginning of her remarkable career for me without even a hint of discomfort. "He asked my mother if I would be interested in modelling or doing commercials, and her initial reaction was, of course, no. Who in their right mind would want their little girl working in show business" But after some discussion with my father, they eventually said yes. I appeared in my first commercial at age four."

Lelah pauses again before continuing, no doubt deciding what she wants to tell us. Those who have followed her career will be familiar with her stint in rehab during those rocky years between child star and acclaimed director; out of respect for Lelah, I have chosen not to go into the details here. "I came here, to Rhy'Din, after meeting up with Jon Granger. I'd done some work with him previously, in a film I wrote and directed called Triple Dark."

This understated comment is a perfect example of the gentle air of self-deprecation the director holds around herself. Triple Dark was widely acclaimed by critics and fellow writers and directors on Earth as one of the most original pieces to be brought to the silver screen in decades, and earned for Lelah the prestigious Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, while her star, Jonathan Granger, narrowly missed out on the Academy Award for Best Actor. Such is Ms Rivka's modesty that I had to look all that up when I got back to the office.

"We became really close," Lelah says of her relationship with Jonathan Granger, "though we lost touch after filming wrapped. He called me one day out of the blue, said he was in Manhattan for a while, and we met up. He'd always talked about his hometown, this wonderful, magical place called Rhy'Din, which I honestly believed was in Kansas or something," she says with a little grin - how many of us have been in that position' "But after convincing me that it wasn't Kansas after all, I decided to take a chance and come here."

She certainly hasn't wasted much time since arriving here. What first inspired her to start her own studio here, especially since it is the first of its kind on Rhy'Din"

"It's something that I've wanted to do since I directed my first picture," she answers without hesitation. "I fell in love with old Hollywood, the studios and the stars of the early 1930s and 40s. But that sort of climate could never exist in modern Hollywood." Chuckling, Lelah shifts herself more comfortably before continuing. "Which I suppose is a good thing. Actors are people now, not commodities to be bought, sold, and traded. But the films that were made then were works of art, you know" Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Gone With The Wind. Those sorts of films could never be made now in Hollywood. I wanted to get back to that era, and with a studio and writers and actors of my own, I can hope to recreate that."

She does not, however, intend to create Rhy'Din's very own version of Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, complete with its contracted stars, internal economy, and sheltered, restrictive upbringing for young actors. Nor can we expect a tiny independent studio producing nothing but art films and historical curiosities. "I'd really like to find a balance between the two," she admits seriously. "Studios have to make money in order to produce the arty, independent, meaningful films, which is quite honestly why I went big, Hollywood summer vampire film blockbuster, right out of the gate. Ultimately, though, I want to tell stories, character-driven stories that everyone can relate to or learn something from."

Before we get to the film itself, however, one question must be addressed. Just how did this remarkable young woman create a film studio from scratch, in a land where the concept of moving pictures on an industrial scale seemed to be the height of heresy"

"It was crazy how much time and effort and out-and-out begging I had to do to get 21twelve up and running," is Lelah's very candid reply to this enquiry. "I invested everything I had, literally every cent I had, in buying the property, hiring a construction crew and architects. Then I went begging for additional money to pay the techs and actors and office staff. The first person I went to was Jon, who sent me to Mataya De Luca, who sent me to Alain DeMeur, who sent me to Julian Marx and Ed Batten."

All big names here in Rhy'Din, and all for very different reasons. It's an impressive list of investors for a first-time venture, marking again the entrepreneurial spirit of those in our fair city who have the means to support and encourage others in their dream. Naturally, it can't have been difficult to convince the effervescent Mataya De Luca to invest, with her own background in film and theater, but there is a query over just how many of the Shanachie's own production crew seem to have upped sticks and moved from theater to film without a backward glance. Did this mass exodus have any effect upon Lelah's relationship with the Shanachie's bubbly first lady"

"Oh, no. 'Taya has been amazing throughout this whole thing. She's been supportive and just .... wonderful. I honestly couldn't have done it without Taya's help, and yes, her crew." Members of that crew known to have shifted their focus from the theater to the studios are Sound Designer Ben Casey, Make Up Designer Emma Valentino, and Art Director Victoria Marshall.

Of course, what we're really here to talk about is the upcoming release of A Murder of Crowes, starring Jonathan Granger and Aimee Savage, among others. Lelah is known to have both written and directed the film, nurturing it from a mere scripted concept through to the finished product, and she is more than happy to explain this process to me.

"The story is an idea I've had rolling around in my brain for a few years now, and after getting acclimated to this city and all of its very ....interesting ....residents, I thought I could finally write the script." One can't help wondering here just who she's referring to when she mentions interesting residents. "Then I met Ori ....uh, Ori Simon, head of our FX department, who is an illusionist mage and he convinced me that I could produce a film that was heavy on FX by hiring a few mages to produce semi-permanent illusions instead of spending millions on CGI."

She pauses for a moment, a sliver of guilt-laden pain crossing her face quickly as she speaks of her former lover. "Then we held auditions and I saw plenty of amazing actors. If I could have, I would have hired them all. There was one, a very tall, very strikingly beautiful woman on roller skates, who moved me to write an entire role for her in a script I hope to direct soon." Three guesses, readers, who this stunning skater is. I'll give you a clue. It's not Harris.

Speaking of auditions, it must be noted that choosing to cast the film almost exclusively from the relatively untapped well-spring of talent here in Rhy'Din itself is considered to have been one of the bravest decisions made by Ms Rivka by her peers in the industry back on Earth. With only one well-known name among the cast list, how did she make the choices between so many who auditioned for so few roles"

"Well ....every role has its perfect fit. Especially when I write the script, I have a very specific look for each character, a very specific set of gestures and expressions and a certain ....feeling ....for each character. While in the audition process, either during cold reads or while viewing tapes, I hold that set of characteristics forefront in my mind and compare each actor to it until I find the perfect fit." Adds Rivka, "It's much harder, of course, when you're taking a very well-known role, like Superman or Jane Austen or Jason Bourne, and adapting it to film. What's in your mind doesn't always mesh up with what?s in the public's mind and you get Tom Cruise as Lestat then."

I'm sure my editor will be very pleased to note that The Rhy'Din Post is not circulated to the stars in Earth's Hollywood, or I would have had to remove that opinion altogether. Which would be a crying shame, in my opinion.

Who can forget the disruption on set during the RBF crisis when it became well-known that Lelah herself was a victim of the virus" Yet somehow, shooting did not falter, and by the time Lelah returned to the set, she was able to settle easily into the final straits of her filming schedule. I am curious to know how this was managed, given Ms Rivka's reputation for being obsessive over every detail of her projects.

"Liv," is the director's simple, honest answer - Olivia Broderick, Lelah's personal assistant, who took the helm despite this responsibility not actually being in her contract. "This film would not be premiering on time without her. Hell, it wouldn't even have wrapped on time if she hadn't been there. She took control immediately, got me to the hospital, split up my scenes between the other unit and assistant directors, controlled the press and the actors - not an easy task, believe me - and basically muscled everyone into line."

It would appear that Lelah certainly has gotten very lucky with the people she has surrounded herself with since arriving here in Rhy'Din. It is to be hoped that these people, and their friends and acquaintances, will turn out in force to the After-Party for A Murder of Crowes, at the Grand Imperial Hotel and Casino, on Saturday 10th December, at 9 o'clock in the evening. Looking ahead to the premiere, how does the writer and director herself hope her film will be received"

"I am very much looking forward to it. Underneath it all, I am still an actress and I adore the spotlight, the screaming mobs of fans, the paparazzi's cameras. I live for red carpet night," she says with a girlish grin. "I hope it'll be well-received. It may just be on the surface a story about vampires, but I think after the film has been screened, people will be surprised to learn that it is a love story, and hopefully a story that uncovers the humanity inside everyone."

After Saturday, of course, the driving force of the film and production will be over, leaving Lelah with some free time to ponder her next move. So what is in store for the beautiful Ms Rivka" Will she eschew the bright lights of Rhy'Din for the possessive embrace of her romantic liaison with well-known restaurateur, Daniel Tej"

At the mention of Mr Tej's name, she blushes deeply and a bit of the mask of the polished, accomplished woman slips, revealing the love-struck girl underneath it all. I know I have struck gold, but it's too late to press her about! Alas for my poor timing! "We have a few more projects in the pipeline, of course, but I am going to take a few weeks after the premiere to focus on my relationship with Daniel. We're planning a trip over Christmas and New Year's, heading home to New York."

But before that, we at the Post, along with Lelah Rivka and her dedicated team, would love to see you all at the Grand Imperial Hotel and Casino on Saturday night, to celebrate the release of Rhy'Din's first blockbuster, A Murder of Crowes.

(Full details of the After-Party, to which everyone is invited, can be found here.)