Fix

Updated FIX Poster

2009-09-08T11:07:00.001-07:00

Victoria Film Festival - FIX writeup

2009-02-17T13:56:00.001-08:00

One of the most engaging race-against-time films of recent memory. Fix follows the 15-hour journey that Milo, who is filming the entire day, and his reluctantly-involved girlfriend Bella have as they pick up Milo's brother Leo from jail. The trio have until 8 PM to get him to drug rehab or he'll be forced to serve a lengthy prison sentence. Very much a road movie that uses Los Angeles and its geography as a character, Fix is manically paced, as Leo has countless small and large tasks to take care of before he gets to rehab, including visits to virtually all parts of LA with virtually every type of LA denizen. Coupled with his strict deadline, Leo must also come up with the funds to pay for rehab or he won't be admitted. Although faced with time and financial targets, Leo somehow manages to make the most of his final 15 hours of freedom.

What keeps the film on a relentlessly exciting and engaging trajectory is not only the speedy performance of Shawn Andrews as Leo, but the cast of characters he, Milo and Bella meet along the way, including married women, crazed lawyers, spiritual friends, unsavory mechanics and understanding police. Add to this mix classic cars, a slobbering dog, as well as Bella's initial distaste for the task at hand, and Fix is a completely satisfying movie. From its interesting shooting style of the entire story being filmed by Milo (director Tao Ruspoli in a terrific dual role) to its touching conclusion, this is a feature film that signals a wonderful new voice in American independent feature filmmaking.

One Week Screening: Nov 28 - Dec 1

2008-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

Location:
Downtown Independent
251 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 (between Second and Third Street)

Show Schedule:
November 28 - December 1
2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 PM
December 2 - 4th
11 AM only

www.downtownindependent.com

Upcoming Festivals and Screenings

2008-09-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

September 10 - 14, 2008
15th Annual Oldenburg International Film Festival
Oldenburg, Germany
http://www.filmfest-oldenburg.de/index_12_0_2__.html

September 11 - 20, 2008
28th Annual Atlantic Film Festival
Halifax, Nova Scotia
http://www.atlanticfilm.com/aff
Screening:
Friday, September 19th, 9:30 pm

September 12 - 21, 2008
Strasbourg International Film Festival
Strasbourg, France
http://www.strasbourgfilmfest.com/index.html

September 13 - 14, 2008
Toofy Film Fest
Boulder, Colorado
http://www.toofy.com

September 19 - 28, 2008
10th Annual Calgary International Film Festival
Calgary, Alberta
http://calgaryfilm.com
Screenings:
Monday, September 22nd, 9:30 pm @ Globe Upstairs
Saturday, September 27th, 12:30 @ Plaza

September 26 - 28, 2008
9th Annual Port Townsend Film Festival
Port Townsend, Washington
http://www.ptfilmfest.com
Screenings:
Saturday, September 27th, 12:05 pm
Sunday, September 28th, 3:15 pm

September 26 - 28, 2008
10th Annual Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival
Birmingham, Alabama
http://www.sidewalkfest.com

October 9 - 12, 2008
The Other Venice Film Festival
Venice, California
http://www.othervenicefilmfest.com

October 9 - 16, 2008
Indie 2008 - World Film Festival
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
http://www.zetafilmes.com.br/indie/default_eng.htm

October 10 - 19, 2008
24th Annual Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw, Poland
http://www.wff.pl

November 12 - 15, 2008
14th Annual Cucalorus Film Festival
Wilmington, North Carolina
http://www.cucalorus.org/

Upcoming Screening

2008-06-17T16:57:00.001-07:00

Long Island Film Expo
9:30 PM
Monday, June 14
Bellmore Movies
222 Pettit Avenue
Bellmore, NY 11710

for tickets and more info:
http://liifilmexpo.org/home.html

Upcoming Screening

2008-06-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

11:15 PM outdoor screening
Saturday, June 28
Arbol Cafe
209 Poplar St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123

http://www.philadelphiaindependentfilmfestival.com/

Winner: Grand Chameleon Award

2008-06-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

FIX took home three prizes at the 11th Annual Brooklyn International Film Festival!

Grand Chameleon Award (for the best film across all categories)
Best Narrative Feature
Best Actor, Shawn Andrews

http://wbff.org/films/winners/

FIX screening Sunday June 8th at 6pm in Brooklyn

2008-06-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

FIX screens as part of the Brooklyn Film Festival Sunday June 8th at 6pm at the Brooklyn Lyceum.

I will be there and do a Q&A after the screening.

Tickets and other info at:

http://www.wbff.org/films/detail.asp?fid=854

I arrive in NY Saturday at 7:45. Will you be around? If so, do get in touch whether or not you can make it to the film.

We got a great review in New York in conjunction with the screening:

http://offoffoff.com/film/2008/fix.php

excerpt:
"This is a life more vivid than any I've ever seen in this town.

It's a movie more vivid than almost any made in this town.

Dirty, sweet and magical, the movie swirls kaleidoscopically through urban terrain. It has the hallmarks of a music video — fast motion, jump cuts, dizzying angles — but isn't just vainly edgy. It's meant to be a guerrilla film-on-the-fly, latticed like the broken windshield of perception.

The movie has a sort of mantra — at least twice, characters offer the greeting "Each day's better than the next." Here is a two-faced piece of wisdom indeed. Does it mean life is getting ever-better, like it sounds, or ever-worse, like it says? Is "Fix" a movie about hope or catastrophe, the best of times or the worst of times?

That's for you to decide after seeing the movie. Catch it at the Brooklyn Film Festival, see it at another festival near you, beg your local arthouse to play it, do what you have to do, but see it. Because you just gotta." -Joshua Tanzer

FIX goes to Marfa

2008-05-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

The LAFCO/FIX RV took a thousand mile journey to the Marfa Film Festival. On the way there, we shot, edited and then screened a short film called Marfa, My Dear. Check it out here

New FIX Trailer

2008-04-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

The FIXmobile is off to MARFA!

2008-04-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

The FIXmobile is the second vehicle in the LAFCO fleet. The 1977 GMC eleganza served multiple purposes on the FIX shoot: hair, make-up, wardrobe, craft service, grip, electric, video village, editorial and transpo...Basically the whole film was made out of this super funky RV. We then painted it and put the FIX logo on the outside and we have been taking it from festival to festival, starting at our premier at SLAMDANCE. Tomorrow we leave for the Marfa Film Festival. We will make a short film on the way with some of the FIX cast and crew, including Black Moses and Lola Prosciutto Ruspoli, our English Bulldog.

Upcoming Screenings

2008-04-11T17:51:00.001-07:00

Newport Beach Film Festival 2008

Two screening times:
7:45 PM
Friday, April 25th
@ Edwards Islands Cinema - Screen 6
999 Newport Center Dr
Newport Beach, California 92660

5:30 PM
Wednesday, April 30th
@ Edwards Islands Cinema - Screen 6
999 Newport Center Dr
Newport Beach, California 92660

Upcoming Screening

2008-04-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Riverside International Film Festival 2008

9:15 PM screening
Monday, April 14th
@ Regal Theaters, Riverside Plaza
3535 Central Ave
Riverside, CA 92506

Winner: Best Feature @ 2008 Vail Film Festival

2008-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

East Lansing Film Festival 2008

2008-04-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Heineken Red Star Award

2008-02-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Heineken Red Star Award for Innovation, Originality, and Vision in Filmmaking was presented to director Tao Ruspoli at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

World Premiere: Slamdance 2008

2008-01-31T18:31:00.000-08:00

Festival goers eagerly await the arrival of the FIX cast.

Headed for Slamdance

2008-01-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Attempting to put out a fire with snow.

New FIX poster

2008-01-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

New 60 second trailer for Fix

2007-10-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

If trailer doesn't load automatically, click here to watch it on youtube.

Click To Play

2 and a half minute trailer for Fix

2007-09-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Click To Play

or download the
high definition trailer (right click or control-click and save link as)

Stills from the film

2007-09-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

We just finished shooting! Here are some screen captures from the actual film:

Fix is in production!

2007-08-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

We started July 21st. Fix stars Shawn Andrews (Dazed and Confused, City of Ghosts), Olivia Wilde (Alpha Dog, OC, Black Donnellys, House), Megalyn Echikunwoke (24, The 4400), Dedee Pfeiffer (Cybill, CSI) and many more!
Here are some productions stills:
(photos by Brandy Eve, brandyeveallen.com)

Click Images to Enlarge

Milo & Bella prepare for their journey

The drive from San Francisco to LA

Sam the Bail Bondsman (Randall Park)

The brothers

kickin bad habits

ruspoli/gallo (co-directors of photography)

The 1960 Impala

Erin Chiamulion, our costume designer, with Tao and Olivia

Bill, The Junky Monkey, studies his lines in the bathroom of the LAFCO Yam (our production vehicle)

Black Moses, who plays Ares, with Shawn Andrews (Leo)

Megalyn Echikunwoke, playing Carmen
Megalyn and Olivia

Shawn and Megalyn
Tao and Shawn on the Venice Boardwalk

Bartolomeo Ruspoli, our creative consultant

Paul Forte, our fabulous editor

Bea and Alessandra, our Italian PAs

Dedee Pfeiffer plays Daphne

Our wonderful friend Denise, who not only hooked us up to shoot at the spectacular Goldstein House (designed by John Lautner,) but also posed for Brandy while we shot downstairs...

Special thanks to Jim Goldstein for allowing us to use his beautiful house...

Tao and Olivia at the Lautner House

Nabila Lester, our location manager

Shawn Andrews, Tao Ruspoli, Olivia Wilde, and Bartolomeo Ruspoli during Fix rehearsals

Welcome to the Fix Blog!

2006-05-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

NEWS FLASH: I found funding for the film privately. All who donated will be credited. Thanks so much.
I'm in pre-production on my next film.
The film is called "Fix", and it's based on an extraordinary true and personal story. It's about brothers. It's about drugs. It's about love. It's about Los Angeles. It's a road movie, a documentary, a drama and a comedy. The treatment is posted below.

Fix
Screenplay by Tao Ruspoli and Jeremy Fels
Story by Tao Ruspoli and Paul Duran
Produced by Nat Dinga
Starring Shawn Andrews, Olivia Wilde, Megalyn Echikunwoke, and Dedee Pfeiffer

Preliminary mood shots:

Filmmaker’s note: This film is based partly on real events and real people and will be shot entirely first person by the actors in the film using a variety of hi-def, digital and video formats. The filmmakers are the characters in this hybrid narrative/documentary and the finished film will reflect their personal journey with stylized editing, music and direct interviews with the people in the film, all encompassing a single 24-hour period.

This film is the first road movie shot all in one city (Los Angeles, a microcosm of our post-world, is one of the stars of the film, and Leo is a modern day Odysseus, traversing its multiple worlds)

More about Tao Ruspoli, including his work in film, photography and music at www.ruspoli.com