Rachel Ohm Left to right: Garrett Ford, Adam Toepfer, andJessica Garner.
Yesterday we discovered the trailer for “The Angelheads,” an indie flick that takes its title from “Howl” and is set in the East Village. To find out who’s behind the production, The Local stopped into a fundraiser at the Phoenix last night.
Turns out the film, set to be finished in February, is produced by a group of friends from Marymount Manhattan College. According to its writer and director, Garrett Ford, it follows two couples – one gay and one straight – living in the East Village.
“It’s about changing your identity based on who you’re with,” said Mr. Ford. “New York can chew people up and spit them out, but the message is ultimately about optimism and that it’s worth pursuing big things.”
A tall 25-year-old with wispy dark hair, Mr. Ford tends bar five nights a week at the Phoenix. He said his days off – Mondays and Tuesdays – are spent filming.
Co-producer Jessica Garner’s workplace, Pangea, has also hosted a fundraiser, and the Second Avenue restaurant appears in the movie along with Tompkins Square Park, Astor Place, and Ninth Ward. The film’s music comes from Tayisha Busay, an East Village-based band.
“This whole thing has been in the works for about two years,” said Adam Toepfer, 25. The film’s editor and co-producer attended Marymount with Mr. Ford, Ms. Garner and one of the actresses, Vanessa Bartlett. “We have been close friends for a long time. Originally Garrett wrote a short story and we decided to turn it into a screenplay.”
Mr. Ford, who studied theater, said his background was mainly in television (he worked on the soap opera “One Life to Live”), and this was his directorial debut. “I’ve always wanted to feature the East Village in a film,” he said. “I love this neighborhood. It’s where I work, where I hang out.”
