Producer Eric Watson (pi) bets on another first-time feature filmmaker with Saturn, Rob Schmidt’s chilling father-son drama. Watson is exec producing the feature along with Jonah Smith, an NYU film grad who was also an exec producer of ¼ and who recently opened Plantain Films, a full-service film production facility in downtown New York. Heading the Saturn team as producer is newcomer Palmer West.

Saturn’s about the desolation that overwhelms 25-year-old Drew as he struggles to care for his father, a once-brilliant engineer incapacitated by Alzheimer’s disease. Enrolled in abnormal psychology classes at community college, Drew is also attracted to the allure of the city at night. When he’s picked up by a drugged-out trust-fund thrillseeker, Drew is so grateful for the attention that he sleeps with her twice before getting her name. But when a seizure lands Dad in the veteran’s hospital, it’s clear that Drew must figure out how to reconcile his new relationship with the demands of family.

"Loving something and watching it die is a universal in the human experience," says Schmidt. "It’s a natural process, but anytime you see something you love destroyed it creates a lot of pain and drives you towards self-destructive impulses."

Schmidt got an undergrad degree in film from the SUNY Purchase program where he made a short version of Saturn in ’91. He was a directing fellow at the American Film Institute, where his classmate-collaborators included ¼ director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, now shooting Saturn (in 35mm color), as well as Watson. Saturn began a four-week shoot in and around Brooklyn on August 3. Schmidt’s intention is to manipulate the stock during and after shooting to sculpt an intensely visual film reflecting Drew’s inner turmoil and chemically-fueled visions. Jeremy Dawson, who created ¼’s distinctive title sequence on a Mac, will be designing Saturn’s as well. All rights are available; Schmidt’s next film, due to shoot in ’99, is Crime and Punishment in High School with Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler’s Killer Films.

Cast: Scott Caan, Mia Kirshner, Leo Burmester, Anthony Ruivivar. Crew: Producer, Palmer West, Executive Producers, Eric Watson, Jonah Smith; Associate Producer, Lisa Libatique; Line Producer, Lora Zuckerman; Screenwriter/ Director, Rob Schmidt; Cinematographer, Matthew Libatique; Casting, Susan Shopmaker; Production Design, James Chinlund; Editors, Gabriel Rye, Michael Ross. Contact: Palmer West, Sibling Productions, 100 Jane St., #2G, New York, NY 10014, Tel: (212) 414-9563, Fax: (212) 414-0093.

24 Nights - Kieran Turner
April V - Holly Hardman
Big Brass Ring - George Hickenlooper
Boricua’s Bond - Val Lik
Saturn - Rob Schmidt
Signs From God - Greg Watkins
Soundman - Steven Ho
Trick - Jim Fall
The Weekend - Brian Skeet
Wildflowers - Melissa Painter