Pecker meets After Hours in The Photographer, a fable set in the downtown Manhattan art world that first-time director Jeremy Stein says was "loosely inspired" by The Wizard of Oz. Newcomer Reg Rogers (Paul Morrissey in I Shot Andy Warhol) plays the title character, Max, a successful young New York artist who is in a creative slump and fears he’s lost the ability to "see". His reputation is hanging in the balance when he finds a striking set of first-rate prints in a bar and decides to pass them off as his own. But just as suddenly Max loses the misappropriated prints, and so begins an overnight search that introduces him to a trio of unconventional New Yorkers (played by Rob Cambell, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Chris Bauer) who ultimately restore his vision. The film’s eclectic supporting cast includes Saul Williams, Anthony Michael Hall, Kristen Wilson, Mary Alice, John Heard and Tom Noonan.

Stein got an MFA in theater lighting and design from the prestigious Yale School of Drama and has had a prodigious career as a lighting designer for theater, opera, modern dance and ballet. His first feature screenplay, Shade of Grey, caught the attention of Good Will Hunting co-producer Chris Moore when Moore was still an agent at ICM. Stein wanted to direct Shade himself but Moore thought raising appropriately high financing for the piece was an unlikely goal for a neophyte director and suggested he write a screenplay that could be made for a moderate sum. By then Stein was working with Beacon Films’ Peter Almond and Charles Burnett on Forever Free, an historical documentary featuring Alfre Woodard, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee that took several years to complete. The Photographer was written during that time and Almond, who collaborated closely on its development, is producing with Moore, who currently has a three-year first-look deal with Miramax.

The Photographer shot in New York for four weeks beginning in late January. All photos that figure in the story were taken by Tom LeGoff, a rising downtown photographer who specializes in moody portraits of indie film types and recently had his first high-profile show at prestigious gallery Staley Wise. The film should be done sometime this summer and all rights are available.

Cast: Reg Rogers, Rob Campbell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Christopher Bauer, Kristen Wilson, Anthony Michael Hall, John Heard, Mary Alice, Tom Noonan, Tina Holme, Saul Williams, Leslie Lyles, Fenton Lawless, Marissa Barenson, Missy Yager, Richard Bright, Josh Stamberg, Alex Draper, Miles Chapin, Siobhan Fallon, Joan Cargill. Crew: Producers, Chris Moore, Peter O. Almond, Jeremy Stein; Co-Producer, Per Melita; Associate Producer, Marco Londoner; Original Story, Stein & Almond; Screenwriter/Director, Stein; Cinematographer, Vanja Cernjul; Initial Cinematography, Joey Forsyte; Editor, Sylvia Waliga; Production Design, Joe Worsan; Costumes, Neda Pourang; Casting, Hopkins, Smith, Barden. Contact: Peter O. Almond, Beacon Communications, Warner Hollywood Studios, 1041 N. Formosa Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045. Tel: (323) 850-2652, Fax: (323) 850-2613, email: poalmond@earthlink.net.

Adios, East Los - William Douglas Lansford
Adventures of a Catholic Atheist - John Mendoza
Bullfighter - Rune Bendixen
The Citizen - Jay Anania
Hit and Runway - Christopher Livingston
Jesus’ Son - Alison Maclean
The Photographer - Jeremy Stein
Wang Dang - Tom Noonan
The Young Unknowns - Catherine Jelski