New York, NY, September 5th, 2008 - NewFilmmakers (www.newfilmmakers.com) announces the premiere screening of "Jocasta", on Wednesday, September 24th, 9:00 pm, at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue, New York, NY. Admission is $5. "Jocasta" is a 52 minute experimental performance film based on Euripides' "The Phoenician Women" (written 410 B.C.) directed by composer Elise Kermani, in collaboration with cinematographer Alan Smith, production designer Barbara Kilpatrick, and actors Michael Potts (Oedipus) and Marty New (Jocasta). Prior to the screening will be a site specific performance in the Anthology theater with dancers Vicky Shick (Chorus Leader) and Melli Hoppe (Antigone), and four trombonists led by Kevin Danger James (Messenger).
During the summer of 2006 artists gathered at a Shaker Stone Barn in upstate New York to film the performance of Euripides' play, what resulted was a twist in the Oedipus story: a modern Euripides (Michael Potts) rewrites the play and decides that Jocasta (Marty New) will live through the deaths of her two sons (also played by Michael Potts) in order to perform a sacrifice to save Thebes, and reunite the rest of her family, Antigone (Melli Hoppe) and Oedipus (Michael Potts).
Music for the film is composed by Elise Kermani, with improvisations by Kevin James (trombone), Tom Chiu (violin), Daniel Goode (clarinet), Skip LaPlante (percussion), and trombonists Chris McIntyre, Steve Swell and Mike Selzer. Jay Stern was the Production Supervisor with Video and Sound Editing by Elise Kermani, and Sound Mix by Paul Geluso. The war scene is an animation inspired by Greek Vase paintings and created by graphic designer Julie Verardi. The script was inspired by Euripides' "The Phoenician Women" translated by Brian Swann and Peter Burian.

About the Director: Independent multimedia and sound artist Elise Kermani has completed dozens of large-scale productions as writer/director, sound designer and collaborator. She recently received a PhD in Media Philosophy from the European Graduate School (www.egs.edu) with her dissertation "Sonic Soma: Sound, Body and the Origins of the Alphabet."

For more information about Jocasta: www.elisekermani.com/jocasta.html
For photos, DVD review copy, press pass, and full press packet call MiShinnah Productions: 212.988.5430 or email: info@mishinnah.org