Actress/Filmmaker KELLYANN CHIPPENDALE’s Six-Time Award-Winning Short Film ‘GETTING MEISNERED’ at 2016 Playhouse West Film Festival

This ‘slice of an actor’s life’ film marked Chippendale’s directorial debut, earning her ‘Best Producer’ and ‘Best Independent Spirit’ awards after it screened at the 2015 Monaco International Film Festival as part of the Angel Film Awards opening night mainstage in Monte Carlo. Prior to this, the film garnered a ‘Women Filmmakers’ award at IndieFEST in La Jolla, California; and received ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Actress’ awards at The San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival.

“Getting Meisnered” captures the fictional tale of dynamic young actors in a class exercise designed to teach the principles developed by the legendary teacher-director Sanford Meisner, known as The Meisner Technique. Chippendale not only directed the 12½-minute film, but also produced, wrote and stars in it alongside Christopher Leibe, Kat Crawley, Keleigh Kremers and Victoria Greenwood. The film production got its start at Playhouse West Film Lab and being so inspired by the film after seeing it, David Sheehan, 44-year legendary film and television critic, came on board to co-produce with Chippendale bringing his Hollywood Close-ups, Inc. production team.

Chippendale’s inspiration came from studying The Meisner Technique, explaining “The film’s message: ‘One great teacher can change your whole life,’ can be applied to everything and everyone in life; especially looking at ourselves and our own thoughts. While encouraged by Meisner philosophy and Meisner teachers to get to work and not wait for Hollywood to come to you, I set out on a mission to make a film with a message of humanity and empathy---especially since it’s what our world needs right now.” 

As a result of the film’s success, Chippendale has been commissioned by the founders of the Monaco International Film Festival to create the documentary film, “Meisnered in Monaco: A Peacemaking Mission.” The festival was founded post-September 11th to foster peace, as the only non-violent film festival in the world.

A New Jersey native, this quadruple talent started on the East Coast and is also remembered for her Off-Broadway play, “Tumor Humor: He’s Malignant; She’s Benign,” as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. She wrote, produced and starred as 8 different characters in this 90-p­minute dramedy about surviving cancer, which was featured in The New York Times. Chippendale is active in Improv and as a stand-up comedian performing regularly at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and most recently at Las Vegas’ Laugh Factory. Currently, Chippendale is the co-creator and executive producer of the series “Sheehan & The Stars,” incorporating the humanity of the Hollywood A-listers featuring David Sheehan and his 40-year library of Hollywood interviews. She is also working on two books, Adventures in the ABC’s, a cartoon series for helping families deal with cancer and L’amour et la Vie, a poetry/photography compilation from around the world.

“GETTING MEISNERED” at Playhouse West Film Festival

Date: Saturday, February 13, 2016

Time: 3:30pm (second film in series) 

Location: El Portal Theater, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA

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