A plea for mercy in the face of justice



The short film Useless began as a submission to the 2011 168 Project, a speed filmmaking competition. Teams draw a bible verse from a pile and then have 10 days to write and 7 days to shoot and edit a film based upon that verse. Useless is based upon Philemon 1:10-11

I am appealing to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have become during my imprisonment, that is, Onesimus, who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me.

Useless picks up where Paul's letter to Philemon leaves off. What happens when Onesmius returns to Philemon?... How will former U.S. Marshal Phil Stevens respond when the man he lost his badge pursuing turns himself in and casts himself upon Phil's mercy?

Watch Useless awards acceptance speeches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_nrNDSMRos

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I don't get it

If you've watched "Useless" and are puzzled over what happened and what it means,
please listen to this explanation of the book of Philemon from Pastor Mark Dever:

Faith that Forgives: The Message of Philemon

Boo Arnold : http://www.imdb.me/booarnold

Boo Arnold is an actor based in Los Angeles and has appeared in such television shows as "Grey's Anatomy", "Justified", "Nashville", "Drop Dead Diva", "Criminal Minds", "CSI Miami" and "The Mentalis" to list a few. See www.booarnold.com for more information on Boo Arnold.

Raised in central Texas, Boo Arnold played baseball at Texas Tech University where he graduated with a BA in Advertising and Marketing. After college he worked with Young Life, an outreach to high school students, and then attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston where he completed an MA in Theology. Arnold now resides in Los Angeles area with his wife and four children.

Kevin Sizemore : http://www.imdb.me/kevinsizemore

Veteran actor Kevin Sizemore can currently be seen every Sunday night on ABC’s smash hit RESURRECTION. He also appeared in the Steven Spielberg-produced CBS summer hit UNDER THE DOME and numerous other shows over the years (NCIS, Weeds, 24, Rizzoli & Isles, Desperate Housewives, Drop Dead Diva and Perception).

Kevin recently won Best Supporting Actor at the 168 Film Festival for his role in HEARTFALL, where he played opposite his son Gunnar, who was nominated for Best Actor. His independent film, the thriller RED LINE, is available on Nextflix, and his ensemble comedic piece CAN I GET A WITNESS PROTECTION will come out in summer 2014.

A native of Princeton, WV, Sizemore premiered his holiday film A CHRISTMAS TREE MIRACLE in his hometown this past December. Kevin is married to fitness expert and author Gina Lombardi. Their son Gunnar is a noted child actor and voiceover artist. Follow him on twitter @kevinsizemore

Palmer Davis : PalmerDavis.com

Palmer Davis is a working dancer, actress, and choreographer. A graduate of UCLA Fine Arts program, Palmer has been performing and teaching for over 20 years.Palmer has recurred in "CSI: Las Vegas" for the past 10 seasons as attorney Margaret Finn. She has guest-starred in several television series, including "The Secret Life of an American Teenager," “90210,” “Romantically Challenged,” "Pensacola," "The Perfect Husband" (starring Dean Cain) and “CSI: New York.” In film Ms. Davis starred in “Dark Streets” and the UK production of “The Last Bloodline.”

As a choreographer, Palmer’s most recent work will be seen in the upcoming Universal motion picture “HOP,” starring James Marsden and directed by Tim Hill ("Cats and Dogs," "Alvin and the Chipmunks.") Theatrical choreography credits include "Guys and Dolls," "Oklahoma," "Bye Bye Birdie," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Godspell," and more. Ms. Davis also choreographs for commercials and corporate live industrials,

Gunnar Sizemore : IMDB

Gunnar Sizemore is now an eight year old with years of experience already with over 10 commercials to his credit.

His gifts also are in the recording studio where he narrated the Weinstein Company film "Swimming In Air", voiced the character of Bird on "The Story of Pines" and is the voice for cartoons such as Doc McStuffins and the upcoming Disney show as Miles on "Miles From Tomorrowland" and has looped and done ADR on some of the top films in Hollywood.

Ivone Reyes

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ivone began acting, singing and dancing at the early age of six. She studied Drama with several well known Directors and Actors in her country and later on she moved to Los Angeles to continue her education and career. Ivone graduated from Theater of Arts in Hollywood. She has appeared in numerous TV shows and has an extensive career in Theater.

Recent credits include: “The Exorcist Files” for Discovery Channel coming up this Spring; Lead singer in the musical production "Tango Bar-Melodías de arrabal".

In addition to her acting, Ivone studied TV Production and is a singer/songwriter. She freelances as a Spanish Interpreter, Reporter and in Television Production and post production. Ivone now resides in Hollywood, CA. It is her first appearance in the 168 Film Festival.

Richard Kinsey : RichardKinsey.com

Richard is best known for his performances as Inspector Javert in Les Misérables for which he was the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson (Jeff Award) for Best Supporting Actor. He performed the role on Broadway, the San Francisco, First and Third National Companies as well as the International Company which toured Asia and Africa.

Recent film roles include: Caiphas in Good Friday, Jack in Making Waves, Preacher in Evil’s City and Sergio: The Seer.

Richard is also a published illustrator & visual artist and lives with his family in S. CA.

Lee Garrison Jr.

After writing, directing and starring in comedy sketches for local venues in Baltimore, Lee moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. He has appeared in numerous films, playing everything from the detestable to the endearing.

He has appeared in a number of films in the 168hr Film Festival, including, finalist “The Feast” and first place selection, “Max.”

He studied for years at the prestigious Harry Mastrogeorge Workshop. He is currently writing and producing a feature, as well as cartoon shorts, while continuing with his acting career.

Katie Shemer

Katie Shemer is a young actress based in Los Angeles. She started acting at the age of 7, when she auditioned and got a lead role of Angel Zeelah in Catholic Theater play in Cyprus.

Katie was born in a sunny island of Cyprus in Mediterranean. In 2005 she moved to Atlanta, GA with her parents and continued her acting career there and had a privilege to study in Company Acting Studio with Lisina Longo for 3 years.

Katie's credits include roles of Willy Wonka in Charlie & a Chocolate Factory theater play, Guys and Dolls musical as well as commercials for Hilton Hotels and Delta Airlines in Atlanta. Last year Katie moved to Los Angeles and now attends Huntington Middle School where she continues her drama and acting education.

Katie loves animals and wants to help save polar bears.

Francisco Bermudez

Francisco was born in El Cargadero, Jerez, Zacatecas, has lived in the U.S. since 1968, and retired from construction.

He resides in Anaheim, CA with his wife, and is the father of 6 children, one of which passed away in 1990.

This was his first time acting, he had a lot of fun doing it, and wouldn't mind doing it again.

Gregory Graham : IMDb

Born in Iowa, Gregory attended Iowa State University and earned his degree in Industrial Engineering. After college, Greg went to work in the fashion industry and frequently traveled to New York and Los Angeles. He attended the Donna Reed Festival for the performing arts where he got the acting bug and was then invited to come and study under Emmy award winning director Joan Darling in Hollywood. Greg soon started booking jobs in numerous television shows and movies. Greg is a member of Mensa (High IQ Society) and is an Eagle Scout. He has studied at Second City Improv Studio, Margie Haber Studio and many other acting schools. Greg is married to actress Luciana Lagana.

Cast

Actors

















































Brandon Adams : Brandonadams.com

Born and raised in Boise, ID, Brandon Adams headed to Southern California in 2003 to tell stories. During his time at Chapman University as a Knott Scholar, Adams was mentored by screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz (Superman, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun) and producer Mace Neufeld (Hunt for Red October, The Omen, Patriot Games).

He has written and directed several short films, including the award-winning Bread Alone, and owns Light & Heat, a commercial production company. Adams is currently at work developing new projects and writing feature screenplays.

In addition to his filmmaking, Adams' passion for theology has a tremendous impact on the stories he tells.

Dennis & Olivia Bentivengo

Dennis was born, and raised in Bellflower, CA where he decided to work in Special Effects for films at the age of 14. At the age of 20 he graduated from I.T.T. Technical Institute with an A.A.S. in Electronics Engineering Technology. After working as a Flight Simulator Technician, and starting his own business, he began working at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA as a Pyrotechnician. He began working Special Effects in 2008, and has been doing Special Effects for Commercials, Film and T.V. to this date. He does Special Effects for Film with his company The Way Effects. He Produced "USELESS", along with his wife Olivia for the 168 Hour Film Festival under their company Matthew 6:33 Films (matthew633films.com), they strive to bring quality film making together with biblical values to create true Quality Films.

Olivia was born and raised in Orange County, loves serving the Lord along with her husband Dennis at church with the sound/media department. She Co-Produced "USELESS" for the 168 Hour Film Festival under their company Matthew 6:33 films, after being inspired by working on the award winning short "Through My Sister's Eyes" for the 2010 168 project.

Fred Emory Smith : FredEmorySmith.com

Fred received his bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music in film scoring. It was at this time that he dove in headfirst. During his time at Berklee, Fred privately studied composition and orchestration with Andrew List, James Smith, and Dennis Leclaire as well as taking master classes with Richard Dainelpour.

Berklee awarded Fred with the Doug Timm Award for outstanding musicianship in Film Scoring. During the commencement ceremony his senior year, Fred conducted Howard Shore's suite to the "Aviator" after being personally coached by Howard Shore. This was a career shaping experience.

Once Fred arrived in LA, he took his first job doing score preparation for the Fox hit TV show "Fringe". He then began working for multiple composers doing midi programming and arranging for the serveral networks (SyFy channel), theme parks (Busch Gardens, Unviersal Studios), and music libraries; working with such composers as Joe Alfuso and Penka Kouneva.

Kyle Christopher Warner : KyleChristopherWarner.com

Kyle Christopher Warner is a sound artist and audio engineer living and working in Southern California. Kyle attended Chapman University until he transferred to Ex'pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA to complete his studies in audio engineering and production. While living in San Francisco he apprenticed with Jack Douglas (The Who, John Lennon, Aerosmith), Scott Theakston (A.L.O., George Clinton), Jimmy Lyons (Primus, The Melvins, Michael Franti, Jane’s Addiction), Chris Colatos (Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Smokey Robinson), among other noted engineers and producers. After returning to the L.A. market in 2009, Kyle has worked as Sound Editor and Post Supervisor for Rapid Eye Digital Productions, Technical Director & Consultant for SCICo, Assistant Engineer at KBRT AM 740, Producer & Engineer for KISL FM 88.7, and F.O.H. Engineer for The Avalon Ballroom. Kyle's passion, however, still remains in the studio and he is currently working with several indie bands in L.A. and Orange County.

Brandon Adams : IMDb

Born and raised in Boise, ID, Brandon Adams headed to Southern California in 2003 to tell stories. During his time at Chapman University as a Knott Scholar, Adams was mentored by screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz (Superman, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun) and producer Mace Neufeld (Hunt for Red October, The Omen, Patriot Games).

He has written and directed several short films, including the award-winning Bread Alone, and owns Light & Heat, a commercial production company. Adams is currently at work developing new projects and writing feature screenplays.

In addition to his filmmaking, Adams' passion for theology has a tremendous impact on the stories he tells.

Brandon Adams : IMDb

Born and raised in Boise, ID, Brandon Adams headed to Southern California in 2003 to tell stories. During his time at Chapman University as a Knott Scholar, Adams was mentored by screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz (Superman, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun) and producer Mace Neufeld (Hunt for Red October, The Omen, Patriot Games).

He has written and directed several short films, including the award-winning Bread Alone, and owns Light & Heat, a commercial production company. Adams is currently at work developing new projects and writing feature screenplays.

In addition to his filmmaking, Adams' passion for theology has a tremendous impact on the stories he tells.

Crew

Crew

















































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