The Carnal Soul, starring Bob Gunton, Danno Hanks, Alexandra Essoe, and Ryan Kibby, is competing as a semi-finalist at the 20th LA Femme International Film Festival on Friday, October 25th, at the Regal Cinema at LA Live. The riveting dark comedy/drama is the directorial debut of Essoe, who has starred in the TV series Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Bly Manor, as well as the feature The Pope’s Exorcist.
Written and directed by Essoe and produced by Alexis Iacono and Essoe, The Carnal Soul tells the story of Mort (Bob Gunton), who is in the winter of his life and can no longer live with the weight of his regrets. Every day is torture living with an old betrayal. Today he sets out to make amends with his longtime rival, David. Can he atone for his mistakes before it’s too late?
“I wish I had some sort of a producer dramatic war story…but truth be told, from cast to crew, from beginning to end, from pre-production, being on set, to post, it was organic magic,” says producer Iacono.
Alex Essoe is well known for her diverse character roles, including Wendy Torrance in Mike Flanagan’s Dr. Sleep, Mildred Gunning in the Netflix series Midnight Mass, and Charlotte Wingrave in The Haunting of Bly Manor. She also starred alongside Russell Crowe in The Pope’s Exorcist.
Alexis Iacono is the producer of Byline Investigates John Cleese’s hacking docu-interviews and is currently working with Unrealistic Ideas on a soon-to-be-released documentary series. Alexis is widely known for her video game voice-over roles in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, World of Warcraft: Legion, GTA: The Lost and Damned, Fallout 76, New World: Hearts of Madness, and Diablo 4.
A dynamic duo, Iacono and Essoe are slated to work together again for two untitled, upcoming feature films in 2025.
Bob Gunton is known for The Shawshank Redemption as Warden Samuel Norton, Dr. Walcott in Patch Adams, and Cecil Dobbs in The Lincoln Lawyer. His wide-ranging resume of Broadway and TV shows spans throughout his career.
Danno Hanks’ biography is now out on Amazon, called The Hollywood Detective. This child actor turned thief, private investigator, and informant, now retired, discusses his life of crime, tabloids, and working for the FBI.
Ryan Kibby is known for Criminal Minds and the feature film Master of Pulpits, as well as the feature-length documentary Line in the Sand, streaming October 10th, 2024. Kibby is also known as the lead singer, head songwriter, and frontman of the punk band Aiming for Angels. The band toured the United States, playing large concert venues and popular outdoor festivals.
John Paul DeFazio has a large body of work as both a cinematographer and camera operator on feature films such as Paul Schrader’s (writer of Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ) and Bret Easton Ellis’ (American Psycho) in The Canyons, Crime Story starring Richard Dreyfuss, and The Grow House starring Malcolm McDowell and Snoop Dogg.
The Carnal Soul will screen on Friday, October 25th, at noon at the Regal Cinema at LA Live, 1000 West Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles.
For tickets to the 20th LA Femme International Film Festival, visit the official website here.
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