Maurice Haeems’ Debut Feature “Chimera” Wins Top Awards in Boston and Phoenix
More Screenings Announced in London, Bilbao and New York
(Hollywood, CA) – April 23rd, 2018. Sci-fi/horror thriller Chimera written and directed by first time filmmaker Maurice Haeems, keeps making waves on the festival circuit by garnering top awards. The movie won the Indie Spirit Best Picture Award at the Boston International Film Festival (BIFF) as well as the Best Sci-Fi Feature Award at the Phoenix Film Festival (PFF). Director of Photography David Kruta was awarded the Indie Spirit Best Cinematography Award at the BIFF.
“On behalf of the entire Chimera team, I would like to thank the jury, the programmers, the staff and the volunteers at BIFF and PFF for their warmth and hospitality. We are thrilled, honored, and humbled to have been recognized by these prestigious events. Now we are looking forward to our upcoming screenings at London, Bilbao and New York,” says director Maurice Haeems.
“As an aficionado of intelligent science fiction myself, I am honored to be a part of Chimera.” says lead actor Henry Ian Cusick, who plays a conflicted scientist named Quint in the movie. “Maurice Haeems has created a beautifully harrowing and thought-provoking sci-fi film, unique and surprising in equal measures. It stays with you long after the credits roll.” he concludes.
Praxis Media Ventures will next be premiering the controversial thriller in the UK at the SCI-FI London International Film Festival where Chimera is being honored as the Opening Night Feature. The team then flies to Spain to screen Chimera at FANTBILBAO – The Bilbao Fantastic Film Festival, and a few days later will return to the US for an official selection at the NYC Independent Film Festival.
SCREENING INFORMATION:
Sci-Fi London Film Festival (Opening Night Film)
Stratford Picturehouse – East London
Salway Road, London E15 1BX, UK
Tuesday, May 1 • 7:00 pm
Followed by a Q&A with writer-director Maurice Haeems and actress Jenna Harrison
FANTBILBAO – The Bilbao Fantastic Film Festival
Golem Alhóndiga
Arriquíbar Plaza, 4, 48001 Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain
Saturday, May 5 • 4:15 pm
Followed by a Q&A with writer-director Maurice Haeems
NYC Independent Film Festival
Producers Club – Theatre G
358 West 44th Street, New York, NY
Wednesday, May 9 • 6:45pm
Followed by a Q&A with actress Jennifer Gjulameti
About Chimera: Chimera is a genre-bending thriller, set many years into the future, which incorporates elements of sci-fi and horror. Quint, a brilliant but disturbed scientist, performs dangerous experiments and tests risky procedures in an attempt to save his dying children (including transplanting animal organs and editing their genome). When their condition continues to deteriorate, he freezes them alive to suspend the progression of their deadly genetic disease. Convinced that the secrets of immortality are encoded within the Turritopsis jellyfish, he races against time to save his children by decoding the jellyfish’s DNA.
“Chimera adds a new voice to the debate on human stem cells, animal testing, and genetics, as well as raises important philosophical questions about humanity, mortality and morality,” says director Maurice Haeems. “One of my goals was to hold up a mirror to the viewers, so they could ask these questions of themselves. By having single-minded focus on a distant end goal, however important it may be, does one lose sight of right and wrong? Even in the pursuit of the most altruistic goal, can we condone the crossing of ethical boundaries?” he adds.
Chimera’s intimate yet high-profile cast includes Henry Ian Cusick (Quint), Kathleen Quinlan (Masterson), Jenna Harrison (Charlie), Karishma Ahluwalia (Jessie), and Erika Ervin (Gruze). The children at the center of the plot, Miles and Flora, were very close to the project – Raviv Haeems (Miles) is the director’s son, and Kaavya Jayaram (Flora) is the producer’s daughter.
Chimera is a Praxis Media Ventures production. Written and directed by Maurice Haeems; Producers Jay Sitaram and Eric B. Fleischman; Consulting Producers Eric M. Klein and Franco Sama; Line Producer Ken Golden; Casting Director Mark Tillman; Cinematographer David Kruta; Editors Brian Scofield and Fritz Feick; Composer Aled Roberts; Production Designer Lawrence Sampson.
