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Stephanie is a writer and director based in NYC and Austin. But Humble Sinners is her first film.
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She's worked as a writer and art director in advertising and runs a photo and film studio called Halo House with her sister. She's interested in writing coming-of-age stories about every stage of life on stylized, art-directed backdrops. She was born in Dallas, studied print journalism in Missouri and became a grown-up in NYC.
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Next, she hopes to make feature called Penance, a coming-of-age comedy about a Catholic school girl preparing for her first confession. Think Rushmore meets Pippi Longstocking meets the Sacraments. She also hopes to turn But Humble Sinners into a series.
Some people have religion. Some people have science. I have the magic of female friendship. This magic is often indescribable. That's why I want to show it.
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I seek to portray female friendship the way I know it to be: tough, shameless and spit-my-water-out funny. This bond is born from the depths of vulnerability and thrives on humor and trust.
This is my first film. I opened my computer to practice writing dialogue, and this wacky story fell out of me. I don't know where it came from, but I do know that there are so many more stories I want to tell. So many worlds I want to create. Women I want to celebrate. Bad jokes I want to write and erase.
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When women come together through tough, intelligent friendships, we make each other brave. I made this film with the most brilliant women by my side. It could not have happened any other way.
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CAST AND CREW
But Humble Sinners was filmed in Austin, Texas during the 2020 global pandemic with a cast & crew of 65% women.
ANNE-MARIE HALOVANIC Producer she/her
Anne-Marie Halovanic is a photographer, DP and producer based in Austin. She is currently a producer for Pablo Rochat and Real Good Studio, and runs a photo and film studio called Halo House with her sister Stephanie. She is a classically trained dancer and harmonica player.
Director of Photography he/him
Steve McCord is a Director of Photography based in Brooklyn. Originally from East Africa, McCord found film as a way to connect two worlds: being a white kid in Kenya and visiting the U.S. as the white kid from Kenya. He has hitchhiked around Morocco, been deported from Vietnam and run a marathon around a volcano in Patagonia.
QUENTIN ARISPE | Actor she
Quentin Arispe is a queer singer and actress originally from Corpus Christi, Texas. But Humble Sinners is her first film. Currently living in Austin, Quentin is also a director and currently working on her own feature and short film. Quentin is so excited for this amazing short to be her film debut and hopes to be in front of the camera more in the future.
LORI KOVACEVICH | Actor she/her
Lori Kovacevich (co-vah-chuh-vitch) is an actress based in Austin. She has starred in many short films, commercials and live performances, including her role as Laura in Florian Zeller's recently film-adapted and Oscar nominated play The Father. Lori hopes to continue making films surrounded by women who empower and inspire her.
DAVID MICHAEL OTIS | Actor he/him
David Michael Otis is a Texas-based actor, originally from the East Coast. But Humble Sinners is his first short film. He is also known for The End of Bloody Spiral (2017) and A Family Thing. He is an amateur Bonnie and Clyde historian and loves lobster tail.
Production Designer she/her
Mackenzie McMahon is a production designer and set decorator on films, music videos and commercials. Her process is informed by her background studying art history, film production and theatrical design. Her work can be found in campaigns with national brands such as Capital One, Travelocity and Pizza Hut. You can find her digging around in her vegetable garden or attempting to befriend neighborhood cats.
Assistant Director she/her
Rebecca Mendoza is a Mexican-American production junkie based out of Austin. Born and raised on the US-Mexico border, Rebecca constantly found herself traveling back and forth between countries and cultures. As she's lived in both worlds, she chooses inspiration from each and speaks out about the oppression on both sides. Thinking big is all she’s ever known.
DAN LEYENDECKER | Producer he/him
Dan Leyendecker is the lead producer at BL&S Film. Originally from South Texas, he has lived & worked in Austin for the past 15 years. Former projects include two Robert Rodriguez features, Willie Nelson's Luck Reunion and an AMG Mercedes series. He enjoys fostering relationships in the Texas creative communities and finding compelling stories that speak to him. He worked on But Humble Sinners from start to finish, the final scene happening in his own backyard.
LUKE LASHLEY | Producer he/him
Luke Lashley is the co-founder of BL&S, a film services company based in Austin. Luke loves everything about the entire production process and serves projects by supporting directors, facilitating collaboration and finding creative solutions. His recent commercial clients include Google, Mercedes AMG and Lonestar Beer. When he's not working on commercials, he's trying to get a handful of TV shows and narrative films off of the ground.
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DANIEL SAHAD | Producer he/him
Daniel Sahad is a multimedia creative and film producer based in Austin. He’s a first-generation Dominican/Lebanese-American who shines at bringing the right people together. He previously worked as a music studio producer and managed a horror film franchise. Now, he fronts a rising band called Nané and will be touring the world as soon as the CDC says it’s cool.
RYAN MEDEIROS | Editor he/him
Ryan Medeiros is an editor and filmmaker based in NYC and Austin. He primarily splits his time between narrative, commercials and music videos. Ryan adores the narrative process—building character and immersing audiences in a story as it unfolds makes his heart sing. When he’s not editing, he’s nose-deep in short story collections, writing his own work, traveling and breaking bones on his skateboard.
PRODOUCTION
BL&S | Production Company
BL&S is a film services company rooted in Austin, Texas. They joined the project at an early stage and nurtured the film alongside Halo House throughout pre-production, production and post, acting as the production company and post house. The film was casted, shot, colored and mixed at their office in downtown Austin.
1ST AC
Patrick Hoy
2ND AC
Paola Oliveros
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GAFFER
Peter Klemek
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BEST BOY GRIP
Ivan Salazar
GRIP & DOLLY SWING
Heather Grothues
Zach Morrison
WITCHES
Kyra Allen
Carla Bay
Evana Flores
Lindsay Gallagher
Hannah Lasure
Julia Streller
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HMU
Vivian Stephens
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HALO HOUSE | Production Partner
Halo House is a photo and film studio by Anne-Marie and Stephanie Halovanic. As their first project, they collaborated with BL&S to produce But Humble Sinners. They work with brands and artists to tell stories through commercials, music videos, short films and photography. They hope to create more woman-powered films and work together as a Director / DP duo in Austin and NYC.
WARDROBE
Anne-Marie Halovanic
Worthy Dye
Morgan McCourt
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SET DRESSERS
Sam Roberts
Payton Russell
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PA
Elliot Franshaw
Logan Nelson
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SOUND MIXER
Rachel Haubert
COLORIST
Alex Winker
SOUND DESIGN
& MIXING
Joseph Kennemer
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BTS
Hannah Varnell
CONTACT
Say hello to us at stephaniehalovanic@gmail.com
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MORGAN MCCOURT | Casting Director she/her
Morgan McCourt is an actress based in Austin. She's fascinated by the art of acting and was pumped to make her casting debut with But Humble Sinners. She’s excited to see where her talents take her and is grateful to have been a part of a project with so many passionate, driven and talented individuals.