Bilbo Berg only ever needed three things in his life: his mother, his best friend, and, above all, his whole milk. He led a simple and happy life. Yet everything changed after the outbreak of the Moobola virus.
A mass cow extinction began, causing the world’s temperature to increase severely, and dairy was wiped from the face of the earth almost instantly. When all he wanted was the support of his mother, she had vanished too, with no explanation. His world was completely lost. Until one day, when he discovered a hidden clue: there might be one cow left. With the help of his troublemaking, childhood best friend Alex, the two venture onto a road trip filled with trials, tribulations, and a rusty van. Through this journey, Bilbo must ask himself: what would he truly do for another glass of milk?
We’re filmmakers from all over the world with diverse backgrounds. Through the past few years, our team has been able to tell a range of stories from a multitude of different genres and characters. As we’ve continued to make films, we’ve developed a sense of comradery with each other and been able to tell bigger stories each time.
As absurd as the title and plot are, it is an important story for me. I’ve been away from home, Vietnam, for the last 10 years of my life. Having this opportunity to live in different countries, as well as meet different people, has taught me many things. I’ve learned to adapt, to absorb cultures, languages, to treat people with respect, and to work hard. I spent 4 years of high school in Auckland, New Zealand, where I built my second family. I worked for half a year as a waiter in Vietnam post-graduation then backpacked around the country. I then lived in Boston for years studying business before I stumbled into this filmmaking journey, and it’s been the best thing that’s happened to me. I want to use this absurd story to tell a grounded human story, a journey of a person growing up.
With Bilbo, we are venturing into a larger scale epic than ever before, yet we have the tools and the experience with each other to bring such an expansive story to life confidently. Furthermore, we are a group of passionate about telling a story with a social impact. While Bilbo is an absurdist adventure, it is also rooted in a discussion of how we impact the environment and animals around us. We want to use this platform to engage in a conversation about being sustainable and responsible for how we live our lives. The story of Bilbo reflects the journey all of us must face: taking chances to make our dreams happen, except with a bit more milk.
Currently, we are in the midst of preproduction as we gear up to begin filming in January 2020. Our Bilbo and Alex have been chosen, and our cow has been found, but there are many tasks ahead of us, including casting our supporting cast, finalizing our many locations for Bilbo’s journey, and fleshing out the world through production design, props, and costumes.
JONATHON PAWKOWSKI – BILBO BERG (LEAD)
Jonathon Pawlowski is an Atlanta based actor, writer, and director whose work has screened at the Atlanta Film Festival. Some of his upcoming acting work can (fingers crossed) be seen in Brockmire (IFC), Reprisal (Hulu), and an upcoming HBO series. You may have also recently seen him on your TV shouting from a Walmart parking lot or shouting from a stage to Limp Bizkit songs for his tribute band, Pimp Trizkit. In preparation for Bilbo, he drank a tall glass of Vitamin D milk every night for dinner as a young boy to teenage boy; he also has attempted the Gallon Milk Challenge and failed.
CHRISTINA LEIDEL – ALEX (LEAD)
Award-winning stage and screen actress. While pursuing her PhD in Physics at the University of Texas, Christina played several roles ranging from the Great Green Monkey God of Dance in the rock opera Sarah Silver Hands, to Desdemona and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s classics. She then moved to Charleston SC where she taught at the Citadel when not performing. Favorite Charleston roles included Eva Peron (Evita), Guenevere (Camelot), Christina (Red Light Winter), Fastrada (Pippin), Agnes (BUG), and Tzeitel/Fruma Sarah (Fiddler on the Roof). Since moving to Atlanta, Christina has performed as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker (Suzi Bass Award winner – Outstanding Lead Actress), in WASP and Other Plays by Steve Martin, and as the insane spider-punk Renfield in The Anointing of Dracula and the pink-haired, time-travelling, saxophoning radio actress in TheMeantime. She recently worked alongside the Georgia Ensemble Theatre on Night Must Fall, and also in #ChrisMissed. Looking forward, she is thrilled to be starring in Indecent at Theatrical Outfit this March. Christina is also active in film and television, and has starred in several films currently enjoying successful festival runs: Inhaling Red (Best Drama – Freedom Festival International; San Francisco Frozen Film Festival; Louisville International Film Festival), Molly (Audience Choice Award – Rome International Film Festival; Best Comedy Short finalist – Canton Film Festival; Best Comedy nominee – Beaufort International Film Festival), and The Last Filmmaker (Best SC Film – South Carolina Underground Film Festival). When not acting, Christina is a singer and composer. She plays the piano, saxophone, and a little banjo. She loves cheese….so…SAVE THE COWS!
THANG HO – DIRECTOR/WRITER
Emmy award-winning Director/ Producer from Vietnam. His path to filmmaking is a little less traditional, he was a business student during his undergraduate studies, that’s where he started out as a portrait photographer. Thang has always had his interest in telling human stories, the type of stories that connect people. Inspired by a new generation of filmmakers like Casey Neistat and Dan Mace, Thang began to make many videos during his backpacking trip in Europe in 2015. That’s where he fell in love with filmmaking. Now Thang is a founder of his own production company HOCA Studio in Atlanta, GA and he has worked on countless short films, music videos, commercials with acclaimed actors and Billboard. Bilbo & The Legend Of The Last Living Cow is more than a film for him, as it speaks from his personal experience.
VISHVESH BAKSHI – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
A 28-year-old, aspiring Cinematographer born and raised in India. Vishvesh has over 3 years of work experience in the Indian Film Industry. After graduating, he joined a production house in Mumbai and worked his way up from a junior editor to a senior Cinematographer. At SCAD, he has been a part of numerous productions, that include 7 thesis projects. He shot the student Emmy award-winning Music video ‘NOAH ’ and directed Student Emmy Nominated Music video ‘CHANGED ’. In May 2019 he was brought on as a DOP for ‘What’s After’, the first pilot episode produced by SCAD Atlanta.
MARIANA GOMEZ – PRODUCER
Award-winning filmmaker, Ambassador of the Youth of Querétaro, México, actress, and model. Mariana is currently studying film and television at SCAD. She started acting since the age of 6 in theater and musical theatre. At the age of 12, she directed her first short in the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios and four years later she continued at Harvard University. At 15 she won her first singing competition and has trained her voice ever since. Now, she has experience in over 30 short films, dramas, comedies, musical theater, commercials, and music videos with credits in producing, directing, editing, production design, art directing and acting. She published her book “This Is Not a Love Story“, in August 2018. In the past year, she has reached more than 20 Festivals with selections all over the world. Her most recent documentary “Latinos + Film + USA” has won three awards at festivals with a focus on giving a voice to minorities. She loves those stories that help raise awareness about the most controversial topics. Some of her most recent work includes What’s After (SCADAtlanta’s pilot), Vanilla Milkshake (HOCA Studio), Como Volcán (NOMO Producciones).
ANNAMARIA SCHREIBER – CO-PRODUCER/WRITER
Annamaria Schreiber is a filmmaker based in Atlanta, Georgia. Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Annamaria spent her childhood dreaming of one day writing things that would appear on the big screen. Now, currently a senior at the Savannah College of Art & Design, Annamaria has been a part of over 30 short film productions, doing work ranging from production assistant to best boy electric to Director of Photography, as well as having written over five short films. These projects include Us: The Web-series, SCADAtlanta’s pilot What’s After, Caretakers, Vanilla Milkshake and more. Annamaria hopes to continue to grow as a writer, director, and producer.
CAROLINE PELAEZ – CO-PRODUCER
Caroline Pelaez is a born-and-raised Chicagoan, where she dreamt about being part of something bigger. Following her passion for art, specifically television and film, she ended up creating a base at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, pursuing a BA in Television Producing, where she will be graduating come Spring 2020. She has been a part of bringing many live-action and animated student projects to life, as a part of the producing team, assistant directing, consulting, and art departments. Some of these student works include What’s After and Vanilla Milkshake.
ELIZA CHANCE – PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Eliza is a Production Designer, Art Director and Prop Master in Atlanta, GA. She got her start in production in February 2019 and is looking forward to ending her first year on a high with the launch of Major Art Department LLC with her two partners. “I found something I’m truly passionate about in set design, and that passion is reflected in the quality of my projects.” Eliza has worked on music videos for a number of popular artists including, Lil Baby, 2 Chainz, A Boogie, Gunna, and Hero the Band. Her commercial work includes campaigns for the Atlanta Falcons, Arby’s and Kefi. “Every shoot is different, there are always new problems to solve. I love that aspect of the job. And I’ve met the most encouraging and genuine people through this process.” Regardless of the set and her position on it, Eliza is a hardworking and calming presence for all departments.
JOE BROTTMAN – CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Joe Brottman is the Creative Director and Marketing Lead for the Film. Joe was part of the original creation of Hoca Studio and has been working as a Creative Director, Designer, and Illustrator for CocaCola, Grubhub, Visa, Cartoon Network, Wayfair, Oracle, and startups across the US. Joe is a Published Children’s Book Author and recently won a 30 under 30 award for his success with his business. Aside from work, Joe acts like an 85-year-old and loves to listen to jazz, read books, and nap.
TREI HILL – LOCATION MANAGER
TREI HILL is a film director from Germantown, Maryland. During his youth, he gained a passion for performing and organizing for school plays, bands, and chorus. With a focus on football, Trei joined Division 1 programs at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Alabama A&M University. He began to perform and host hip hop events throughout the country until attending the Art Institute of Washington. What followed was a brief stint instructing for the “Gandhi Brigade,” a Silver Spring, MD Non-Profit Organization with classes that teach PSA and socially conscious documentary production. This period of time also featured several music & Kickstarter events where Trei would host as Maestro of Ceremonies. He spent over three years working on large budget film productions as a production assistant such as Netflix House of Cards, Jason Bourne, Black Lightning, Loving, Bad Moms Christmas, Ghostbusters, and several more.
Being an epic tale, our film requires us to go into uncharted waters. From a production standpoint, as the story brings Bilbo and Alex around the country, our team will also venture into new terrains, going to supermarkets, forests, and deserts. Finding these locations, as well as transforming them into what we fully envisioned, will take extensive research and time from our team. Furthermore, we will be taking on another challenge, working with our very first cow. From a story standpoint, when creating both Alex and Bilbo, we wanted to make characters that were odd but felt authentic and relatable to audiences. Bilbo, while essentially quirky, is not someone we strictly laugh at but laugh with.