Movies

Mara is currently in pre-production on her feature Two and a Half Sisters, which she will produce through  Larralley Productions .  Laura Thies is directing.

Larralley recently completed production of Mara’s new short The Last Supper:  What if Mary and Joseph were raising Jesus in 21st century New Jersey?  Carlo Fiorletta directed and starred as Jesus with Donna Catellano as Mary and Tommy Divins as Jesus. 

Mara’s horror short Foreclosed is an official selection of the Action on Film, Indie Gathering, and Columbia Gorge Film Festivals; it premiered at the Media (PA) Film Festival.  Mara wrote the screenplay and co-produced with director Jeff Bellantine.   Click here to watch the trailer.

Carlo Fiorletta, Nikiya Palombi,  Xavier Rodney, and Christopher Alan Weaver star.  Special effects are by Doug Sakmann of Backseat Conceptions. 

The Seduction of Eve,  for which Mara wrote the screenplay, was an official selection of the 2009 Action on Film Festival  (AOF) Fest - see photo at left - in Pasadena, CA; the The Indie Gathering in Cleveland, OH; and the Media (PA) Film Festival.  Eve was directed and produced  by Jeff Bellantine for Swordfish Films.  Nikiya Palombi  stars as Eve, with Dave Sykes as Billy and Benjamin Kanes as Kevin.

Mara’s short Jump Start premiered at the Action on Film Festival (www.aoffest.com) in Pasadena, CA in July 2008, where it was nominated for the Best Dramatic Short award.  It is also an official selection of the Indie Gathering, the Washougal (WA) International Film Festival, the Wildwood-by-the-Sea (NJ) Film Festival, and the Geneva (Illinois) Film Festival.

Jump Start was directed by Laura Thies, and stars Paige Lussier, Carlo Fiorletta, and Lori Kee; it was produced by Larralley.

Mara’s short comedy screenplay Getting In won An Abbreviated Screenplay Contest in July 2007, and is in post-production with Silver Penny Productions.   Ted Gianopulos directs;  Richard Varga stars with Sara Fernandez and Brian Jacobs.

Stage

Click here to see Mara’s comedy sketch Curfew - it’s about Joseph and Mary raising Jesus in 21st century America.  It was recorded live at Niagara Bar in NYC, and stars Carlo Fiorletta and Donna Castellano.

The romantic comedy A Model Girlfriend  premiered on Sunday May 17 as part of the Where Eagles Dare 10 Minute Play Festival.  Mara wrote and directed; Carlo Fiorletta and Laura Lamberti starred.

Mara’s one act play A Temporary Cat premiered at the Producers Club in Manhattan in March.  It was directed by Carlo Fiorletta, who also played Harry the Cat (see photo above).   Laura Thies starred as Tempa; the rest of the cast included Ian Dunn, Lori Kee, Susan Camparo, and Heather Lee Rogers.  Martin Denton’s review is here.

The screenplay version of A Temporary Cat was an official section of the Action on Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Hollywood Scriptwriter 2008 Written Word Award.  It also took first prize in the short fantasy category at

the Indie Gathering in Cleveland.

Getting In was also a finalist in the Writers Place Short Screenplay Contest and won the Artistic Vision Prize from the Gimme Credit Screenplay Contest.

Her full-length play The Fertility Factor was produced off-off-Broadway

in July 2005.  Her short plays Sunday with Albert and Mandy, Getting

In, and The Promotion have all appeared in the Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One Act Festival. 

About Mara

Mara attended Brown University and received a BA from the

New School, with a concentration in Media Studies and Film.  She’s the Secretary/Treasurer of the Guild of Italian American Actors (www.giaa.us ) and the director of the  GIAA Festival of Short Films and Videos (www.giaafilmfest.com).

She lives in Jersey City, NJ with her husband and their four cats.

E-mail:

MaraLesemann@yahoo.com

Click here for Mara’s interview with Joe Johnson on

Hudson Fog Radio

Above:  Mara being interviewed by PJ (left) and Earl Nulton at the Indie Gathering in Cleveland, OH