Synopsis
Recipient is a documentary short shadowing the process of a living donor offering a kidney to save his friend's life... both of whom are minority filmmakers living in Tucson, AZ. Director's MessageWhile watching this, I want you to ask yourself:"How far are you willing to go for your friends?" The film dives into a conversation about how deep your commitment is to ensure the safety and quality of life for those you care about. By experiencing this documentary, I want you - as the viewer - to place yourself in the shoes of both men and their families. You never know when you may be on either end of such a dilemma. What would YOU do in these cases? It is my hope that by the end of this film, you gain a new appreciation for human life and genuine respect for both individuals, just as I acquired while making this film. Please enjoy. About The Director Gerren Ard is a 2-time college graduate with various academic achievements, including a Bachelor of Art Degree in Game Art & Design, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information Systems.Named after famed Black director, Gerren Keith ("Good Times," "Diff'rent Strokes," "227," "Martin"), he embraced theater and storytelling by becoming a professional wrestler during his high school years under the name of "Black Venom." While being printed in national magazines and having moderate success with independent film, he is most known for being a winning contestant on the 38th season of America's favorite game show, "Wheel of Fortune." Gerren has been involved with various film projects since 2007, the most prominent being Asst. Director/Producer in 2012 for the independent film: "Blocked." "Blocked" was an "Official Selection" for the 2012 Phoenix Comicon and ran at Harkin's Theater. As a guest panelist for a discussion on Arizona film trailers for IFP - Phoenix, a graphic/motion artist on several short and feature films, Recipient marks Gerren Ard's full directorial debut. The film has already garnered "The Golden Gong Award" in Tucson, AZ for "Best Short Film" in May of 2023 for The Loft Theater's monthly "First Friday Shorts" competition and was a 2023 "Official Selection" for the Arizona International Film Festival. About The Producers Robert Linden was born and raised in Tucson Arizona. He has always been fascinated with the film business, and, at the age of 7, started training in the martial arts to become an action star.Robert started his acting career at the age of 14 being trained by his mentor Jon Proudstar. As Robert's acting abilities strengthened, he became interested in performing comedy and science-fiction roles. At the age of 18, he decided to become a professional wrestler while still acting. For four years, he trained until he experienced a career-ending injury. As a result of the injury, he tried his hand at fight choreography and stunts for films. To this day, he has choreographed fight scenes for many films, music videos and web-series. One web-series, in particular, casts Robert in the starring role of a space alien named Zhon, in "Zhon: The Alien Interviews." Upon suffering kidney failure, Robert became the subject in the 2023 documentary film, "Recipient." He still pursues a future in acting and filmmaking. View "Zhon: The Alien Interviews" at: "Zhon: The Alien Interviews"  Edgar Ybarra was born and raised in the LA area in 1980. His passion for storytelling via camerawork and editing developed in high school while shooting films with high school friends.After graduating from high school in 1998, Edgar moved to Santa Barbara, CA to attend Santa Barbara City College where he was introduced to film theory and production classes. During that time, he had also gotten accepted by the Brooks Institute of Photography in Montecito, CA to pursue a 3-year bachelor's degree in filmmaking. Unfortunately, he could not attend the latter and later moved to Tucson in 2001. In 2002, Edgar found his footing in filmmaking with a short film called "Un Domingo Por La Tarde (One Sunday Afternoon)," produced with his mentor and acting coach, Martin Zatarin, and some of his students. In 2003, he was given an opportunity to work for NBC/Universal partner Telemundo as a photojournalist and editor for the local Tucson news affiliate. He would also find a home at Tucson's CBS news affiliate, KOLD, and later NBC/Universal news affiliate, KVOA, where he became a decorated photojournalist garnering 2 "Emmy" awards, the "Edward R. Murrow" award and an "AP" award for his work. He later ran the You-Tube channel "FILMspiration" which provided video advice to aspiring editors and a platform to interview filmmakers while showcasing their work. 2021 was the year his first feature film, "All We Have" premiered in movie theaters near the end of the pandemic... lasting several months, a feat never achieved by an independent Tucson filmmaker. Edgar later became the subject of the documentary film, "Recipient" in 2023. He still creates short films, features and instructional videos for the public to enjoy. His love for independent filmmaking still endures today as his presence is a fixture within Tucson's film community. View the "All We Have" Trailer at: "All We Have" |
(a) "Recipient" Poster  
(b) Contest Host and Director 
(c) Producers with Host  (d) Loft's Short Film of the Year (2023) 
(e) Producer with AIFF Poster 
(f) Arizona Shorts - SOLD OUT NIGHT  (g) 2023 AIFF Program 
(h) Producers and Theater Sign 
(i) Guests: Lupita Murillo and Dr. Turner |
|