~Zak Rizvi and Brother Zahik Win Best Feature At FAIF ~
BETHLEHEM, PA, FEBRUARY 4, 2008 - A childhood dream has become a reality for Zak Rizvi, chief of production at StarCity Recording Company, and his brother Zahik, who recently earned the Best Feature Award at the Foundation for the Advancement of Independent Films‘ (FAIF) 2007 Festival for The River on Randolph Street. The film, produced by the Rizvi brothers along with partner Babak Naghi, marks the first time in the history of the FAIF festival that a short film has been granted the Best Feature Award.
The Rizvi brothers have a passion for filmmaking. While both pursued professional careers, their desire to create award-winning films has transpired into a reality. Zahik, who is a pilot for a major U.S. airline, wrote, directed and edited the film with no formal education or training, only years of hands-on experience. His brother Zak, who has over 20 years of professional production experience, was the only choice to handle the composition and post production on the project.
“I gave Zak complete creative freedom in terms of sound design,” says Zahik. “I knew he understood my vision for this film. His ability to create the perfect mood and feel through the music and effects is an enormous part of its success.”
Zak handled all aspects of the film‘s audio post production, creating and recording original music as well as sound effects and foley at StarCity Recording Company‘s Studio Z. As the original field sound was rendered unusable due to excessive ambient noise, it was completely reconstructed in the studio. The score, covering nearly all of the film‘s 18-minute running time, was created with a highly detailed “virtual” orchestra. The final stereo and 5.1 mixes were completed in StarCity‘s state-of-the-art Studio A.
“It is a huge honor to win the Best Feature Award for a short at FAIF,” says Zak. “StarCity‘s support of this project has been amazing and I wouldn‘t have been able to accomplish this without them.”
The River on Randolph Street depicts a weekend trip to Las Vegas that leads down a dark road of desperation, where a chance encounter with a stranger yields one last game-a game where the stakes are eternal. It is the second short to be released by the Rizvi brothers‘ Snowblink Productions, a company committed to creating films on limited budgets that evoke the look and feel of large productions. The River on Randolph Street is screening on the 2008 festival circuit, and will be distributed throughout Europe by Glimz.net-it‘s next scheduled showing is April 30th 7:00PM at the New Filmmakers Film Festival in New York City. Snowblink Productions is currently preparing its next project: a full length feature entitled Anywhere America. To find out more, visit www.snowblinkproductions.com.
A world-class facility located in Bethlehem, PA, StarCity Recording Company offers clientele more than 50 years of combined professional recording experience and the state of the art in 5.1 surround sound.
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