Justin Swibel

"Sunset Town" (2002): Before graduating from NYU Film School in 2005, Justin made his first short film, "Sunset Town" (ST), a $125k production; he designed and executed elaborate tracking shots featuring up to 130 background actors for the film. His lead actor was Larry Yando, who starred as Scar in the successful national tour of Julie Taymor's and Disney's "The Lion King, The Musical". ST premiered at The Lake Placid Film Forum alongside films by Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, and George Romero. Canada's Anti-Matter Film and Video Festival dubbed ST "a dark and brilliant farce." "Fault" (2003): Before graduating from NYU's elite Tisch School of the Arts (Film/TV) in 2005, Justin made a second, highly acclaimed $95k short film entitled "Fault", on 35mm with a crew of Hollywood professionals. Justin raised financing for the project from private LP investors. "Fault" screened at over 60 festivals, internationally, taking several top prizes. "Fault" ultimately screened in Kodak's prestigious Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Festival De Cannes. From 2008-2014, "Fault" was distributed by Shorts International, home to the short film catalogs of Alfred Hitchcock and Peter Greenaway, among others. "Fault" was made available via Shorts HD, live on DirecTV in the USA & UK; for sale on iTunes in 23 territories. Justin has opted to consider other distribution platforms for "Fault" in light of today's changing market. "Modern Man" (2006): Swibel made his feature film debut with an experimental 61-minute "art film" spoof called "Modern Man" (MM). MM was based on Thoreau's Walden and took inspiration from Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and the conceit of "pure cinema". Theatrically exhibited in LA & New York in Winter 2006 & Spring 2007, respectively, MM, a one-character, no-dialogue Tati-esque film, was glowingly reviewed by renowned and influential film critic Matt Zoller Seitz, then of The New York Times, who noted that "Mr. Swibel's style is so assured, and the film's rhythms are so precise;" Zoller Seitz exclaimed: "a droll parable...you will leave the theater seeing the world with fresh eyes." In 2007, MM was screened as part of a week-long exhibition at CalArts, the educational brainchild of Walt Disney, on gigantic screens hanging in the main indoor commons area of the campus, where staff, students, and visitors hailed the work for its transfixing qualities. The Whitney Museum has recently expressed interest in screening MM as part of an exhibition in the future. Justin's ultimate goal is to see MM entered into the permanent archive of the MOMA, for which the film was originally intended for exhibition. 2006-2016: In 2006, Justin co-founded Becker- Swibel Productions, LLC with NYU colleague Eric Becker, under which Swibel served as manager and co-president. From 2006-2008, the Los Angeles-based production company employed a staff of 15, produced and self-distributed "Modern Man," turning it into an acclaimed, theatrically exhibited avant-garde feature film. In addition, Justin managed the company's development of intellectual property over the course of ten years, which included the negotiation and purchase of an 18-month exclusive option for film rights to a world-renowned author's novel. 2016 to Date: Justin completed, for the pre-visualization of "The Dark Feminine", one of the movies in Colorful Realm's slate, 1,452 storyboarded frames with corresponding floor plans that indicate camera, set, and subject details for every planned shot. Subsequently, he edited and scored with music and voices a full-length 153-minute "animatic" Pre-Vis sequence of TDF. From 2018-2023, Justin wrote the 10 feature screenplays (two originals, eight book-tofilm adaptations) that comprise Colorful Realm's 10-picture slate. During this five-year window, he also built the tech, product planning, marketing/branding, and growth strategy for the company. Justin is experienced in corporate development and management as well as in all aspects of film development and production, including pre-visualization, screenwriting, cinematography, directing, producing, postproduction supervision, finishing, marketing, and distribution. He is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Colorful Realm and intends to direct three titles from the slate to appear later in the company's trajectory.