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Megan Griffiths, Director (B/W Action Shot)

Megan Griffiths, Director (Color with Cowboy Hat)

Cinechick Logo

First Aid for Choking Logo

Jennifer Perreault as Gillian (COLOR)

Duke Novak as Jay (COLOR)

Gillian (Perreault) and Jay (Novak) in apartment (COLOR)

Gillian (Perreault) at the Hat and Boots (COLOR

Gillian (Perreault) at Wedding (B/W)

Promotional Poster (JPEG)

DVD Jewel Box Art (Front)

DVD Jewel Box Art (Back)

INFORMATION, SYNOPSIS, AND BIOS

First Aid for Choking

Megan Griffiths, director

thecinechick@hotmail.com

Tagline:

A new film about finding your voice in the midst of family, friends, and other roadside attractions.

Synopsis (Short):

Gillian Tremaine is an aimless small-town girl who enrolls at a local beauty school, dragging her roommate and somewhat abrasive best friend Jay along. Also enrolled is Lucinda, a one-time high school friend whose affair with Gillian's father broke up the family. What begins as a half-hearted career move becomes an excercise in reconciliation. As relationships with old friends like Jay turn strained, and new courtships throw off the tenuous balance, Gillian is forced to investigate her own capacity to love.

Synopsis (Long):

As First Aid for Choking begins, Gillian Tremaine and her roommate and best friend Jay Calloway walk to their first day of beauty school. Entering the salon, Gillian encounters a face from her small-town past, Lucinda. Their uncomfortable exchange hints at an unknown source of contention. It is revealed that this stems from high school, when Lucinda had an affair with Gillian's dad which ended both the young girls' friendship and Gillian's parents' marriage. What Gillian thought would be a painless year at Frankie's School of Beauty turns into an exercise in reconciliation. Not only must she come to terms with her father and Lucinda's past relationship, but also the one they seem to be rekindling. Alongside her is Jay, a dedicated if somewhat abrasive counterpart, and others they meet along the way: Ruthie, a reinvented accountant embarking on the career she's always wanted, and Ruthie's son Clayton, who rolls into town and immediately shows signs of a stilted connection with Gillian. The longer Gillian tries to deny the things that have happened which have shaped her, the more history repeats and forces her to come to terms with it once and for all. If she is to make any of her relationships work, Gillian must let go of her past and realize that family isn't always made up of people you're related to.

Filmography of Director

First Aid for Choking (2003)

not Waving but Drowning (2000)

Reflex (1999)

Salted Fish (1998)

Film Screenings and Awards

2003 Telluride IndieFest, Telluride, CO
Winner, Feature Category: First Aid for Choking

2003 Northwest Film and Video Festival, Portland, OR
Screened: First Aid for Choking

2003 Olympia Film Festival, Olympia, WA
Screened: First Aid for Choking

2003 Eclipse Film Festival, St. George, UT
Screened: First Aid for Choking

2003 Georgetown Film Festival, Washington DC
Screened: First Aid for Choking

2001 Student Academy Awards, Los Angeles, CA
National Finalist/Regional Winner: not Waving but Drowning

2001 Women in Film, Nell Shipman Awards, Seattle, WA
Winner: Best Directing, Best Cinematography, not Waving but Drowning

2001 Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, WA
Screened: not Waving but Drowning

2000 Eclipse Film Festival, St. George, UT
Winner: Best Editing, not Waving but Drowning

2000 Ohio University Student Film Festival, Athens, OH
Winner: Best Overall Film, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Directing, Reflex

Key Production Personnel:

(The following information can be found accompanied by photos by clicking on "cast and crew" in the top banner.)

Crew:

Megan Griffiths - Writer, Producer, Director, Editor

Megan Griffiths moved to Seattle after completing an MFA in Film Production at Ohio University School of Film. Her thesis film, not Waving but Drowning, competed as a National finalist in the 2001 Student Academy Awards, in addition to playing at several U.S. festivals and receiving awards for directing, cinematography and editing. Upon arriving in Seattle, Megan worked as a cinematographer on several independents before making her own feature debut with ÒFirst Aid for ChokingÓ. She hopes to continue living and making films in the Northwest.

Richard Sherman - Director of Photography

Richie Sherman has been working as a cinematographer for over seven years and has shot films of all genres and lengths. Though his work behind the camera has been varied, it has consistently garnered awards and accolades. In addition to freelancing as a Director of Photography, Richie also teaches Camera and Lighting full-time at Pittsburgh Filmmakers.

Colleen Stupp - Costumes

Colleen Stupp works throughout the Seattle area as a costume designer for both theater and film. Her costume work in First Aid for Choking exemplifies her excellent taste and attention to detail. Colleen is also in business for herself (along with partner Kelsi) designing leather totes and accessories for her label, Francie. Many Francie designs are featured in the film.

Kimberly Chin - Co-Producer

Kimberly spends her days keeping the world's population at bay by distributing condoms and other forms of birth control for Planned Parenthood of Washington State. She received her nursing degree from Lewis and Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. A one-time video store employee and long time reader of entertainment magazines, Kimberly has an encyclopedic knowledge of John Hughes films and other romantic comedies of the 80's and 90's. She is also a gifted planner and is lending both her considerable skill and dedicated support to this project.

Lisa Halpern - Fundraising Assistance

Lisa received her BA from Cornish College of the Arts, where she was trained in the art of writing, directing and producing. Lisa has leveraged her natural story telling ability and marketing skills into a talent for producing film and video. Her unique ability to problem solve, create opportunities and establish relationships make her an excellent addition to our team. Recent Producing credits include White Face (Angry Young Man Productions), which won the Audience Award at Slamdance and was sold to HBO, the feature length Inheritance (Solitaire Films), and Guerilla Gardener (Third Eye Productions).

Cast:

Jennifer Perreault - Gillian Tremaine

As a stage actor, Jennifer was last seen in Seattle as Lizzie Borden in The Lizzie Borden Play: A Speculation. She has recently played Alais in Centerstage's production of A Lion In Winter and Agnes in Studio 21's Dancing at Lughnasa in Tacoma. Jennifer has also participated in numerous theatre festivals in the Northwest, including 14/48's and the 2001 Fridge Oddity. Originally from the East Coast, Jennifer received her BA in Theatre from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI before moving to Seattle in 1997.

Duke Novak - Jay Calloway

Duke has been part of Seattle's theatre and film communities since moving from Chicago with his wife Mara. His most recent screen credit is Tuck, the subject of Shag Carpet Sunset, a feature-length Seattle production in which he works as a night roofer, tries to change the world with his public access puppet show and drives his Hyundai drunk, all to gain a little direction and maybe even win the heart of his ex-girlfriend. Shag Carpet Sunset premiered at the 2002 Seattle International Film Festival.

Ben Huber - Clayton Adams

A native of Wisconsin, Ben recently made his way out to Seattle with his girlfriend Sarah. Last year Ben worked with the reputable American Player's Theatre in Spring Green, WI. Since arriving in Seattle, Ben has appeared in plays at ACT, the Empty Space, and recently appeared as Ferdinand in the Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of The Tempest. Film credits include roles in Drawing from Reality (Existing Pictures) and Fermata (Revolution Productions).

Gregg Loughridge - William Tremaine

Gregg has performed in several Shakespeare festivals and with a wide range of theatre groups in the Northwest and down the coastline. His on-screen work includes "The Danger of Love" for CBS, "Mr. Carver: Short Stories" for PBS, and three episodes of the Seattle-based series "Northern Exposure".

Lauren Fins - Ruthie Adams

Lauren is a professor of Forestry at the University of Idaho, where she teaches forest ecosystem management and forest genetics, conducts research projects in forestry and writes articles for professional journals. In addition to her love of trees, Lauren has had a longstanding love affair with theatre and film as long as she can remember. She has appeared on stage in the Jewish Children's Theatre in New York, Idaho Repertory Theatre, departmental productions at the University of Idaho, Summer Palace at Washington State University, and Moscow Community Theatre.

Sarah Malkin - Annie Jacobs

Sarah grew up in San Francisco, where she performed with the Lamplighters, Theatre Rhinoceros, and the American Conservatory Theatre. She spent the last year and a half in Wisconsin, working with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and the American Players Theatre. Since moving to Seattle, Sarah has appeared with the Island Players, Umbrella Arts, and the Mae West Festival, in addition to starring in This Lady's not for Burning at Harlequin Productions.

Char Fluster - Frankie

Char earned a degree in German from Georgetown University, where she co-founded a German Theatre group. After interpreting for the State Department and working as an office worker in Germany, Char got on track in L.A. in the Customs Brokerage business, eventually becoming liscenced in the field. For the past decade she has stayed at home to raise her kids. Reading all four "Harry Potter" books to her kids (twice!) sparked some sort of thespian flame in her soul, which she has been fanning ever since. Char has recently appeared at Helene Hanff in 84 Charring Cross Road (June 2001) as Kate Mundy in Dancing at Lughnasa (April 2002), and as Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Spring 2003).

Chris Stordahl - Tess Tremaine

Chris was involved in theatre in and around Los Angeles back in the 80's. But fearing the instability that such a life affords, she quit to pursue a career in writingÉno, really. Finding an amazingly similar instability, Chris soon gave that up too. What followed was about 20 years of being unhappily stable in her work. Now, as the mother of two energetic and creative young girls, she is rediscovering her passion. She has returned to school to refine and define her love of performance. As a "non-trad" student at the University of Idaho, she hopes to clarify her goals, one of which is to work with children in some respect.