JUSTIFY

Abby's tracks down the killer to avenge her father's death. But what is she really after?


Role: Writer / Director

“Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding” —K. Gibran

Physical pain, while difficult to bear, is tangible. This makes it possible for the mind to parse the information. In the case of psychological pain, the information is not always easily processed. We create vices, fetishes, addictions, or other deviations to distract and to deal with the “problem” at hand. The pain may be as trivial as facing the ennui of daily living or as great as confronting one’s own death. Just as our legs are used to transport us from one place to another, the muscles shrink and become weak if we don’t use them. The brain too is a biological organ with a specific function. Its main purpose is to create meaning by processing data. For example, identifying the color yellow creates a visual cue for identifying a banana, specifically a ripe banana. When our psychological pains are too great to bear, we fabricate scenarios to process them. These handles for the brain are called “concepts.” One of those concepts is called the ego. Watch Abby Lombard struggle to justify her ego or be destroyed by it.

Trailer:

rebeccaREBECCA LARSEN (Abby Lombard)
Rebecca Larsen was raised in Murray, Utah and attended Weber State University as a pre-medicine student before transferring into the nationally recognized Actor Training Program at the University of Utah. Since relocating to Los Angeles In 2004, she has worked on Veronica Mars, House MD, and several short films; most notably playing Soviet Georgian refugee Elsa in director Rob Connolly’s Our Neck of the Woods, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. In 2007, Rebecca won her first starring role in a feature film playing the coy and deadly Sophia in director Kiff Scholl’s hilarious 60’s spy spoof Scream of the Bikini, set to make its festival debut at the International Thrill Spy Festival this October in Washington DC.

jaretJARET SACREY (Tommy Cohen)
Jaret grew up as a concession stand gypsy, living in tents with his family of three generations at North America’s great cultural events. Jaret has thrown himself on the stage since the age of five and attended the Claude Watson Jaret later studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where he was the proud recipient of the Hume Cronyn Scholarship Award. Now based in Los Angeles, he has appeared in commercials, independent films, television, and theatre. In 2005 Jaret starred in the West coast premiere of Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe, which earned him an Ovation Award. 

heatherHEATHER LEMIRE (Victoria)
A veteran in the bondage community, Heather Lemire, moonlights as a professional dominatrix in the underground world of Los Angeles. With a successful modeling background, Heather naturally transitioned into the acting world. After moving to Los Angeles, she found her footing in the theater arts, performing numbers of shows throughout Los Angeles. Additionally, Heather has starred in several horror films such as Vampire Centerfolds and Sorority House Vampires. Heather was able to contribute a tremendous amount to her character in Justify from her real life experiences. 

elizabethELIZABETH WEISBAUM (Faith Somersby)
With passions in photography, visual art, and the human condition, Elizabeth dropped out of high school and then snuck into psychology classes at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she grew up. After spending time in Montreal, New York, and Singapore she settled in Los Angeles where she began acting courses, thinking performance was the ultimate in self-expression. She’s starred and co-starred in dozens of plays, TV shows, Indie features, and commercials throughout the years. After taking a short break, years and experience later, she’s come back to a fascination with the entire process of creation and the desire to be a part of it all. 

garrettGARRETT NICHOLS (Wayne Harcourt)
Garrett came to acting late in life. Originally a singer-guitarist with no aspirations of acting, but feeling the need to strengthen his stage presence between songs, Garrett looked in on an acting class at HB Studios (Herbert Berghof-Uta Hagen) in New York and was hooked! Upon finding that he was working frequently in the off-Broadway scene there, he decided to come out to the West Coast to try his hand at film and TV work. Locally, he has appeared as Bradley in The Cocktail Hour and Henry (the Old Actor) in The Fantasticks. Recently, he has become involved in a number of Webisode projects. You can look for him in The Hustler on C-Spot and Hulu, and in DominosJustify marks his entry into the feature film arena.

brentBRENT WENDELL WILLIAMS (Robert Lombard)
At the age of 13 Brent was the youngest diver to thrill audiences off 3-meter high boards in the hotels of Miami Beach! He became the All State H.S. Champ and won a scholarship to Southern Illinois University in gymnastics/trampoline, where he won 6 individual medals. After traveling the USA, performing over 600 shows, Brent packed up the family & headed to Hollywood to pursue an Acting Career! Brent has studied with Milton Katselas, Jeff Corey, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler! He is a founding member of the unique Actor’s Film Company. Brent’s high energy, special skills & subtle charisma have brought life & excitement to a variety of television/film roles including over 300 National Commercials including 15 Clio winners! He co-starred this year as the famous Chess Master Robert Byrnes with Damiam Chapa in the Bobby Fisher Live movie for HBO. 

judyJUDY WALLER (Dr. Chang)
Relatively new to the craft of acting, Judy Waller brings a lifetime of experience to the roles she plays. Judy is also an artist, wife and mother of two sons. She is Canadian by birth, and while she has lived and worked in New York and San Francisco, Judy loves living in Los Angeles. Having had a lot of theatre experience when she was younger, she truly loves the art of acting for film and continues to educate herself as much as possible.

insungINSUNG HWANG (Writer/Director)
Born in South Korea, Insung Hwang grew up in Los Angeles. His father worked as a Tailor then later became a garment contractor in the fashion industry. Before receiving his MFA in Film Production from Chapman University he has studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Part of Ovation TV’s 2010 lineup, his short Donnie’s Tree was awarded Panavision’s New Filmmaker Grant, Eastman Kodak product grant and was a finalist at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and Kansas City Filmmaker’s Jubilee. Before turning his love of art towards film, Insung worked as a graphic designer in the entertainment industry with clients such as Sony Pictures and Walt Disney. Justify represents his debut for a feature length film.

michelleMICHELLE ORITZ (Producer)
Having graduated with a BFA in film production, Michelle has produced dozens of short films and documentaries that have circulated film festivals, winning awards and acclaim. She went on to study at the American Film Institute. Michelle was the recipient of Chapman University’s Location Film-making grant, Eastman Kodak Women in Film scholarship, and Panavision’s Filmmaker’s Grant. She also had the honor to study under directors John Badham Saturday Night Fever) and Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond) as a Marion Knott Scholar. Michelle moved throughout her childhood. Her diverse background draws her to producing unique projects.

WILLY WALTZ (Director of Photography)
WILLY has graduated from the prestigious cinematography program at the American Film Institute. He was the recipient of the Corwin Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement and is the Director of Photography on nine feature films. His most recent film, White on Rice, has been nationally released and is receiving awards and acclaim. Other features under his belt include, Mulberry ParkBig Dreams Little Tokyo, and Road to Red. While he is not shooting, he enjoys listening to music on his extensive vinyl collection and an occasional soft rock hit by Christopher Cross (on cd of course). Willy Waltz resides and works in the Los Angeles area.

bradBRAD KAGENO (First Assistant Director)
Brad Kageno earned a BFA in film production at Chapman University. In 2003, he directed Boyz’ Day, a musical short prominently featured at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and other showcases. Brad studied filmmaking under the guidance of directors William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and John Badham (Saturday Night Fever). He has also assisted in the productions of The Death and Life of Bobby Z and other projects for Millennium Films. Endlessly fascinated by the nature of relationships, Brad continues to write and develop projects that explore the intricacies and absurdities of human behavior.

sergeSERGE DJANG (Post Production Sound Supervisor/Sound Designer)
Serge Djang is an artist, composer and internationally acclaimed bass player. Born in Cameroon and raised in Paris, France, Serge’s natural ability for music was discovered at a very young age and nurtured from thereon. Having played several instruments such as the flute, piano and the violin, he discovered the bass at age 16 after listening to a Level42 album and fell in love. Influenced by such luminaries as Mark King, Jaco Pastorious, Stanley Clarke and El Hadj Toure, he immediately began studying bass. Starting in small bars and concert halls in Paris and various European cities, he has played internationally between Europe and Los Angeles. He subsequently began working as a session bass player in the Los Angeles area, playing for multiple commercial productions and becoming the key bass player for Red Cola Records in 2003. Serge is currently composing and producing music with various LA and New York artists as well as composing for TV and theatrical productions.

CAST
Abby Lombard Rebecca Larsen
Tommy Cohen Jaret Sacrey
Victoria Heather Lemire
Faith Somersby Elizabeth Weisbaum
Wayne Harcourt Garrett Nichols
Robert Lombard Brent Wendell Williams
Dr. Chang Judy Waller
J-Dove Pierre Adeli
Bodyguard Will Brown
Detective Harrington Willie Mack Daniels
Seiko Kelly Crean
Officer Hatcher Kelly Roberts
Officer Perelli Danyelle King
X Serge Djang
Young Victoria Lorrena Magaña
Young X Stacy Dickerson
Young Abby Gabriella Roberts
Senator Murphy Thaine H. Allison, Jr.
News Anchor Tina Anderson
Fred Nielsen (Reporter) Brandon Krajewski
Woman on Train Alyssa Preston
Woman in Elevator Tricia Trippett
Man in Elevator William Boschelli
CREW
Writer/Director Insung Hwang
Director of Photography Willy Waltz
First Assistant Director Brad Kageno
Key Makeup Artist Cat Elrod
Special Effects Makeup Artist Cat Elrod
Artist (Tommy’s Paintings) Tahir Fatah
Boom Operator Janna R. Lopez Räven
Sound Mixer Janna R. Lopez Räven
Assistant Camera David Applebee
Camera Operator: 2nd Unit Hiroki Sugiyama
Gaffer Hiroki Sugiyama
Casting Associates Aimee Holguin Lazuka
Dyana Liu
Casting Assistant Jennie Yee
News Anchor Tina Anderson
Fred Nielsen (Reporter) Brandon Krajewski
Woman on Train Alyssa Preston
Woman in Elevator Tricia Trippett
Man in Elevator William Boschelli
POST PRODUCTION
Editor Lane Vélo
Post Production Sound Supervisor Serge Djang
Visual Effects Supervisor Dongwook Cho
Visual Effects Artist Shon Kim
Music Composer Olajide Paris
Assistant Editor Lindsay Lesh
Music Supervisor Serge Djang
Sound Designer Serge Djang
Foley Recordists Liz Crisci
Edgar Linares
Serge Djang
Musicians Rafael Bustamante
Haroula Rose
KC & Dan
SKP
Fred Card
CarbonGarden
Michael Linder
Kevin Polzer
Tristan Calder
Matt Robb
Kim Kassof
Sound Editors Serge Djang
Dana Ferandelli
Edgar Linares
Foley Artists Edgar Linares
Liza Crisci
Serge Djang
Insung Hwang
THANK YOU
Thanks Karina Achapa
Special Thanks Jaime Dyer Cozier
Special Thanks Daniel R. Fogg
Special Thanks Aimee Holguin Lazuka
Thanks Zach Horton
Special Thanks Claudia Jakab
Thanks John & Kate Kim
Special Thanks Megan Katherine
Thanks October Moore
Thanks Lynne Kuemmel
Thanks Delka Nenkova
Thanks Paul & Donna Mendoza
Thanks Joanne Wu
PRODUCERS
Executive Producers Chinsook Kim Moore
GLM American
Judy Waller
Ted Waller
Producers Michelle Oritz
Insung Hwang

PUBLICATION ARTICLE
The Fetishistas “Justify: Revenge in this movie is a dish best tasted cold.”
Pervs who are movie buffs seem to like movies that incorporate fetish and/or BDSM elements into their storylines in a credible, naturalistic, non-sensationalist way…[more]
 RogueCinema.com Abby Lombard is a lonely, introverted young lady. She is unsure of herself, doesn’t have much luck with men, and seems content to live in an apartment above one of her late father’s laundry mats which she inherited after his death. When she isn’t hanging with her one friend, Faith, or working in the laundry mat, she spends a great deal of time grieving over her life. [more]