Pepos film shot in Calabasas, Agoura Hills

EYE ON THE FUTURE—Filmmaker Geoffrey Pepos has a vision for success. His second feature film, shot locally, wraps today. Agoura Hills resident Geoffrey Pepos is currently directing his second full-length movie, which he’s shooting close to home in the Agoura Hills/ Calabasas area.

“The Violent Kind” is a modern horror film that deals with the war in Iraq, more specifically about how war affects a family.

“I grew up in a military community, even though I didn’t serve,” Pepos said. “But a lot of my friends’ parents were in the military. My father was part of the Korean conflict. My grandmother lost four brothers in World War I.” The movie is a bit personal to Pepos, who also wrote the script, but it’s very research-based as well, he said.

The film’s cast includes Kirk Harris (“Intoxicating,” “Hard Luck”), John Savage (“The Deer Hunter,” “Carnivale”), Irina Bjorklund (“Honey Baby,” “Ambush”) and Sandra Vidal (Telemundo’s “Angels”). And Calabasas Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Washburn plays a mayor in the movie.

One of the producers of the film is Don Franken, the executive director of the Method Fest which returns to Calabasas March 31.

“The Violent Kind” began shooting on Jan. 16 and is expected to wrap principal photography today. And while it’s the second feature movie that Pepos has directed, it already has a distribution deal and will actually be finished and distributed before his first film. Pepos calls that project, “Daydreams,” an “art house film.” It’s currently in post-production.

Pepos also produced, shot and edited “Some Body,” a feature film that played at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival where Lot 47 and IFC Films bought and distributed the movie.

The filmmaker says he learned the moviemaking process by doing it. He started out as a musician and fell into moviemaking by just picking up a camera. He didn’t go to film school. He said his latest project has been a lot of fun and he’s very happy with the footage.

Pepos and “The Violent Kind” producers were able to secure several corporate sponsors for the film, including Cineform, Sony and Wafian. Most of the budget, however, came from private investors and self-funding, according to Pepos. m “The Violent Kind” is the sixth

feature film produced by Rogue Arts. The company, which has produced five theatrically released feature films and handled the domestic distribution of more than 30 titles to date, will also distribute “The Violent Kind.”

Founded by actor/filmmaker Kirk Harris in 2003 as an independent production company, Rogue Arts has expanded in the last two years as a domestic art house theatrical company.

For information about Rogue Arts, go to www.roguearts.com.