Palisadian Kenny Golde said his daily conversation changed when he moved from producing to writing and directing. “As a producer, it was ‘How much is it going to cost and when is it due?’As a director it is ‘What do you think this character is feeling right now?’ Now it’s talking about feelings and imagination. It just turns me on.” His first feature film, “The Job,” a graphically violent thriller, was released on DVD January 13. The film also had a one-week theatrical release in December. The film focuses on CJ, a female hired killer, played by Daryl Hannah. She is told by her boss to kill a pregnant woman whose husband is dealing stolen drugs. But she has difficulty doing the deed when she finds out she herself is pregnant. Also in the mix are a former priest, an attempted abortion, childhood flashbacks and a drug deal gone wrong. Golde’s previous directing experience was with his short film, “Food for Thought,” which won awards at the 2001 Worldfest Houston International Film Festival and the 2000 Brooklyn Film Festival. That film, starring David Ogden Stiers, was one of a dozen shorts acquired in 2001 by HBO and was shown on that channel and Cinemax more than 100 times. “The Job” was shot in a little over three weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve 2002, at 22 locations around Los Angeles. Golde, 36, found that the holiday season was a time when crew and equipment were available. The entire crew worked for free, while the cast was paid minimal union salaries. The budget was less than $500,000. He, producer Dan Levin, a friend from Taft High School, and executive producer Larry Gabriel cast the film just after Daryl Hannah finished with “Kill Bill, Vol. 1.” Other cast members then came on board, including Brad Renfro, Dominique Swain, and Alex Rocco (Moe Greene in “The Godfather”). “Sixty people showed up every day for no money,” Golde said. “My job as a director was not just making a movie, but creating an environment where people wanted to come back. There was a bonding among the crew.” The film was made independently by Platform Entertainment and sold to distributor Lions Gate Entertainment, which released the movie on DVD. “They do a calculation process of their expenses. I’m thrilled we made an independent film that sold for distribution. Most independent films are not.” The film, which is rated R, will eventually be shown on pay-per-view and cable. Golde, who grew up in Woodland Hills, initially wanted to be a novelist and has written a science fiction novel “Apollo Main.” After graduating from UC Berkeley, he began his career in the film industry, working for an agency, production companies and then as a producer in film and television. He has also written and directed more than 30 “Intimate Portraits” for Lifetime Television. “I’m lucky. A lot of people out there, between feature films, turn to other types of work,” Golde said. “I get to write and produce these.” He cites model Christie Brinkley and novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford as his favorites whom he has profiled in the hour-long biographical show. Golde has lived in the Palisades for 11 years. His next project is directing “Haunted Hearts,” which he describes as a dramatic comedy, written by Ted Henning.
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