Writer/Producer
Robin Jay is pleased to announce that
The Keeper of the Keys won the 2012 award for
Best Independent Film at this week?s
Las Vegas Film Festival Jay attended the award ceremony Sunday night, July 22nd, at the LVH Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Jay?s film was also chosen as an ?Official Selection? and was screened at the LVH during the festival.
The movie is the first funny self-help movie, and stars personal development icons
Jack Canfield,
John Gray, and
Marci Shimoff along with a cast of outstanding experts from as far away as the U.K. The movie focuses on seven keys that, when implemented, can help people to live a better, more satisfying, and authentic life. These keys are
Appreciation, Harmony, Passion, Faith, Vibration, Courage, and
Empathy. The pace of the film is intentionally fast and the stories are moving and highly memorable. Viewers will find themselves rooting for the main fictional character, "Michael Walden," as he struggles to make sense of his disintegrating life and his unsatisfying circumstances. The humor comes from his interaction with the experts and with "Elizabeth," a mysterious spiritual guide, who is played by Jay.
In the movie, Michael Walden has had one bad day after another ... and there is no end in sight. After losing his job and finding his house in foreclosure, he becomes increasingly negative and frustrated. It doesn?t help that his fiancée Anne, tired of his endless, negative rants, breaks off their engagement.
Poor Michael is down and out ? a victim of his circumstances ... or so he believes. Then, one night, Success Coach
Jack Canfield appears on Michael?s TV screen, foretelling what is to come. Jack is sending some friends to help Michael find his way; they are experts who can help him gain control of his life. So begins an incredible journey that has Michael encountering experts from around the world as he is led through an eerie estate by Elizabeth.
The character of Michael Walden is played by the film?s director, Scott Cervine. Jay?s mentor, filmmaker Stephen Simon, who is also the co-founder of
Spiritual Cinema Circle, had worked with Cervine on several projects for ?the Circle? and felt he would be able to deliver a great movie at an affordable cost.
As a member of the Circle, Jay had seen some of the films in which Cervine appeared and wanted to cast him as the character of Michael Walden. ?He has the ability to be funny even when he?s arguing with people. I knew this character of his would be perfect as ?Michael.? My goal was to get viewers to identify with him so they could come along with him on his journey of enlightenment. It works perfectly. Being able to have Scott as my director and costar proved to be a great move. Plus, Scott was eager to edit the movie, as well. This is
typical of an indie film ? most people involved end up wearing several hats.?
?When you produce an independent film,? said Jay, ?it?s critical that you keep costs down. I was able to get an amazing crew that worked with me for the available budget. This movie looks like a million dollars, even though the budget was no where near that. Friends volunteered to help, plus we found amazing locations for many of the scenes. A miracle came when I was able to get all 15 of the experts to travel to Las Vegas at the same time so we could film their segments at a studio in just two days.?
?Not only is this movie funny, but it is also deeply moving. The stories that the experts share are often based on their own experiences of personal transformation. There has never been a film like this before.? Jay continues, ?When most people hear the words ?transformational documentary,? they think of an endless stream of dull, talking heads. I have seen enough of these, myself!
"I wanted to create a movie that would grab viewers with a compelling story, pepper it with humor, and empower viewers by sharing deeply personal stories. Based on the reactions of audiences, I?d say ?Mission Accomplished!? The most consistent comment I hear from people is, ?It was so much better than I thought it would be!? Because of this, I can see that my greatest challenge now is getting people turned on to it. Winning the
Las Vegas Film Festival?s award for
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM will definitely help to bring attention to this amazing, unique, empowering movie.?
The DVD is available at
www.TheKeeperoftheKeys.com For more information, contact Robin Jay at
Robin@RobinJay.com or call 702-460-1420.