Ramzi Abed is the owner of Bloodshot Pictures and founding member of the electronic group, "Elektracity". Mr. Abed creates films that focus on dying and transcending the physical world.
Each of Ramzi's films often features characters when they are sleeping. He's into lo-fi greatness, creating such grainy, abstract films as one of his newest feature-length films, entitled "Clay Fields" (premiered at the 2003 Dallas Video Festival), which has been compared to the works of Peter Greenaway and Bill Viola. He also joined up with Lloyd Kaufman (of "The Toxic Avenger" and Troma fame), Mark Borchardt (of "American Movie" fame), and sexy Masuimi Max ( of www.iamtrouble.com ) to create his award-winning Super 16mm short film, "The Tunnel" , which has screened as an Official Selection of 36 international film festivals.
He has recently finished a multiformat feature film (24P HD and 24P SD formats) entitled, "Black Dahlia Movie" , which is based on (and inspired by) the last days of Elizabeth Short (a 22 year old actress who was found sliced in half in a vacant lot in Los Angeles, 1947).
*The Official Premiere of "Black Dahlia Movie" screened at the Laemmle Grande Theater on Tuesday, January 16th in honor of the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Elizabeth Short's body. Thank you all who joined us for this momentous occasion.
Neal Fredericks (Director of Photography from "The Blair Witch Project" and "Abominable") planned and DP'ed the film (Neal passed away in August 2004, well before the film could be completed. We miss you Neal. The film is dedicated to you), with Josh Orlando ("Kush", "An Alright Start") and Mark Mervis ("Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss", "Amy's O") ") serving as the present Directors Of Photography (in 2005), John Neff ("Mulholland Drive") is chief Sound Designer and Mixer on the film, and Gregg Gibbs ("House Of 1000 Corpses", "The Hillside Strangler") is the Production Designer, with legendary club kid fashion designer, Freddie Rojas (www.rojasonline.com) serving as the Costume Designer, and Special FX Makeup by Jason Barnett, James Ojala, and Key Makeup (and main SFX) by Amanda Abed.
Among those contributing original music to the soundtrack are David J.(of Bauhaus fame), My Ruin, Abby Travis, Jill Tracy, Mr. Uncertain, Ego Plum (and The Ebola Music Orchestra), Dame Darcy (and Death By Doll), and Nora Keyes (of The Centimeters) along with Creekbird. David J. composed the majority of the film's score, with Djam Karet also serving as a composer with additional instrumental music (they're an amazing prog-rock band, and you should check them out!); Ego Plum filled the role of orchestrator and additional music composer, as well.
Some of the notables acting in the film: Lead actress, Kristen Kerr ("Inland Empire", "Plane Dead", "Strictly Sexual"), Lizzy Strain ("Delta Delta Die"), Gidget Gein (of Marilyn Manson fame), Trent Haaga ("Living And Dying", "Terror Firmer"), Sarah Scott ("Finishing The Game"), Caveh Zahedi ("I Am A Sex Addict"), Julie Strain ("Heavy Metal 2000", "The Independent"), Dame Darcy ( Fantagraphics comic book artist/writer), Masuimi Max ("Modify"), Amie Decker (super model/pin-up), Mark Borchardt ("American Movie"), Robert Williams (founder of Juxtapoz Magazine), Lenora Claire (of Apocalipstick legend), Cinque Lee ("Mystery Train", "Coffee & Cigarettes"), Lloyd Kaufman (creator of "The Toxic Avenger"), Courtney Cruz (fetish model and sex educator), Jade Starr ("Blacklight Beauty"), Charles Schneider ("Ghost World", "Beetlejuice"), and many, many more...
For more information:
You can also check out Ramzi Abed on LiveJournal and IMDB .
Bloodshot Pictures also has a yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bloodshotpictures
"BLACK DAHLIA MOVIE" ART BY DAME DARCY
(commissioned by Ramzi Abed, 2004)