Member Screening: The Rainbow Experiment

Join us for this month’s Member Screening showcasing the film The Rainbow Experiment (Christina Kallas, Writer/Director/Producer) starring members Lauren Sowa and Catherine Cobb Ryan. The members will be available for a Q&A immediately following the screening.

The screening series provides members with the opportunity to show their work in a theatrical setting. Screenings take place at Anthology Film Archives, followed by networking at a nearby bar.

The Rainbow Experiment
Christina Kallas (Writer/Director/Producer)
Catherine Cobb Ryan (Actor)
Lauren Sowa (Actor)
2018, 2 hrs 9 mins, Scripted Drama

Things spiral out of control in a high school in Manhattan when a terrible accident involving a science experiment injures a kid for life.

Christina Kallas is a Greek-born, Berlin-raised, New-York-based feature film writer and director. She is best known for writing and directing the critically-acclaimed ensemble dramas, The Rainbow Experiment (2018) and 42 Seconds Of Happiness (2016). Released worldwide by Gravitas Ventures, The Rainbow Experiment debuted at the 2018 Slamdance Film Festival, and had an impressive festival run at festivals such as Moscow, Cinequest, Cleveland and St. Louis, winning several accolades. In 2016, Kallas scored on the film festival circuit with her award-winning feature, 42 Seconds Of Happiness. Prior credits as a writer-producer include the John Hurt-starring political thriller, The Commissioner; BBC Films and Polygram’s hooligan drama, I.D.; Toronto and Berlin selection hybrid narrative/doc Mothers; and European TV series hits, Danni Lowinski and Edel & Starck. Kallas’ films have played festivals around the world, including the Berlin Film Festival, Toronto, Moscow, Las Palmas and Thessaloniki. In 2019 she was nominated for Film Threat’s inaugural Award This! Best Directress Award alongside Debra Granik, Angie Wang, Josephine Decker, Chloe Zhao, Jen McGowen and Mimi Leder.

Catherine Cobb Ryan is a critically acclaimed NYC-based actress and busy mother of four. A William Esper Studio and NYU grad, Cobb Ryan has traveled the festival circuit with several films, including Christina Kallas’ award-winning features, The Rainbow Experiment and 42 Seconds Of Happiness. She is currently making the rounds with her award-winning directorial debut, Season of Passage. In addition to directing, Cobb Ryan is also the writer, producer, and lead actress of the short, which will be shown at NYWIFT’s Member Screening on June 25th.

Lauren Sowa is an independent filmmaker. In 2016, she co-founded Form & Pressure Films to tell stories that inspire and provoke thought, while encouraging diversity and equality on set and on screen. Producing credits include: Marisol, (Dir: Zoé Salicrup Junco), Shield, (Writer/Director: Danielle Eliska Lyle), Stray, (Dir: Nora Unkel), and Show & Tell (Dir: Sakshi Gurnani), among others. Directing credits include: Midsummer 3.2, In Development, LinkedOut, and To Be in America. As an actor, Sowa has been featured in the films 42 Seconds of Happiness (now available on Amazon Prime), Café Artist, The Rainbow Experiment (Slamdance 2018), and The Devil’s Well. Upcoming: Paris is in Harlem. Sowa received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.

Total running time: approx. 2hrs 9mins

Special thanks to Carlina Rivera and New York City District 2
for discretionary funding for the NYWIFT Member Screening Series.

And thanks to Tito’s Handmade Vodka, the Signature Vodka of NYWIFT