Novitiate

Written and Directed by MAGGIE BETTS


Now Playing New York & Los Angeles

Synopsis


Spanning over a decade from the early 1950s through to the mid-60s, NOVITIATE is about a young girl's first initiation with love, in this case with God. Raised by a non-religious, single mother in rural Tennessee, a scholarship to Catholic school soon finds Cathleen drawn into the mystery and romanticism of a life devoted to the worship and servitude of God.

With the dawn of the Vatican II era, radical changes in the Church are threating the course of nuns' lives. As she progresses from the postulant to the novitiate stage of training, she finds her faith repeatedly confronted and challenged by the harsh, often inhumane realities of being a servant of God. Cathleen finds herself struggling with issues of faith, sexuality, and recent changes in life of the Church.

The Cast


The Filmmakers


"AN EXCELLENT FEATURE DEBUT FOR MAGGIE BETTS. MELISSA LEO MAY BE THE STANDOUT ELEMENT - THIS PERFORMANCE BECOMES A SMALL MASTERPIECE." Justin Chang, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"FILLED WITH SUPERIOR PERFORMANCES AND PACKED WITH SUCH RICH STORYTELLING. MARGARET QUALLEY IS ITS REVELATION." Kate Erbland, INDIEWIRE
"PIERCING, IMMERSIVE, AND SUPERBLY PLAYED." Guy Lodge, VARIETY

#novitiate


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Margaret Qualley

Sister Cathleen

Margaret Qualley was recently seen starring opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in THE NICE GUYS directed by Shane Black, playing a misunderstood and mysterious young woman who becomes the center of investigations by two private detectives. Last year, Margaret received widespread acclaim as the star of Kenzo Perfume's new campaign directed by Spike Jonze, which was named one of the best ads of 2016 by AdWeek Magazine. She has recently wrapped production on two features: IO starring opposite Anthony Mackie and the feature adaptation of the popular manga DEATH NOTE, directed by Adam Wingard.

Margaret most recently appeared in the Shawn Christensen feature SIDNEY HALL, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

Margaret first came to the forefront of Hollywood by showcasing her talents as Jill Garvey on the HBO series The Leftovers, now in its 3rd season. She made her feature film debut in Gia Coppola's independent drama, PALO ALTO, starring Emma Roberts and James Franco.

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Melissa Leo

Reverend Mother

Melissa Leo received an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for her tour de force performance in THE FIGHTER. She also received Oscar® and SAG Award® nominations for her starring role in FROZEN RIVER, for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and a Spotlight Award from the National Board of Review, among countless other accolades. Leo also shared a Best Ensemble acting award from the Phoenix Film Critics Society for her outstanding work in 21 GRAMS, opposite Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn.

Leo is featured in Oliver Stone's SNOWDEN portraying Oscar-winning documentarian, Laura Poitras. Other recent films include PRISONERS opposite Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal; OBLIVION, opposite Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman; the blockbuster OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Freeman and Aaron Eckhart; Robert Zemeckis's critically acclaimed drama FLIGHT, with Denzel Washington; THE EQUALIZER which reunited her with both Fuqua and Washington.

Other notable film work includes CONVICTION, with Hilary Swank; THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, in which she starred opposite Dwight Yoakam and Tommy Lee Jones, with Jones directing; and HIDE AND SEEK, starring Robert De Niro.

On the small screen, last year she received an Emmy nomination and a Critic's Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Made for Television Miniseries or Movie for her performance as Lady Bird Johnson in Jay Roach's HBO movie All The Way. Leo earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her hilarious and outrageous performance on FX's Louie which People magazine called the best in television all year. Leo earned a Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination for her work in Mildred Pierce, the HBO miniseries directed by Todd Haynes, in which she starred with Kate Winslet. Leo is also known for her groundbreaking portrayal of Detective Kay Howard on Homicide: Life On The Streets. Her other television credits include the HBO series Treme for David Simon and the FOX event series, Wayward Pines.

Leo studied drama at Mount View Theatre School in London, England, and later at the SUNY Purchase Acting Program.

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Dianna Agron

Sister Mary Grace

Dianna Agron is best known for her role as Quinn Fabray on the hit Fox series Glee. She enchanted audiences in her four years on the show and returned as a special guest star in several episodes of the final sixth season. Agron was seen opposite Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer in the feature film THE FAMILY, directed by Luc Besson and also starred in the film I AM NUMBER FOUR, directed by DJ Caruso and the independent ensemble THE ROMANTICS.

Agron recently appeared in HOLLOW IN THE LAND, in which she plays a woman with a troubled past who sets out to find her missing brother; Agron also recently wrapped production on HEADLOCK, directed by Mark Polish and co-starring Polish, Justin Bartha, and Andy Garcia. She plays the role of Tess Chandler, a former CIA operative who becomes determined to find out what happened to her husband who was injured during a mission.

Film credits include THE CRASH, a crime thriller which follows a team of white-collar criminals, ZIPPER, a political sex thriller opposite Patrick Wilson, TUMBLEDOWN opposite Jason Sudeikis and Rebecca Hall, which was directed by Sean Mewshaw, and Bare which co- starred Paz De La Huerta and Chris Zylka.

Agron made her West End debut in the play MCQUEEN, which follows a devoted fan, Dahlia (played by Agron), who breaks into Alexander McQueen's house to steal a dress and instead of reporting her to the police, the pair embark on a journey through London. Helmed by James Phillips, the play ran at London's St. James Theatre and starred Stephen Wight as the late Alexander McQueen.

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Morgan Saylor

Sister Evelyn

Morgan Saylor received rave reviews at last year's Sundance film festival for her daring performance in Elizabeth Wood's debut WHITE GIRL, which was produced by Killer Films.

Saylor starred for three seasons as the sullen, abrasive and rebellious daughter on Showtime's critically acclaimed series, Homeland. Saylor made her stage debut in 2015 opposite Cherry Jones and Zoe Kazan in the Manhattan Theater Club production, WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID, written by Sarah Treem and directed by Pam MacKinnon. Her other film credits include FATHER OF INVENTION with Kevin Spacey, Camilla Belle, and Heather Graham, THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT with John C. Reilly and Josh Hutcherson, Carter Smith's JAMIE MARKS IS DEAD, Rob Reiner's independent feature opposite Nick Robinson in BEING CHARLIE, as well as Kevin Costner's daughter in Disney's McFARLAND, directed by Niki Caro. Saylor has been acting professionally since age 11. Born in Chicago, raised in Georgia, Saylor is currently attending the University of Chicago.

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Liana Liberato

Sister Emily

Winner of the Best Actress Award at the 2010 Chicago Film Festival at the age of 15, Liana Liberato has quickly secured her place as one of Hollywood's most gifted and promising young stars.

In 2007, Liana made her feature film debut in the drama THE LAST SIN EATER starring Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher and Henry Thomas. The same year, she appeared in the romantic drama SAFE HARBOUR starring Melissa Gilbert and Brad Johnson.

In 2011, Liana starred opposite Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Viola Davis in TRUST, directed by David Schwimmer. Liana received rave reviews for her performance after the film's debut at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival and later won the Silver Hugo Best Actress Award at the Chicago Film Festival. That same year, Liberato also starred alongside Nicole Kidman and Nicholas Cage in Joel Schumacher's TRESPASS.

In spring 2013, Liana starred opposite Aaron Eckhart in the thriller ERASED as well as in the comedy-drama STUCK IN LOVE alongside a stellar cast including Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman and Lily Collins. In August 2014, Liana was seen starring opposite Chloe Grace Moretz in IF I STAY and in October 2014 was seen opposite Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden in THE BEST OF ME. Other upcoming projects include FREE RIDE with Anna Paquin, HAUNT with Jackie Weaver and Kevin Connelly's DEAR ELEANOR alongside Isabelle Fuhrman, Jessica Alba and Josh Lucas. She appears as the lead role in the recently completed independent film, MEASURE OF A MAN, opposite Donald Sutherland and Luke Wilson.

In August 2013, Liana was honored with the Discovery Award at the Traverse City Film Festival.

Born in Galveston, Texas, Liana also enjoys horseback riding, guitar, poker and writing screenplays.

She currently resides with her family in Los Angeles.

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Julianne Nicholson

Nora Harris

Julianne Nicholson was most recently seen starring in USA Network's Eyewitness, based on the critically acclaimed Norwegian drama. She is currently in production on I, TONYA with Margot Robbie and Allison Janney. She's also recently appeared in a number of films including FROM NOWHERE and SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN. Other films awaiting release are WEIGHTLESS and MONOS. Previously Nicholson co-starred in BLACK MASS with a remarkable cast led by Johnny Depp and Joel Edgerton. Additionally, she reunited with John Wells for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY with another stellar cast that won the Hollywood Film Award for Best Ensemble and was nominated for a SAG and Critics' Choice Award in the same category.

Further television credits for Nicholson include starring with Jason Momoa in the original scripted series The Red Road for the Sundance Channel. She also guest starred in multi season arcs on both Showtime's Masters Of Sex and HBO's Boardwalk Empire. She first worked with John Wells on the medical drama Presidio Med, which he produced. Her other series work includes Dick Wolf's Conviction and Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Steven Spielberg's paranormal drama The Others and David E. Kelly's Ally Mcbeal.

Independent film work has been a staple for Nicholson with leading roles in Hilary Birmingham's TULLY, opposite James Franco in Jay Anania's SHADOWS & LIES, in Bill Condon's KINSEY and alongside Ethan Hawke in STATEN ISLAND and more recently 10,000 SAINTS. Nicholson also draws fans in the international market working with such acclaimed directors as Peter Chan in THE LOVE LETTER and Nick Hurran in LITTLE BLACK BOOK.

Her stage work includes a role she originated in Sam Shepard's HEARTLESS, Melissa James Gibson's THIS and Rattlestick's production of Adam Rapp's HALLWAY trilogy.

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Maddie Hasson

Sister Sissy

Maddie recently completed the Youtube Red pilot IMPULSE in the lead role, directed by Doug Liman (EDGE OF TOMORROW, THE BOURNE IDENTITY) and written by Jeffrey Lieber (LOST).

In 2016, Maddie was seen in theatres in the Sony Pictures Classic's release of Marc Abraham's I SAW THE LIGHT, the true tale of legendary country singer Hank Williams, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen. Maddie portrays Williams' second wife, Billie Jean Jones, who was with him up to his early death. She also had a major role in the indie-thriller A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET, starring Taryn Manning, Madison Davenport and Carter Jenkins.

Maddie also recently completed shooting the lead role in the indie-drama GOOD AFTER BAD, directed by Anne-Marie Hess.

Maddie rose to fame as the lead of ABC Family's Twisted, for which she garnered two Teen Choice Award nominations for Best Actress. Prior to Twisted she was a series regular on Fox's The Finder, and was seen in the dark comedy GOD BLESS AMERICA.

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Chelsea Lopez

Sister Charlotte

Most recently, Chelsea wrapped the independent feature BLOOD HEIST alongside James Franco for director Jenna Cadelle. She is currently filming the co-lead role in the thriller FAN GIRL opposite Haley Webb. Her latest film, ARE WE NOT CATS, premiered at the 2016 Venice Film Festival. She will next be seen in PHOENIX FORGOTTEN for director Justin Barber with RSA Films and Mark Canton producing. Some of her television credits include BLUE BLOODS, LAW & ORDER: SVU as well as the short film YELLOW HEART which was accepted to Cannes.

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Eline Powell

Sister Candace

A distinguished alumni of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Eline graduated with a BA in 2011. Shortly after, Eline landed her first feature film, where she played the role of Angelique in the Dustin Hoffman directed film QUARTET, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival. She appeared in Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword and had a recurring role on Game Of Thrones. Eline was the recipient of the 19th Annual Capri Breakout Actress Award for 2014 which she accepted in Capri. Most recently she landed the lead in Freeform's THE DEEP.

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Rebecca Dayan

Sister Emanuel

Acclaimed actress and artist Rebecca Dayan has quickly established herself as one of the industry's most exciting creative talents. A native of the South of France, Dayan relocated to Paris at the age of 18 to pursue creative endeavors and study art, theater and fashion design. She began her career as a model after capturing the attention of legendary fashion icons Peter Lindbergh and Karl Lagerfeld. While her career in the "City of Lights" was flourishing, in 2009, Dayan made the decision to move to New York to pursue her passion for acting. In 2012, Dayan caught audience's attention as Veronica in the beloved romantic comedy-drama film, CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER, opposite Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones. The film, directed by Lee Toland Krieger, first premiered to rave reviews at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it was then acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and released later that year.

Shortly thereafter, Dayan starred in a lead role in the much-acclaimed independent film H., which made its world premiere at the 2014 Venice International Film Festival. The film is a modern interpretation of a classic Greek tragedy in which two women (one of which is played by Dayan), each named Helen, live out their mirrored lives of one another in the town of Troy, New York. Directors Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia received the Independent Spirit "Someone to Watch" award on behalf of the film, which following its premiere at Venice, also screened at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.

Dayan's other film credits include FROM PARIS WITH LOVE, RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE and THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER.

As an artist, Dayan's passion and love for painting has remained consistent and unwavering throughout her growing career as a creative. Her watercolor portraits have been published in several reputable publications, and in September 2015, Dayan marked her solo debut at the Catherine Ahnell gallery in New York as part of "The Year Of The Woman" exhibition. Her solo show, titled "Assumption," was inspired by her research preparing for her role as Sister Emanuel in NOVITIATE. Dayan spent time studying stories in books suggested by the director that were either written by nuns or included interviews with nuns. She found intrigue in the way these nuns expressed their love for God, which ultimately gave her the idea for this specific series of watercolor portraits.

Dayan currently resides in both New York and Los Angeles.

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Ashley Bell

Sister Margaret

An actress across film, television and theater, Ashley Bell is most recognizable for her critically acclaimed role in THE LAST EXORCISM, for which she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and an MTV Movie Award nomination. The New York Post praised Bell's acting as Oscar-worthy and one of the 10 best performances of 2010 for her extraordinary portrayal of the possessed Nell Sweetzer. She reprised her role in THE LAST EXORCISM PART II in 2013 and yet again received high praise. Bell has since crossed genres, and in 2014 she made her Broadway debut in the revival of the 1920's expressionistic drama MACHINAL, alongside Rebecca Hall and directed by Lyndsey Turner. Last summer, Bell received rave reviews for her starring role in Micky Keating's CARNAGE PARK, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. She also filmed the psychological thriller PSYCHOPATHS, once again directed by Mickey Keating. Bell's expansive list of film credits include the romantic comedy LOVE & AIR SEX, directed by fellow Spirit Award nominee Bryan Poser, which premiered at SXSW; the romantic drama FROM ABOVE,co-starring Danny Glover; the post-apocalyptic thriller THE DAY, starring opposite Shawn Ashmore and Dominic Monaghan, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; the coming of age indie THERE'S A NEW WORLD SOMEWHERE; the noir feature film SPARKS, based on the graphic comic; and the WWE's action film THE MARINE: HOMEFRONT. Her television credits include starring in the third season of AMC's The Walking Dead webisode series The Oath, Lifetime's Don't Wake Mommy, Csi: Crime Scene Investigation and The United States Of Tara. Bell, an animal lover, is passionately involved with the Save Elephant Foundation. Last year, she directed her first feature entitled, LOVE & BANANAS, a documentary depicting the rescue and release of an Asian elephant from captivity in Thailand. Bell is producing the project with Change for Balance Productions and producer Ross Dinerstein, and wrote it with two-time Academy Award nominated writer Fernanda Rossi. Bell also serves as a US Ambassador for Cruelty Free International. In 2012, Bell lent her voice to the animated series The LeBrons, starring NBA player LeBron James. Her voice has also been featured in several top-selling video games, including the lead role of Erline in Sony PlayStation's SORCERY AND THE WHITE QUEEN in ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bell is the daughter of actor/voice animator Michael Bell and actress and Groundlings co-founder Victoria Carroll. She studied acting and directing at Cambridge University, where she was awarded Best Actress for her portrayal of Ophelia. Bell later graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with honors, and was mentored by Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner.

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Denis O'Hare

Archbishop McCarthy

Denis O'Hare has established a strong presence in the industry as a skillful, in-demand character actor. Recently, he stared as Jessie in the NBC series This Is Us, alongside Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown. Additionally, O'Hare recently re-joined the cast of Ryan Murphy's award-winning FX horror anthology, American Horror Story: Roanoke for its sixth installment, which premiered in September 2016.

O'Hare will also currently appear in the ABC mini-series When We Rise, where he plays Jim Foster, an openly gay Democratic party organizer, alongside Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths and Mary-Louise Parker.

Renowned for his work on stage and screen, Denis previously stared as Elizabeth Taylor in Ryan Murphy's award-winning FX horror anthology, American Horror Story: Hotel. Also starring Lady Gaga, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel premiered in October 2015. Denis' performance as Stanley in the fourth season, American Horror Story: Feak Show garnered him an Emmy nomination for the role. Also under the direction of Ryan Murphy, Denis starred in the critically acclaimed HBO telefilm, The Normal Heart, alongside Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, and Julia Roberts. Adapted from the award-winning play by Larry Kramer, the film chronicles a gay activist who attempts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness during the early 1980s.

Denis appeared in the independent feature, C.O.G., which premiered as part of the Dramatic Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The film, also starring Jonathan Groff, Corey Stoll, and Casey Wilson, is directed and adapted by Kyle Patrick Alvarez from the popular David Sedaris short story of the same name. Additionally, Denis joined the cast of DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, an academy award-winning film based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, a heterosexual man in the 1980's whose diagnosis of AIDS forced him to smuggle medication into the U.S. Also starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Jared Leto, the academy- award winning film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in November 2013. Furthermore, Denis starred in two horror pictures - THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, a remake of the 1976 film, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and THE PYRAMID, directed by Grégory Levasseur.

On television, Denis previously appeared in two seasons of the hit HBO series, True Blood, as Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi. Concurrently, O'Hare was also seen on television in his recurring roles of Larry Harvey, in first season of the FX series American Horror Story, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and Judge Charles Abernathy in the acclaimed CBS series, The Good Wife. Denis later returned to the third season of American Horror Story as Spalding, the faithful butler of Miss Robichaux's Academy. O'Hare's additional television credits include roles on THE COMEDIANS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, CSI: MIAMI, BORED TO DEATH, LAW & ORDER, and 100 CENTRE STREET.

On screen, O'Hare has appeared in a varied and interesting slate of films. His most recent credits include FROM NOWHERE directed by Matthew Newton, ARMY OF ONE, with Nicolas Cage and Wendi McLendon-Covey, Clint Eastwood's J. EDGAR, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer, and Kevin MacDonald's THE EAGLE, co-starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. O'Hare's additional film credits include roles in EDGE OF DARKNESS, with Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone; THE PROPOSAL, with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds; Tony Gilroy's DUPLICITY, with Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and Tom Wilkinson; AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK; BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, based on the best-selling short stories by David Foster Wallace; MILK, opposite Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsh; QUARENTINE; Clint Eastwood's CHANGELING, opposite Angelina Jolie; BABY MAMA, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler; PRETTY BIRD; Mike Nichols' CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, opposite Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; AWAKE; THE BABYSITTERS, opposite John Leguizamo and Cynthia Nixon; Tony Gilroy's MICHAEL CLAYTON, opposite George Clooney and Tilda Swinton; TRAINWRECK: MY LIFE AS AN IDIOT; Michael Winterbottom's A MIGHTY HEART, with Angelina Jolie; ROCKET SCIENCE; HALF NELSON, with Ryan Gosling; STEPHANIE DALEY; DERAILED, opposite Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston; HEIGHTS; Zach Braff's GARDEN STATE; Alejandro González-Iñárritu's 21 GRAMS, with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn; SWEET AND LOWDOWN; RIVER RED; and ST. PATRICK'S DAY.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Denis was raised in Southfield, Michigan, prior to his graduation from Northwestern University. He spent twelve years as a stage actor in Chicago before moving to New York in 1992. After acting in numerous Regional and Off-Broadway productions, O'Hare made his Broadway debut in 1995 in David Hare's RACING DEMON, directed by the esteemed Richard Eyre. Denis soon returned to the Great White Way in the Tony Award- winning revival of CABERET, directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall, before landing the role of Cusins in George Bernard Shaw's MAJOR BARBARA, directed by Daniel Sullivan. In 2012, Denis starred as the Baker, alongside Amy Adams, in the Public Theater's summer staging of Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical, INTO THE WOODS. The same year O'Hare also starred in the Off-Broadway production of AN ILIAD, a one-man stage retelling of Homer's famous poem, which he co-authored with Lisa Peterson, for which he earned an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, an Obie Award for Special Citation, a Patrick Lee Theater Bloggers Award for Outstanding Solo Show/Performance, as well as Drama Desk and Drama League Award nominations. Among his other theatrical credits include ELLING, with Brendan Fraser and Jennifer Coolidge , INHERIT THE WIND, with Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy; Richard Greenberg's TAKE ME OUT, for which his role of Mason Marzac earned him the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Obie, Lucille Lortel, and Broadway.com Audience Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Play; ASSASSINS, for which he earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; and SWEET CHARITY, for which he earned a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, a nomination for the Outer Critics Circle Award, and two Broadway.com Audience Awards.

Denis O'Hare currently resides in New York City.

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Chris Zylka

Chris is currently starring alongside Justin Theroux and Liv Tyler in the HBO hit series The Leftovers, which recently wrapped its third and final season. Prior to that, he shot opposite Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN franchise as Peter Parker's nemesis Flash. Other credits include the lead role of the independent feature DIXIELAND alongside Riley Keough, Robbie Pickering's FREAKS OF NATURE for Sony, and Natalia Leite's film BARE. He will next be seen in Xavier Dolan's THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN opposite Kit Harington, Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman, Bella Thorne, Thandie Newton, and Susan Sarandon.

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Maggie Betts

Writer/Director

Maggie Betts is a native New Yorker and graduate of Princeton University. In 2011 she completed her first documentary film, THE CARRIER, about the plight of an HIV positive and pregnant woman in rural Zambia. THE CARRIER premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2011, went on to play in numerous other festivals. In 2014, she also completed her first narrative short film, ENGRAM, about the romantic nature of memory. NOVITIATE marks Maggie's narrative feature debut from a screenplay which she also wrote.

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Celine Rattray

Producer

Celine Rattray has over forty independent films under her belt as a producer, including thirteen Sundance Film Festival selections, five Toronto Film Festival selections and one Berlin International Film Festival selection. She won a Golden Globe and received an Oscar nomination for Lisa Choldenko's 2010 Oscar-nominated hit film THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Prior to producing film, Ms. Rattray was the Director of Marketing and Business Development for HBO. Rattray graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Oxford University. She currently serves on the Board of BAFTA New York.

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Trudie Styler

Producer

Trudie Styler is an award-winning and prolific film producer, director, environmentalist, human rights activist and UNICEF Ambassador. Ms. Styler's film credits include the documentaries BOYS FROM BRAZIL, MOVING THE MOUNTAIN, THE SWEATBOX (which she co- directed), and A KIND OF CHILDHOOD. Ms. Styler was integral in discovering Guy Ritchie and executive produced his first two films - LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH. Recently, Ms. Styler again showed her skill for recognizing new talent by producing Duncan Jones's feature film debut, MOON. Widely acclaimed critically as well as a commercial success, MOON earned a BAFTA Award for Duncan Jones and a BAFTA nomination for Ms. Styler. She has recently directed an adaptation of James St James's best- selling novel, FREAK SHOW, starring Bette Midler, Alex Lawther and Abigail Breslin, which premiered at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival

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Kat Westergaard

Director of Photography

Kat Westergaard is a cinematographer on feature films, commercials and documentaries. She has lensed a diverse range of projects; from GO FOR SISTERS by prolific director John Sayles, to FLUTTER, a documentary about butterfly collectors in Vietnam.

After completing the graduate film program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Kat was asked to work as Barack Obama's personal filmmaker in 2008 and spent eight months on the trail with the campaign, recording President Obama's route to the White House. Since then she has lensed documentaries focused on population growth and infrastructure in the dynamic city of Istanbul, the foster care system in New York City with director Tony Gilroy and The Carrier, about the spread of HIV within polygamous families in rural Africa.

In the narrative world, Kat has served as the Director of Photography on many films, including; Craig Johnson's feature debut TRUE ADOLESCENTS (SXSW '10) with Melissa Leo and Mark Duplass and GIRLS AGAINST BOYS (SXSW '12) for award-winning director Austin Chick. She went on to work with celebrated director So Yong Kim on LOVESONG (Sundance '16) with Riley Keogh and Jenna Malone.

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John Sanders

Production Designer

Bitten by the entertainment bug after a theatrical experience at the age of seven, he followed his passion into the theatre arts dept. of East Carolina University where he graduated with a BFA in Theatre Arts in 1987. ECU theatre designer, Bob Alpers spotted his talent and asked him to stay on to run the art dept. for the school's prestigious summer stock season. Upon completion, John made the leap to film going to work in the art dept. of WINTER PEOPLE with Prop Master Vic Petriotta. He currently has over 50 films on his resume, ranging from Art Director to Prop Master as well as numerous commercials and videos, some of which have received Emmys as well as other prestigious awards.

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Susan E. Morse, A.C.E.

Editor

Susan E. Morse, A.C.E. is best known for her 22-year collaboration with Woody Allen as his film editor. She met Allen while earning her first film credit as an assistant to Ralph Rosenblum on ANNIE HALL. After sharing the editing of INTERIORS with Rosenblum (uncredited) and working as second editor on Walter Hill's THE WARRIORS, Woody offered Morse her first solo editing job on MANHATTAN. Astonishingly, the film earned her, her first BAFTA nomination. Two years later, she and Gordon Willis collaborated closely on giving Allen's pseudo-documentary ZELIG its authentic period look. With ZELIG, Morse also broke ground by pioneering "long form" (feature-length) video editing in New York. Two of Morse's collaborations with first-time directors produced box office hits: Steve Gordon's ARTHUR and Marc Lawrence's TWO WEEKS NOTICE. In 2011, she broke into Primetime Television when Louis C.K tweeted that he was "firing" himself as editor of his show "Louie" in order to hire Morse. This led to an Emmy nomination for Morse for "Daddy's Girlfriend (Part Two)" with Parker Posey. Brian Koppelman and David Levien then approached her to cut "This is What They Want: Jimmy Connors and the '91 U.S. Open," part of ESPN's Emmy-winning Outstanding Sports Documentary Series, "30 FOR 30." Two years later, as showrunners, Koppelman and Levien asked her to join their new show, Showtime's popular drama "Billions." Over her forty-year career, Morse has been honored with the NYWIFTV Muse Award, earned five BAFTA nominations and one Oscar nomination, for HANNAH AND HER SISTERS.

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