"Broken" hit big on the film festival circuit this weekend with four nominations, three wins and two festivals in two states August 4, 2007

(UPDATE: "Broken" went on to win the Best Drama award and Audience Award at the Trinity Film Festival in Detroit as well as the Best Crime Drama award at The Indie Gathering Film Festival in Cleveland.)

"Broken", the award-winning feature shot for $985 by directors Derek Justice (Farmington) and David DeLeon (Sandusky, Ohio) is off to a big start. First, their screenplay advanced to the top 250 finalists of about 7,000 entries for season one of "Project Greenlight", the Bravo TV series sponsored by Miramax, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Then, the film received standing ovations after big premieres in Detroit and Cleveland that included film producers as well as friends from the media and The Cleveland International Film Festival. Now, after being accepted into the first two film festivals the directors entered in 2007, "Broken" won first place in the Best Crime Drama category at The Indie Gathering film festival in Cleveland.

This year, there are 60 entries from eight countries in The Indie Gathering. The festival runs from August 3-5 and "Broken" is scheduled to play on August 3 at 5:30 pm. For more information, visit www.theindiegathering.com.

In addition, "Broken" is an official selection of the Trinity Film Festival at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel in Detroit that also runs August 3-5. "Broken" screens on August 4 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. For more information, visit www.trinityfilmcoalition.com.

"Broken" is the story of Christian, played by David Gries (of Zeeland), whose life was shattered as an eight-year-old after he watched his father brutally murder his mother. Now, twenty years later, he wrestles with his demons through art and heroin. Aziza Amy Poggi (Grand Rapids) co-stars as Beth, an abused magazine editor sent to retrieve Christian’s artwork for the next issue. Steve Hopton (Mt. Clemens) is Beth’s abusive boyfriend. This is the beginning of a dark descent into hell for The Boyfriend, The Junkie, The Girl and three lives full of secrets.

LeeAlan Weddel (Novi), Chuck Diamond (Warren), Jayk Hanna (Canton Twp.), Matt Lang (Grand Rapids), Altonio Seahorn, Jr. (Detroit) and Adam Hill (Garden City) complete the cast. Several bands contributed music including Dendura, Riot in Progress, Unfinished Thought and David Gries. Susan Stanek created the art that would later become Christian’s work in the film.

Justice and DeLeon based the screenplay on a short story that DeLeon wrote years ago.

At the time, DeLeon was about 20 and going through the customary artistic, Bohemian phase - all dark and broody. The idea of a barefoot hippy chick came to him, complete with a loose flower-print dress and long, dark hair. The character shared his artistic outlook on life - somewhat cynical, yet with the firm belief that if his art couldn’t change the world, then maybe it could change a mind or two. From there came the love interest, Christian and the abusive ex-boyfriend.

After several revisions, the story eventually morphed into the finished script that the pair entered into numerous contests including "Project Greenlight". The contest generated approximately 7,000 entries. Broken was shortlisted and became one of the top 250 finalists.

After "Project Greenlight", Justice and DeLeon swore off contests. The script sat on a shelf for a while. In the meantime, DeLeon wrote a horror script that was optioned by a producer and re-wrote a script for another independent filmmaker. Justice worked on two features, "Generation Xtinct" and "Above Ground".

However, they returned to "Project Greenlight" for the third season. This time, Justice and DeLeon threw their hat into the directing category with a short film called "Sequence 1". They competed against nearly 5,000 entries and advanced to the top 250 finalists.

Justice and DeLeon finally realized that the best way to bring the project to the screen was to do it themselves. They surrounded themselves with a team of people who put their talent, faith and sweat equity into the project. They shot in Michigan and Ohio.

In the end, Justice and DeLeon made Broken for $985. They spent $285 on tape and other production supplies and $700 on catering for the cast and crew.

So, what’s next for Broken? After the Trinity Film Festival and The Indie Gathering, Justice and DeLeon are planning another premiere in Grand Rapids before hitting the North American film festival circuit. They’re also discussing the project with distributors and investors.

For more information about Broken, or to see the trailer, visit www.myspace.com/brokenmovie or www.broken-movie.com. Although the film is not rated, Broken isn’t recommended for teens under 17 due to language, drug use and sexual situations.