Valley of Angels

Infobox Film
name = Valley of Angels

---

image_size =
caption = North American poster
director = Jon Rosten
producer = Edwin Johnston
Jon Rosten
Spencer Winslow
writer = Jon Rosten
narrator =
starring = Danny Trejo
George Katt
music = Mark Petrie
cinematography = Armando Salas
editing = Jon Rosten
distributor = Peace Arch Entertainment
ITN Distribution
released = February 5, 2008
runtime = 99 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget = $200,000
website = www.levelblue.com
amg_id = 1:425694
imdb_id = 0484905

"Valley of Angels" is a 2008 urban action drama written and directed by Jon Rosten. The movie is about a young West LA drug dealer who searches for a path out of his dangerous existence.

Plot

The Grand Prize winner of the 2004 WriteMovies.com International Screenwriting Contest, "Valley of Angels" follows a twenty-something drug dealer who falls into the dark side of the underworld after realizing that the City of Angels has lost its soul. Zachary "Zeus" Andrews is a Chicago transplant who moved to Los Angeles as a young boy, and quickly realized that he would never fit in there. A stranger in a hostile landscape, Zeus quickly became the go-to guy for rich kids in search of drugs. One day, after meeting a girl, he receives a glimpse of his destiny. Now, just as Zeus becomes convinced that he is finally on the path to enlightenment and begins preparing to leave his old life behind, the harsh reality of his grim existence strikes back with vengeance. [ [http://www.allmovieguide.com/cg/avg.dll allmovie ] ]

Cast

Production

Casting for "Valley of Angels" started in March 2005. The film was shot between Thanksgiving and Christmas of that year with a budget of only $200,000. It debuted in March 2007 at the NY International Independent Film & Video Festival where it took the Grand Jury Prize for Best Picture. The film was released in North America on DVD in February 2008. [ [http://www.independentfilmquarterly.com/ifq/interviews/john-rosten.htm IFQ Magazine- Jon Rosten Valley of Angels ] ]

Awards

N.Y. International Independent Film & Video Festival:
*Won: Grand Jury Award for Best Feature
*Won: Best Actor (Danny Trejo)
*Won: Best Breakthrough Actor (George Katt) [ [http://www.nyfilmvideo.com/2007/la-march/awards/la-march-2007-awards.htm New York Film and Video Festival ] ]

Writemovies.com International Screenwriting Competition:
*Won: Grand Prize - top script out of 1,000 entries [ [http://www.writemovies.com/aboutus/news/valleygrandprize_text.htm WriteMovies.com - Valley of Angels wins Grand Jury Award ] ]

Reception

Independent Film Quarterly says that the film is "a debut feature that is both as confident and skillful as "Reservoir Dogs", while containing the spiritual contemplation often inherent in Scorsese’s films." [ [http://www.independentfilmquarterly.com/ifq/reviews/itn-valley-of-angels.htm Independent Film Quarterly Magazine - Valley of Angels ] ]

References

External links and sources

* [http://www.levelblue.com Official website]
*imdb title|id=0484905|title=Valley of Angels
*Writer/Director Jon Rosten's interview with IFQ: [http://www.independentfilmquarterly.com/ifq/interviews/john-rosten.htm]