Laguna Niguel Film Maker Takes On Theme of Drunk Driving

No stranger to making movies,  is is the middle of yet another film, this one however, is very near and dear to his heart.

The 22-year-old Laguna Niguel native who has worked on such films as the ' is at it again. He has teamed up with Blake Robbins, prominent actor of such hits as Oz and The Office, to help in Robbins' directorial debut of The Sublime and Beautiful. 

Part of the fundraising strategy put together by Robbins for his film was to invite people who lost family or friends to any kind of tragedy and who they'd like to remember to contribute $100 or more to the film’s backing.

In exchange, their loved one’s photo would be included in a montage to run as part of the film credits. That memorial component, as well as the film’s topic, had particular meaning for Slee.

"I’ve had some friends who have been affected by drunk driving, so the matter appealed to me as well. And I liked what Blake was trying to do, especially with trying to have a memorial at the end of the film,” Slee said.

But how did a young producer develop such connections so early in his career? Slee has been busy. He founded Artistic Analogies Film Co. in 2008 and has already been a partner in 17 films. He met Robbins while working on another feature-length drama, Dispatch.

Now Slee and James B. Cox ’06, film production, and ’11 (M.A. film and television producing), recruited by Slee to join the project, and Marci Liroff are co-producing The Sublime and Beautiful along with Kansas-based executive producers Kevin Wilmott (C.S.A. Confederate States Of America) and Bob Meiers (­Battle for Bunker Hill and ­The Only Good Indian).

"We shot the film in Lawrence, Kansas, and are now in post production and under way with editing," Slee said. "It has been a real blessing to be included in such a wonderful movie, and I am very grateful to Blake for being willing to tell this story with such raw integrity.

"I really think it is going to touch a lot of people, and while it may make some uncomfortable, especially due to the visceral way in which Blake has made the film, I think it is a film everyone should see and a lesson everyone should learn." 

"I was drawn to the writing initially. Having lost three very close friends in three separate drunk driving accidents (funny how they call them 'accidents'), it definitely resonated with me. The brutal honesty and raw characters tell a story about life with all it's flaws - life can be messy. Sometimes, you have to bottom-out to get through to the other side where there's hope," added Liroff. "When I met with Blake, I felt sure that he was the right guy to tell this story."

Robbins added, "I moved forward with making this movie for several reasons, first professionally I always had a vision for my career that including directing and writing. I also wanted to do something special as an actor so I was inspired to tell a story that allowed me to do those things for myself, stop having to rely on others.
So when I finally decided to put such a huge  amount time and energy into a script, I wanted it to be incredibly personal. I needed to tell a story that I had an unwavering passion for. I have been personally dealing with grief since my mid-20s and when you mix in that my family dealt with a  drunk driving accident that nearly killed my aunt (altering her life forever) ..."

Slee said they hope to debut the film at one of the major film festivals, beginning some time in September. 

"We had a great cast, and it was a pleasure to work with each and every one of them. While we were able to raise the funds for production, we are still looking to raise more money for post and would encourage anyone interested to email them at: sublimethemovie@gmail.com. 

Another way people can get involved is by following Slee and the crew at @SublimeBeaut, the director @robbins_blake and producers @kevinmslee and @marciliroff. Liroff, the casting director, has cast such films as E.T., Indiana Jones and Mean Girls.

Check out Facebook and Twitter, too, facebook.com/TheSublimeandBeautiful