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Show The Park Record Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, January 21-24, 2017 Nichols’ gets personal with ‘Cortez’ Filmmaker started her career at the University of Utah C-3 Exclusive. Strategic. Refined. A great real estate brand is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. By SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record In Cheryl Nichols’ feature film “Cortez” a failing musician named Jesse finds himself without a tour and in a small town where he looks up an old flame, Anne. The feature, which will continue its Slamdance run with a screening on Wednesday, Jan. 24, is a story about missed opportunities and long-kept secrets. Nichols takes on the role of Anne in the film inspired by reallife experiences and Southwest dramas of the ’70s. And her writing partner and partner in life, Arron Shiver, plays Jesse. “I think we both have had experiences of trying something that didn’t work and that had a lot to do with the script,” Nichols said during a phone call from a cafe in Taos, N.M. “I lived in L.A. and nothing went as planned, and Arron lived in Taos for two years and was an actor, while raising his son.” The seeds of “Cortez” were planted long before Nichols and Shiver started dating. “He called me and told me he wanted to write a play with me,” Nichols said. “So, we rooted around to find something that we could do together.” In January 2013, Shiver suggested the two write a movie script instead. “We both knew we wanted to write something personal, so we sat with each other every day and talked,” Nichols said. “Around February, the story started coming together, and it became clear that we were telling the same story.” Taking cues from Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Her Anymore” and John Cassa- Kelly Rogers Global Real Estate Advisor 435-640-7600 KellyRogers.evusa.com | kelly.rogers@evusa.com COURTESY OF SLAMDANCE Filmmaker Cheryl Nichols plays Anne in her Slamdance film “Cortez.” Nichols attended the University of Utah before moving to California to pursue script writing and filmmaking. vete’s “Woman Under the Influence,” both from 1974, Nichols and Shiver found their collective voice. The trick, however, was to break away from those tried and true formulas and create an original film. “Something I like to do is work with my beloved DP Kelly Maybe because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I think the way you make something new is to make something super honest...” volving a family at a dinner table. “The scene literally makes me ill, even as a person who directed the film, because it is so personal,” Nichols said. “Arron and I knew there was something missing in the film and he thought about it and wrote the scene in three hours.” They never changed a word. “It may be because I approach filmmaking from an actor’s perspective or because I’m a new filmmaker, or maybe because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” Nichols said with a laugh. “But I think the way you make something new is to make something super honest.” Nichols is excited to have her film at Slamdance, especially since she lived in Utah and attended the University of Utah. “I’ve always considered myself an actor and filmmaker,” she said. “I studied acting in the U’s acting training program and went to school with the idea that I would start a theater company.” Before that, Nichols wrote plays and made some hand-held camera films that were never distributed. She moved to Los Angeles GH_BestofState_Winter2017_ParkRecord_PR.pdf 7:59 PMindependently owned and operated. Engel & ©2016 Engel & Völkers. All 1 rights 1/19/17 reserved. Each brokerage Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act. Experience the finest European dining in Utah. 2016 BEST OF STATE WINNER FINE DINING — EUROPEAN C M Y CM MY CY CMY Cheryl Nichols “Cortez” filmmaker Moore, because he’s a genius,” Nichols said. “While the tale may be as old as time, we both see the camera as another actor. And that gives a new perspective, kind of like a spy on the scene.” That becomes evident in one of the film’s standout segments in- K Please see Nichols, C-8 LUNCH SERVED DAILY 11:30 - 2:30 APRÉS SKI SERVED DAILY 2:30 - 5:30 DINNER SERVED NIGHTLY 5:30 - 9 SILVER LAKE VILLAGE DEER VALLEY RESORT 435.649.7770 GOLDENERHIRSCHINN.COM Your future when onLy the Best wiLL Do n i a t n u o M e m o H is calling Check out The Park Record’s Real Estate Monthly for listings in Park City and the surrounding areas “Dr. Dingman is the Best.” - teD Ligety two-time oLympic goLD meDaList Call For an appointment today! B. John Dingman DMD 4343 N. Hwy 224 Suite 201 Park City www.canyondentistry.com • 435.658.4746 Looking to sell a home, condo, property, or townhome? Call 435-649-9014 to get your listing seen by over 10,000 people |