AREZU “NICKY” AKMAL - PRODUCER
Arezu "Nicky" Akmal is an award-winning producer focusing on provocative independent productions. Her films include: "In the Mirror" (Winner of Cinequest Film Festival Audience Award) "Plead" received (Honorable Mention at the 2001 Milan Film Festival) & "August the First" (traveled to over 25 International Film Festivals winning several awards and was nominated for 2007 IFP Gotham Award). Her other notable works include: HBO’s "A Shot in the Dark" a documentary about Adrian Grenier’s (Entourage) search for his father “Who is AB?” featuring Sara Gilbert “Spit” starring Eric Roberts “Freshening Up” with Adrian Grenier and Gretchen Mol “The Understudy” starring Richard Kind, Aasif Mandvi, Kelli Giddish and Marin Ireland. Her current projects in development include: “Trust Us” “Behind the Mask” “The Hunter” and “Human Again”.
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Nicky began her career in London where she lived for two years, where she gained experience in post- production. Upon relocating to New York City in the fall of 1998, Nicky began line producing various Independent Film projects. She co-founded UGLY Productions in the spring of 2000. Nicky has produce and line produce over 30 films to date and is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America. Nicky is known for her ability to collaborate across continents. I have traveled extensively and am a native speaker of English & Persian, fluent in French, and have a working knowledge of Spanish & Italian.
The Hunter's Anthology: The Demon Hunter
(
Film
by Ugly Productions
Producer
Our Desire
(
Music
by Blue Lines Productions
Line Producer/Fixer
Make My World Beautiful
(
Music
Producer
Full Swing
(
Documentary
by Netflix
Production Manager
Summoning Sylvia
(
Film
by Book of Spells LLC
Line Producer
Clinton Road
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Film
(Horror)
Producer When a firefighter's wife mysteriously goes missing on an actual haunted road in rural New Jersey, he and his sister in law seek closure by employing a Haitian witch doctor to contact her spirit but are hunted by the entities of past victims looking to leave purgatory by collecting fresh souls. Written by Derek Ross Mackay
Fluidity
(
Film
by Linda Yellen
Production Supervisor
The Hunter's Anthology
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Television
(Mystery)
Producer Six strangers find themselves trapped in a New York City subway by Mac, a mysterious man who claims to be a demon hunter. Insisting one of them is evil, he peeks into their souls discovering five eerie, supernatural tales: a desperate woman goes to a fortune teller, newlyweds discover a creature lurking outside their apartment, a young man visits an insane asylum, bullied twins discover a wish-granting coin, and a man lusting after a co-worker discovers a magic potion shop. It's then up to Mac to solve the mystery and destroy the demon amongst them. Written by Robert Smithline
MAKI
(
Film
(Drama)
Producer 'The Story Isn't Over Yet' is the story of displacement, power, and vulnerability told through the relationship between a hostess, the bartender she loves, and the boss who controls them. The story is set in the underworld of the New York City's Japanese Diaspora.
Sunset Park
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Film
(Action, Crime, Drama and Sport)
Producer Sunset Park follows the life and struggles of Gino Sarcione, a Brooklyn boy raised by his grandfather, Gramps, and part-time father Duane. Duane, a mid level criminal and degenerate gambler, racks up a serious debt to the fearsome gangster Shannon "The Sledge" McKensie. Duane skips town sticking Gramps with his enormous debt. "The Sledge" offers to take control of Gino's blossoming boxing career in lieu of the money owed but Gramps denies him leading to vicious blow back. Duane returns after ten years to salvage his relationship with Gino but only adds to the growing chaos in Gino's life. Juggling the love of his life, his family debt, and his future is an overwhelming task in Sunset Park.
The Hunter's Anthology: Prologue
(
Film
Producer
Jackie Boy
(
Film
(Short, Comedy and Drama)
Producer In a world morally bankrupt by social media, a mysterious stranger lurks in the shadows seeking vengeance. Written by Anonymous
The Singer and the Poet
(
Film
(Short)
Producer Add a Plot »
Dirty Hands
(
Film
(Drama and War)
Producer Five Middle-Eastern captives fight to retain their sanity and dignity in the face of their American interrogators, who in turn struggle with demons of their own.
The Understudy
(
Film
(Comedy and Drama)
Producer A perennial understudy takes matters into her own hands to achieve fame at any price.
In the Mirror
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Film
(Short and Music)
Producer Add a Plot »
Neal Cassady
(
Film
(Biography and Drama)
Miscellaneous Crew A look at Neal Cassady, who was an icon of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, perhaps best known as the inspiration for the character of Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's classic On the Road. Written by robert gold
August the First
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Film
(Drama)
Producer The party to celebrate Tunde Ibirinde's graduation is the backdrop for a far more momentous occasion: the return of estranged father Dipo, after over a decade of absence. Each family member must face their feelings before they face Dipo.
Spit
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Film
(Short, Drama and Thriller)
Producer A vengeful husband and a cheating wife inadvertently and unbeknownst to each other, hire the same hitman to kill each other.
Straight Forward
(
Film
(Drama)
Producer At the time when Motion Picture Studios controlled Hollywood's elite, trouble arises when a successful writer and his aging starlet wife attempt to conceive a child and are inadvertently introduced to a young, dangerous loner looking for fame himself. Extenuating circumstances put each against the other, making it difficult to find the truth. Written by Stacia Crawford
Perception
(
Film
(Drama)
Production manager A self-absorbed young woman finds herself moving from Los Angeles back to Brooklyn to care for her ailing parents.
Crazy for Love
(
Film
(Comedy and Drama)
Miscellaneous Crew On his 21st birthday, in front of mom, dad, sis, and guests, Max tries to hang himself. It's his eighth suicide attempt, seeking a peaceful white light. Sent back to an asylum, Max falls in love at first sight with Grace, also suicidal, with a teddy bear she treats as her child. Max courts her, proposes, they marry, and he makes it his mission to give her reasons to live. They escape and he seeks various cures for her: the beauty of nature, living with his family, and consulting a shaman, a faith healer, and a self-help coach. Grace's demons trump the cures. Max is at wit's end. Will he fail? Is there to be no white light? A visit to Grace's institutionalized mother gives Max a clue. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Invitation to a Suicide
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Film
(Comedy)
Producer Kaz wants to get out of Little Poland, his father's bakery and New York. California is his dream, but he doesn't want to leave without Eva, his childhood crush. To finance his dream, he tries to steal $10K from a Russian mobster who deals in snuff films. Things go poorly, the money gets incinerated, the mobster gives him a day to come up with the money or he'll kill Kaz's father. No one in little Poland has that kind of money, so Kaz decides to sell tickets to his suicide. Written by poco loco
Freshening Up
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Film
(Short)
Producer A man imagines that his girlfriend has had a fling with another man in the rest room.
The Basement
(
Film
(Drama)
Producer Add a Plot »
Shot in the Dark
(
Film
(Documentary)
Producer Adrian goes on a quest with his best friend to meet his father.
ARFF
(
Film
(Short)
Producer In the fast paced bars and restaurants of New York City, everyone is searching for "the right one". Relationships come and go as night turns into day. Within this sinister city, we see a lack of commitment and a growing abundance of infidelity. "ARFF" tells the story of Hope, a naive New Yorker who gets wrapped up in a relationship with the adulterous Brandon. The "morning after", he casually informs her that he has just gotten married. As the story progresses we see that there are a fraternity of men who make it a sport of cheating on their wives... but we soon learn that the women too, are following suit. Written by Nicky Arezu Akmal
Who Is A.B.?
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Film
Producer The mysterious *anonymous* A.B. describes his lost love, a girl he has been unable to forget for the last ten years. A crew of five drive from New York to Los Angeles in search of the girl that scarred A.B's memory, along the way encountering extraordinary individuals who reveal their stories of lost love and remind us that there is a little piece of A.B in all of us. Written by Anonymous
Plead
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Film
(Short)
Producer What happens when you unknowingly date the head of the Scottish mob's girlfriend? Well, Alan is about to find out. After having dated Julie two years earlier, Alan now comes face to face with Shugg (the Mobster). Shug wants revenge and there is no way out. This is a film about what happens when you date the wrong person and how you can find friends in the most unlikely situations. Written by Nicky A Akmal
I'll Take You There
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Film
(Comedy, Drama and Romance)
Miscellaneous Crew A woman forces a man to move forward with his life after his wife dumps him.
Jump
(
Film
(Comedy)
Miscellaneous Crew As a suicidal man (Mark Rosenthal) stands on a roof ready to throw himself off the building, his friends gather to try to convince him not to do it. Through the friends, his tale is told in flashback, leading up to his present state. In general, the film shows the man and all of his friends to be leading shallow, directionless lives, but reveals little of the psychological condition of the group. Written by John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
Trust Us
Film
(Drama)
Producer TRUST US is a drama/comedy where Guy Backman tries to change his past to insure a better future, but he may have gone too far.
Fluidity
Film
(Drama)
Production manager Fluidity is the story of ten millennials currently living in New York City whose sexual lives are intertwined - but they don't know it. Each has a singular set of predicaments - but together they signify the lust, the pain, and the loneliness of a generation searching for connection. Fluidity explores young promiscuity in the way The Big Short explores Wall Street - with humor, eroticism, and emotion.
A Storybook Ending
Producer