Read the News
Home
News
Cast
Filmmakers
Soundtrack
Trailers
Interviews
Featurettes
Photo Gallery
Reviews
MERCHANDISE
Special Thanks
Contacts
Director's Blog
11-09-12
Route 66 Film Festival
D.I.N.K.s WINS!!! This past weekend at the Route 66 Film Festival in Springfield, IL, D.I.N.K.s (Double Income No Kids) won in the BEST COMEDY FILM category. Here is a “play by play” account of what happened.
DAY ONE: I arrived on Friday evening, November 2 at the Legacy Theater (that’s right, The LEGACY Theater) when the doors opened. On the outside steps to the theater, I was greeted by the Festival Director, Tom Szpyrka and Special Events Coordinator, David Gutierrez. “You’re Robert Alaniz? D.I.N.K.s, right? We’re so excited to have you here. We loved D.I.N.K.s! Some newspaper and radio people contacted us and were asking about you!” I was quite surprised and as they continued to praise D.I.N.K.s, all I could say was “thank you” over and over again. I am not used to that kind of admiration.
Inside the theater, we were greeted by more committee members who were just raving about D.I.N.K.s. I continued with thanking them for their compliments, still taken back by their enthusiastic praises. As the festival began, we watched the first set of films which included the feature film A Blood Red Sky by Director, Chad Calek. I’m not into ghost stories or paranormal documentaries, but did enjoy the Q&A with the Director afterwards.
Later that night, we met up with Michael Stoskus (Key Grip and Harlan Avery in D.I.N.K.s) and his Dad at the first of two after-parties. While there, I found out that D.I.N.K.s was in competition with six other films in the Comedy category. What I thought was strange was that the other films were shorts (19 minutes or less). When I asked one of the committee members about it, they said that they agreed it was unusual but it was a result of only having the theater for two days instead of the usual 3 days as in previous years.
This was not the first time I had a film in this festival. Some of you may already know that my second film, Barrymore’s Dream, won BEST FEATURE at the Route 66 Film Fest in 2007. When I was notified, it was a done deal. However, this was the first time they decided to have film competition at the festival to be judged by the audience, no less! I thought it would be just my luck that D.I.N.K.s would lose to one of the short films who had more people in attendance than D.I.N.K.s did.
As the night went on, I was approached by another film fest committee member who was also a local radio personality who saw D.I.N.K.s and asked if he could do an interview with me on the air in the next couple weeks, to which I agreed to do.
DAY TWO: Met up with actor, Steve Parks (who played Leonardo Randall Tolstoy III) and watched the film Coin Toss by Director, Satya Kharkar. The film also featured Steve in a supporting role. I was thoroughly impressed with the film, being Satya’s very first effort. Having grown accustom to Steve’s unique portrayals of slightly over-the-top characters, I was even more impressed with his amazing heart-felt performance in the movie.
After several films and dinner, it was time for the Comedy Session. I was nervous but not so much for how the audience would respond, but hoping that I wouldn’t experience the same mishap that occurred at the Illinois International Film Festival the previous year when the film froze halfway through the movie and wouldn’t play. I had to get up and explain the rest of the movie to the audience. Fortunately, the film played all the way through and the audience once again responded as I knew they would, based on previous showings.
Then came the awards ceremony. Was I nervous? Yes and No. I was happy that D.I.N.K.s was chosen to be a part of the fest, which was an honor within itself, so if for whatever reason it DIDN’T win, I could live with just that. The time came, my name was called and the audience CHEERED. It was clear that D.I.N.K.s was the audience favorite as the “buzz” at the fest over the two days had indicated.
At the second after-party, I was swamped by the new fans of the film, signing autographs and taking pictures. I agreed to come back to Springfield and speak at the next Illinois Film Commission meeting in November about the making of D.I.N.K.s. It was truly an overwhelming experience. But the raves weren’t just for me and the film.
The Director of the Fest, Tom Szpyrka specifically asked that I pass it on to Deborah Craft that he was now her biggest fan. Deborah’s great comedic timing and reactions got much praise as did the strip tease scene which got one of the biggest audience reactions. Another compliment went out to both David Tibble and Deborah’s performance in the film. Many saying that it was their sincere portrayal of the Brooks’ that makes the movie work. Several people complimented Marco Garcia’s performance as the Mayor. The maxi-condom scene between Marco and Devorah Richards again had the audience roaring. Many people said that the courtroom scene was one of the best scenes in the movie if not, THE best and that David’s heart-felt plea to the Judge won the audience over. As a matter of fact, during the screening, the audience cheered for Richard and Rachel (more than previous showings) when the Judge announced his decision. Not to mention a HUGE gasp and laugh when the Judge told the Mayor off. And, oh my God, EVERYONE wanted to know if there would be a sequel; no doubt a result of the ending getting the usual audience “gasp” of surprise when Maryrose says “And so do you.”
Finally, I just wanted to say how proud I am of this film. The story means a lot to me and I am so happy that it has proven to me again that this is a great concept for a film and that the potential is still there. I’d like to thank my Assistant Director, Sarajane Crowley, Michael Stoskus and the crew. And thank you all again for making D.I.N.K.s an award-winning film. My most heart-felt thanks go out to my co-producers, Max Nayden, Dave Branigan and Billy Wagoner for their continued support (financial and otherwise).
Robert Alaniz – Producer/Director
04-20-11
D.I.N.K.s at Marcus Theaters in Orland Park on May 1st
Independent Filmmaker Robert Alaniz’s latest film D.I.N.K.s (Double Income No Kids) will return to the Marcus Theaters in Orland Park for a one-day-only engagement on Sunday, May 1st with five showings starting at 12 Noon. D.I.N.K.s is Alaniz’s fifth Independent film and first comedy. D.I.N.K.s tells the story of Richard Brooks (David Tibble), a frustrated free-lance writer and his wife Rachel (Deborah Craft), who buy their dream home in the fictional town of Legacy, Illinois, which is populated mostly by families with children. When he decides to write articles about discrimination against married couples without children, his career skyrockets him to local fame as the leader of a citywide D.I.N.K.s movement that suddenly lands him in court for slander when one of his articles involves the town’s pro-family Mayor. The result is a film that takes a comical yet sincere look at parenting (or lack of), birth control, sex, discrimination and the right to choose.
Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased at the box office all day, or if preferred, can be bought on line at www.dinksthemovie.com. This is simply a convenience provided for those moviegoers who like to purchase their tickets prior to arriving at the theater. They will be available on the web site all day Sunday. Show times are 12 Noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, and 9:50 pm.
In addition to the sell-out sneak preview at the Marcus Theaters in February, Alaniz’s film had a successful Gala Premiere on March 25th at the Portage Theater in Chicago. “The reaction to the film has been amazing,” Alaniz says. “I have been a big fan of comedies my whole life and I can’t remember the last time I sat in a theater and heard as much laughter or cheers from an audience. I felt like Sally Field when she accepted her first Oscar. They like it, they REALLY like it!”
Many scenes in D.I.N.K.s were shot in Orland Park during the summer of 2010. Locations include Orland Chateau, Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant, Wehmeier Portraits, Coldwater Creek, The Horton Group and Green Food & Produce. Other filming locations included the towns of Frankfort, New Lenox, Lemont, Homer Glen and Kankakee.
The Director and members of the cast will be in the theater lobby throughout the day to meet and greet those who come to see the movie. Tickets are available at the box office or on line at www.dinksthemovie.com. For further info email solemovies@aol.com or call (815) 464-7681.
WJOL RADIO APPEARANCE
Director Robert Alaniz, Assistant Director, Sarajane Crowley and Actor, Jayson Bernard will be appearing on the Lynn, Mary and Natalie Show on WJOL 1340 AM Radio Friday morning April 22, between 9 am and 10 am to promote the Marcus Theater showings of D.I.N.K.s.
ON LINE INTERVIEW
Beginning on April 28, an interview with Director Robert Alaniz about the making of the movie D.I.N.K.s will be featured on the Fast Cheap Movie Thoughts Blog Site that features interviews with many independent filmmakers as well as a few famous Hollywood directors. Follow the link: http://fastcheapmoviethoughts.blogspot.com.
PORTFOILO FUSION MAGAZINE
Portfolio Fusion Magazine will be doing a follow-up story on D.I.N.K.s in an upcoming issue featuring interviews with actors, David Tibble, Deborah Craft, Jack Guasta, Maura Antas, Jayson Bernard, Assistant Director, Sarajane Crowley and Director, Robert Alaniz. There is also a chance that the movie poster photo will be featured on the cover!
DINKlife.com
Sole Productions has formed an Internet partnership with DINKlife.com in San Diego, California. There will be links to both the movie and the organization’s web sites very soon. The organization at www.DINKlife.com is the “real deal” about and for couples without children.
02-22-11
A Successful "Sneak Peek"
The Sneak Preview of D.I.N.K.s took place at the Marcus Theaters in Orland Park on February 17th. It validated what Writer/Director Robert Alaniz needed to know, which was "will the audience laugh?” Sitting in the back of the theater, Alaniz was counting the intended humorous moments in the script (and there were several) and not only did they laugh at those moments, they laughed at many unexpected times as well.
In the days that followed, Alaniz received many emails & calls from those who saw the film and responses have been “99% positive”, he said. “Most interesting has been the conversations inspired by the subject matter,” Alaniz continues. “Everything from people with their own stories of irresponsible parents in public places and discrimination for not having or wanting children to congratulations for daring to make a film like D.I.N.K.s.”
D.I.N.K.s (Double Income No Kids) is not rated and carries the following warning to viewers “This film is intended for mature audiences. Parental discretion in advised.” The film deals with many mature subject matters and is not intended for children. “The film would probably get an R rating,” says Alaniz, “due to the language and adult situations. It’s about having children and you know you can’t have children without the sexual act, so it would be almost impossible to do a film like this that deals with topics like child birth, sex, abortion and birth control or lack of it, without the possibility of getting an R rating.”
Next up: D.I.N.K.s will have it’s Chicago Premiere on March 25th at the historic Portage Theater just a little north of the city. It will be a red carpet event with a cast & crew Q&A following the film. Tickets are on sale now on the web site.
02-01-11
"From Script to Screen" Presentation - Wednesday, February 9th
Lemont Public Library - 50 E. Wend Street, Lemont, IL 60439
Presentation time: 7 PM to 8:30 PM
Filmmaker Robert Alaniz and select cast and crew members from his latest film D.I.N.K.s (Double Income No Kids) will discuss and answer questions about the making of the movie. The presentation, entitled "From Script to Screen", will trace the evolution of D.I.N.K.s from early ideas and drafts of the story through the auditions, casting process, rehearsals, filming and editing, up to the completed product. Clips will include actual auditions, behind the scenes footage and finished scenes from the film.
Contact the Lemont Library as soon as possible (due to limited seating) to reserve a seat. Contact Adult Services: (630) 257-6541 or info@lemontlibrary.org.
Tickets for the Orland Park Sneak Preview of D.I.N.K.s at the Marcus Theaters on February 17th will be available at this event.
Click Here For More Info!
01-28-11
MEET THE STARS AT BORDERS BOOKS
"From Script to Screen" a presentation on the making of D.I.N.K.s will take place on Saturday, February 5 at Borders in Orland Park at 2 PM. This 90 minute event will feature Director Robert Alaniz, music composer Doug Adams, the stars David Tibble, Deborah Craft and select cast & crew members discussing the film. Highlights include music & film clips. This event is FREE and open to the public.
Tickets for the Orland Park Sneak Preview of D.I.N.K.s at the Marcus Theaters on February 17th will be available at this event.
Click Here For More Info!
01-18-11
ADVANCE SHOWING in ORLAND PARK, IL
There will be a Special SNEAK PREVIEW of D.I.N.K.s (Double Income No Kids) ONE NIGHT ONLY on Thursday night,
February 17th
, 7:30 PM at the Marcus Theaters, 16350 South La Grange Road, Orland Park exclusively for Chicago South-Siders! Tickets are $20.00 each and are now on sale at EMPIRE BOOKS, 20879 S. La Grange Road (located in the WALT'S FOOD CENTER PLAZA) in Frankfort, IL or through authorized SOLE PRODUCTIONS personnel. Tickets purchased for this exclusive local event are CASH ONLY!
This SNEAK PREVIEW is taking place prior to the Chicago Premiere as a "Thank You" to the many businesses in Orland Park who provided locations for the film. The night's pre-show and post-show activities include a special "Meet & Greet" with the film's star David Tibble and selected supporting cast members as well as the Writer/Director Robert Alaniz. Each ticket holder will also receive a FREE bag of popcorn. Seating is extremely limited and tickets are going fast! For further ticket information contact us at
solemovies@aol.com.
11-1-10
D.I.N.K.s Goes Into Post Production
EDITING
As the film enters its final stages of editing, it has become evident that the majority of the things that Director Robert Alaniz set out to accomplish have proved successful. Advance screenings of the film amongst the production staff and producers have been positive. D.I.N.K.s is Alaniz’s fifth film and first comedy. “As it is with the actors, timing in the editing is equally important,” says Alaniz, who is also editing the film. “Getting just the right rhythm and pacing to the visual comedy as well as jokes in the dialogue takes a lot of work. What’s really difficult is anticipating what the audience may or may not laugh at and then allowing the right amount of time for that response.”
MUSIC
Robert Alaniz first met Composer Doug Adams in 2004 when he was looking for local composers to score his first film Timeserver. Although Doug was not chosen to score that film, Alaniz remembered liking his demo CD when another composer had to bow out of scoring his third film Bitterblue. Doug Adams came on board scoring the entire film in time for its scheduled premiere date. Since then, Adams has scored two of Alaniz’s films, the most recent being THE VISION, and is now working on the score to D.I.N.K.s.
SONGS
At this time there will be two songs featured in the movie. “D.I.N.K.s Unite” by Jessica Shepherd is a fun-loving anthem in the tradition of Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5” but with a dark comedic edge to the lyrics. Alaniz first met Jessica Shepherd, who was recently nominated BEST FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR 2010 by the TEXAS MUSIC AWARDS and THE TEXAS MUSIC ACADEMY when one of her songs were selected for the soundtrack to Alaniz’s most recent film THE VISION. “I was much honored when Jessica asked me if I’d be interested in contributing to the song,” says Alaniz. “As it turned out, I was able to contribute to the lyrics of the song and now share the songwriting credits with her. It’s a great song.”
The second song is “Dinkin’” by Frankfort, IL resident John Ludwig. Like Jessica, John has also had songs in Alaniz’s previous films, mostly heard in the background of a scene. This will be John’s first song to have the distinction of being one of the two featured songs in the movie. “When I first heard this song, I didn’t know what to make of it,” Alaniz remembers. “It was this bizarre cross between AC/DC and Ray Stevens or Weird Al Yankovic. It made me laugh so I played for others and they all laughed, so I figured, hey, it’s a comedy. So why not?”
5-19-10
D.I.N.K.s Stars at Coldwater Creek in Orland Park
On Saturday, May 29th, the stars of D.I.N.K.s will be making a personal appearance at Coldwater Creek, 9500 143rd St, #200 in Orland Park from 11 am to 3 pm. David Tibble (who plays Richard Brooks), Deborah Craft (Rachel Brooks) and Maura Locke Antas (Sierra Haggerty) will be there signing autographs, showing "behind-the-scenes" footage, and more! Stop, shop and meet the stars!
05-06-10
Frankfort Filmmaker’s Fifth Film Goes Into Production
Frankfort filmmaker Robert Alaniz will begin production on his next Independent film project titled D.I.N.K.s (Double Income, No Kids) in June. The story is a dark comedy that revolves around a childless freelance writer, who lives with his wife in a predominantly family-oriented suburb of Chicago. When he decides to write articles about discrimination against married couples without children, his career skyrockets him to local fame as the leader of a citywide D.I.N.K.s movement that suddenly lands him in court for slander.
Although D.I.N.K.s is a comedy, it also touches on serious issues. “Married couples without children have a life-style and mentality altogether different from parents,” Alaniz explains. “They are a minority. And as it is with all minorities, there is discrimination. The film also deals with poor parenting, birth control - or lack of it and political manipulation. People will definitely have a lot to talk about after seeing this film”Consisting of mostly professional actors from the Chicagoland area, D.I.N.K.s has the largest adult cast Alaniz has ever worked with. “I have worked with over 60 teens and preteens in Bitterblue back in 2006, which was a huge challenge,” Alaniz says. “But this time around I’m directing experienced, seasoned actors who all bring a lot to the table and are anxious to develop believable and strong characters. Which makes the creative process much easier.”
The film is being filmed in the south suburbs which will create the fictional town of Legacy, Illinois. Locations include: Green Food & Produce, Orland Chateau, Papa Joe’s Restaurant, Wehmeier Portraits (all in Orland Park), Lemont Public Library (Lemont), Lydia’s & Groucho’s Café, Frank’s Guitars & Art, 164 North Restaurant (Kankakee) and Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant (Homer Glen). “Inside Looks” and Debi Ross from Orland Park are in charge of set decoration. It will be up to them to make all the locations look as if they exist in the imaginary town of Legacy.
Coldwater Creek of Orland Park will be providing wardrobe fashions for the leading ladies in the cast. Trendsetters College of Cosmetology in Tinley Park will be heading the hair and make-up department and The Schaefer Corporation in Lemont will be designing and building sets for the production. “Thanks to the support we are getting from all the local businesses, this film will be the closest we’re ever come to a full-blown Hollywood style production,” says Executive Producer, Max Nayden of Frankfort.
The film will once again be scored by music composer Doug Adams, who has scored Alaniz’s last two films. “Doug is amazing,” says Alaniz. “He has worked with some of the top movie composers in the business including Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and has just finished a book on the making of that score. It is an honor to be working with him again.”
Sole Productions is also looking for people interested in being movie extras in a scene that is being shot at Orland Chateau the second week of June. “We are looking for as many as 100 adult and teenagers (age 16+) to participate,” says Production Coordinator, Jackie Cusimano. Interested parties can inquire by emailing Jackie at jackiecusimano@hotmail.com for dates and times.
Robert Alaniz and his Sole Productions have been making full-length feature films in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois since 2003. He and his films have been featured on FOX NEWS and ABC Morning News with Linda Yu and Sylvia Perez. His past films include Timeserver (2004) Barrymore’s Dream (2005) Bitterblue (2006) and most recently THE VISION (2009) all of which are now available on DVD at www.sole-productions.net. His film Barrymore’s Dream won BEST FEATURE FILM at the Route 66 Film Festival in September 2007 and THE VISION is presently making the rounds in the 2010 film festival circuit around the country. D.I.N.K.s will premiere sometime at the end of the year.
Contact: SOLE Productions / Phone (815) 464-7681 / solemovies@aol.com