"Crooked Night" Team Members:

Lead Student / Director - Alexander Rocha
Full-Time FITV/College of Arts and Media Student at CU Denver

Producer - Mary Amoroso
Full-Time FITV/College of Arts and Media Student at CU Denver

Cinematographer - Addison DiMarco
Full-Time FITV/College of Arts and Media Student at CU Denver

Gaffer - Porter Hunt
Full-Time FITV/College of Arts and Media Student at CU Denver

Production Designer - Frankie Spiller
Full-Time FITV/College of Arts and Media Student at CU Denver

Sound - Breanna Ahlgren
Full-Time Music and Entertainment Industry Studies Student at CU Denver 

Our team has opted to attend the Perfecting Pitch Workshop class on April 14th, 2022 from 12:30-2:00pm.

Crooked Night is a horror film telling the story of Teresa’s vengeance after she helplessly witnessed the slaying of her elderly best friend during her shift as a college safety officer. Collaboration among the team was very successful during the pre-production process. During production and through collaboration the film's look and voice was created. We knew from the beginning that we wanted the cast to be members of the Latinx community because of the underlying message of the film, which centers on issues in the Latinx community. Using subtle social commentary, this film hints specifically to the violent prejudices members of the  Latinx community in the United States face on a daily basis. In recent years hate-crimes against Latinx Americans have seen a sharp rise. Given the increase in far right rhetoric and the rebirth of white nationalism, the wave of violence and discrimination Latinx communities find themselves in has been a poignant reminder of the United Sates’ foundations built on the equality of the few, and the inequality of the many. We seek to further CU Denver’s message of changing this narrative and are using Crooked Night to open a dialogue on recognizing discrimination and challenge societies unconscious biases.  

Crooked Night not only believes in diverse casting and creating opportunities for minority groups in front of the camera but also behind. This project puts diversity and women at the forefront of production. The director is a member of the Latinx community, the heads of production design, cinematography, and producing departments are all women and six underclass students in the College of Arts and Media program have all been recruited as production assistants. We also collaborated with Breanna Ahlgren, a Music and Entertainment Industry Studies Major. We utilized students' talents across multiple departments to make the CU Denver education work for all members of our team and community and we made sure their voices were heard as we started production. One big moment our team was tested was during the first night of filming on CU Boulder's campus during 20 degree weather in December. We needed multiple people running light set- ups across campus to light a bridge, everyone assisted the lighting department as Porter Hunt ran point and we were able to get one of the most beautiful shots of the film while our camera batteries only had 2 minutes left of juice during the draining cold weather. The cast was able to give their input on their characters as we wanted their roles and experiences to be as authentic as possible. Yolanda brought her own wardrobe to set and we were able to utilize her unique pieces which strengthened her character and made her pop on screen. 

Crooked Night’s goal is to help spread CU Denver’s message of diversity, inclusion, and equity. We are so excited to be able to share our finished project with you in the upcoming months! Although with COVID-19 protocols we may have to stand 6 feet apart we can stand together as Lynx.