DeSales

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"Brilliant." "Courageous."  "Edgy."
"Honest." "Powerful." "Risktaking."
"She works from the inside out."

NYU GRADUATE FILM FACULTY

"A strong talent with a strong voice and
the ability to become a major filmmaker."

DENNIS WATLINGTON
  EMMY-AWARD WINNING WRITER, NYU PROFESSOR

"An exciting new talent whose provocative vision and bold
 style hyperstimulate your senses - she is cutting-edge."

DOUG BLOCK
EMMY-AWARD WINNING PRODUCER, JUPITER'S WIFE
FOUNDER :  D-WORD.COM


"Just when the industry is realizing that girls, teens and women can drive a market - and a film - along comes DeSales.  If she only writes what she knows, we can be assured of a long line of exciting films - as a former star athlete and coach, and then fearless civil rights attorney, she aptly fits the bill of "girl action hero" herself.  DeSales went to NYU Grad Film School with the radical notion that there was an audience for meaningful films that celebrate the human spirit.  And that girls  have that spirit.  Happily, DeSales possesses all the traits necessary to become a great writer/director/producer with a long career - a brilliantly creative mind, a relentless drive, a strong business sense, a genuine sensitivity to people and the hyperkinetic metabolism to make all happen - in a style that can only be described as electric."

NINA ROSENBLUM :  OSCAR-NOMINATED, EMMY-AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR
THROUGH THE WIRE - NARR. SUSAN SARANDON
THE LIBERATORS - NARR. DENZEL WASHINGTON
THE BLACK WEST - NARR. DANNY GLOVER


"DeSales is defining a fascinatingly original way of telling intensely passionate stories.  kalin's prayer proves that even at this early stage in her career and with the low tech equipment available to her, DeSales is a young master of filmic texture, cinematographic manipulation and innovative editing - which enhance, not overwhelm, her films.  Her sound design and music choices also are extraordinary.  And, it is not just about the technical - DeSales' work with first-time film actress, Kris Carr is equally impressive - the beautiful Ms. Carr gives a heart-wrenching performance in a film that demands she show every color imaginable - and she does it in a way that seems effortless."

PASCAL AUBIER :  NYU FILM PROFESSOR, FRENCH NEW WAVE DIRECTOR OF 30 SHORT FILMS, INCLUDING LOVE TRAJECTORY, (FEAT. GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA), PALME D'OR BEST SHORT FILM, 1988 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL


"She came out of nowhere with one of the most raw and powerful films I've ever seen on screen - student or professional.  She has a style unlike any filmmaker before her - a completely original way of making movies."

STEVE GARFINKEL
 KODAK MOTION PICTURE IMAGING


"Girl Action Hero.  The time has come for a new kind of woman on the silver screen, says DeSales, Director of the multi-award-winning short film, kalin's prayer, and she's resolutely determined to get her up there... A pro-active woman if ever there was one, she's about to take on the biggest, and most conservatively entrenched entertainment industry in the world, Hollywood...

Not one to be stuck in a feminist sidetrack, DeSales has ideas about changing things for boys, too...Getting the girl action hero on to the mainstream movie screen is going to be no mean feat, no matter how determined DeSales is. 

But, she has one thing in her favour.  She's not afraid to kick butt."

BRIAN FINNEGAN
INDUBLIN MAGAZINE : IRELAND


"DeSales - Girl Action Hero. Action heroes -Superman for example - fought for truth, justice and the American way.  Cine Woman NY member, writer, director, cinematographer DeSales strives to do that and more - she's fighting to make "the American way" reflect more truth and provide more justice by providing a voice for the 'other half' of our population - women...

Though clearly making a difference in the cause of women and society's underdogs [as a civil rights attorney], DeSales felt it was not enough.  She wanted to present to the public, and most importantly, future generations, positive and complex female role models.  Her films promote the value of the human spirit, the strong and vulnerable sides that make up every man and woman, girl and boy. 

DeSales sees the final frontier as the human spirit - and that is the ultimate vision in her films."

CECILIA GILCREST 
CINE NEWS : NEW YORK


"DeSales's career has followed an unusual path - from champion athlete to civil rights attorney, and now an independent film-maker... Bringing personal experience to the work of film-making is an essential part of being a director for DeSales.  She believes that, "the more you know yourself, the more you know other people and the better director you are..." 

Dismayed at the many truthless portrayals of women on film, DeSales finds herself driven to create role models for women today.  She sees this as one of the defining aspects of her film-making...[In kalin's prayer,] DeSales confronts many taboo issues and certainly isn't gentle when placing the audience in the visceral shoes of Kalin. 

Yet she balances this provocative and disturbing reality with a sense of possibility and promise.  A positive vibe to take home.  "I guess what's coming through in kalin's prayer is that I'm a total optimist," says DeSales."

GEMMA WELLS
Gay Community News : DUBLIN


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