A Message From Director Jessica Kourkounis

Having worked in the storytelling medium for over two decades, I am incredibly excited to be a part of bringing this story to life. Ricki Constant is a character who symbolizes the repetition that responsibility can encompass. When he finally takes the time to notice a beautiful shiny light that had been eluding him, he discovers a new way of looking at the world he works to save. Rich did an exceptional job building out Ricki and the magical world that reacts to and with him as he navigates his purpose.

Raising the requested funds will allow us to meaningfully nurture and support our storytelling process through the remainder of both physical and post production. Monies collected will go towards things such as the purchase of materials to continue building out our sets and props, renting camera and lighting equipment, and the creation of special effects and composition of music. Most importantly, it will support us in conducting an organized, purposeful and professional set that provides a space for our cast and crew to practice their craft. The last few years have been challenging for our industry, with the last few months forcing many of us to look elsewhere for work and income. While there is still much to be done and much that needs to change on a larger scale, we’re modeling our production to be an example of how we would like to see our sets run and are fully committed to ensuring we honor a schedule that respects the work-life balance, safety and overall livelihoods of our colleagues and collaborators.

By contributing to our project, you become a part of this incredible process and are helping breathe life into The Space Between Attack and Decay. We are so grateful for your interest and hope you’ll consider becoming part of our production in any capacity. Thank you!

A sail boat, with canoe attached, lists serenely off the coast of an empty, gray beach. The boat’s skipper is a simple everyman named Ricki Constant, who calls his dinghy “Revolt Required.” He dresses in his tidy, everyday garb — a standard black suit and tie, an outfit one would equate with a funeral. In that very same suit, he commences each day with the exact same routine. Those customary, almost methodical, chores involve a device he’s created to inject, deep into the underground, whatever remains of mankind’s collective future-past.  One day something shiny catches his eye and shifts him away from the systematic formula his life on this dying planet has become and revives his view point to one that is hopeful. 

The Space Between Attack and Decay is an original and independent short film written by Rich Fravel which will be directed by photographer Jessica Kourkounis. The film represents Kourkounis’ debut in the director’s chair after a lengthy career as an editorial photojournalist and motion picture still photographer. The project, which also marks Fravel’s first short film, will film entirely in the Philadelphia area.

The couple has assembled a team of seasoned production professionals to mount the project, which includes director of photography Nick Huynh (‘Servant’, ‘Veep’), producer Christa Altamuro ( ‘Servant’, ‘Mare of Easttown’), and producer Catherine Wolf McGrath (‘Servant’, ‘Old’, ‘Knock at the Cabin’).

The film’s story sports an eclectic trio of characters — our everyman, Ricki Constant, to be played by the incredible Boris McGiver (‘Servant’, ‘The Wire”’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ ,‘House of Cards’). He’ll be joined by respected choreographer Christy Lee as Shiny Sister and actor Christian Dorsey as Figure of Authority.

What unfolds in Rich Fravel’s 13-page script will explore the tension between our mundane realities and the profound mysteries that lie beneath the surface of our lives in a cinematic tale that blends reality and anti-reality against a kaleidoscope of color and sound. 

BORIS McGIVER (Ricki Constant), a mainstay among the industry’s cadre of respected
character actors, is well known for playing newspaper editor-in-chief Tom Hammerschmidt in
Netflix’s award-winning series, ‘House of Cards’ (2013); Hersh in the CBS drama,’Person of
Interest’ (2011); Alexander Coffroth, the bumbling Congressman in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar®-
winning ‘Lincoln’ (2012); ‘TURN: Washington’s Spies’ (2014); ‘Taxi’ (2004); and a trio of
acclaimed, award-winning HBO projects — ‘John Adams’ (2008), ‘Boardwalk Empire’ (for
which he shared in a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Ensemble Cast/Drama Series in 2015)
and, as Lt. Marimow in ‘The Wire’.

He was most recently seen in a trio of disparate and original television series — as
Monsignor Korecki in CBS’ supernatural thriller ‘Evil’ , as the manipulative D.A. Maskins in
ABC’s acclaimed legal drama, ‘For Life’  and as the eerie Uncle George in M. Night
Shyamalan’s supernatural thriller, ‘Servant’ which streamed on AppleTV+ from 2019-23.
Other TV credits include ‘30 Rock’,  ‘The Blacklist’, ‘Flesh and Bone”  ‘BlueBloods’, ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Law & Order’ ,’Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ and ‘Third Watch’ .  He also co-
starred in the 2013 telefilm, ‘Killing Kennedy’ .

Onstage, McGiver has co-starred in two Broadway plays — Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Desire
Under the Elms’ (2009), directed by Robert Falls; and the Lincoln Center Theater production of
‘War Horse’ (2011), which won five Tony Awards, including Best Play, along with a Drama Desk
nomination as Best Play.

Other NY theatre credits include the Tom Stoppard’s ‘Hapgood’ (Lincoln Center
Theater), ‘The Overwhelming’ (off-Broadway’s Roundabout), ‘Cymbeline’ (TFANA in Brooklyn),
nine productions in Joe Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park, ‘The Devils’ and ‘Lydie Breeze’ (New
York Theatre Workshop), and stagings in such renowned regional theaters as Seattle Rep,
Hartford Stage, Philadelphia Theatre Co. and Yale Rep.

CHRISTY LEE (Shiny Sister/choreographer) is a Dancer and Choreographer based in
Philadelphia. This role will mark her professional acting debut.

Lee has trained intensely in ballet, jazz, tap and modern since the age of 10. She studied under Master Teacher Helmut Gottschild, who, himself, was a student of the legendary choreographer Mary Wigman. She was a company member of Karen Bamonte Dance Works as well as Group Motion, founded by Gottschild and Manfred Fishbeck in 1968. She served as a company member and choreographer with the Bessie Award winning Headlong Dance Theater for eleven years, and is a founding member and choreographer with Moxie Dance Collective.

Lee has choreographed for the Yale School of Drama, including Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Orlando’, directed by Jen Wineman; Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’, featuring Lupita Nyong’o and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, and Michael McQuilken’s devised music/theater work ‘Jib’. She choreographed ‘Angel’s Bone’ by Composer Du Yun and Librettist Royce Vavre, which was directed by McQuilken in the Prototype Opera Festival. Currently, she is a contributing dancer and choreographer for Subcircle Dance.

Christy holds a B.F.A. in Dance from Temple University.

CHRISTIAN DORSEY (Figure of Authority/F.O.A.) has had small roles in several
Philadelphia-based film productions, including stunt double for Samuel L. Jackson in M. Night
Shyamalan’s ‘Glass’. Additional credits include ‘Creed II’,  Colin Farrell crime thriller
‘Dead Man Down’, Oscar-winning ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, and ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’.  Dorsey has served as a lighting double for such stars as Jamie Foxx, Tyree Gibson, Terrence Howard, Michael B. Jordan and Samuel L. Jackson.

JESSICA KOURKOUNIS – DIRECTOR

Jessica Kourkounis is an accomplished photojournalist and multimedia producer.  Her images have appeared in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Washington Post and The Boston Globe, with her portrait work including Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, NPR’s Terry Gross, musician Sam Smith, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

After an assignment for the NYT to photograph Oscar-nominated filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, Kourkounis began the second chapter of her career as a set photographer on his 2019 hit thriller ‘Glass’  starring James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Sarah Paulson. She continued her association with the Philly-based filmmaker on AppleTV series ‘Servant’ which bowed its fourth and final season in 2023. Kourkounis has since captured images on sets such as ‘Concrete Cowboys’ starring Idris Elba and ‘The Son’ starring Anthony Hopkins and Hugh Jackman as well as Apple TV’s upcoming period series ‘Lady In The Lake’ with Natalie Portman and Sony’s “Madame Web” starring Sydney Sweeney and Dakota Johnson. Her most recent work includes upcoming feature “Daddio” starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn as well as Ridley Scott’s Apple TV’s series ‘Sinking Spring’, which was halted due to the WGA and SAG-Aftra strikes.

Kourkounis graduated from The School of Hard Knocks.

RICHARD A. FRAVEL, JR – WRITER

Screenwriter Richard Fravel grew up in the farmland of Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Fravel traversed the U.S. and Europe as a minstrel and tour manager after college. He returned to Philadelphia as audio technician and stage manager at Philly’s top music venues, where he embraced the emergence of Brit-Pop, Hip-Hop, and Sludge-Rock. 

Having survived these battles he, along with Jessica, raised a really great kid, Lucy. Amidst all, he met Rocket, his best friend and cat.

Fravel graduated from Temple University.

CHRISTA ALTAMURO – PRODUCER

Producer Christa Altamuro was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. She landed her first  production job as assistant to one of the producers of ‘Creed’, a true Philadelphia story shot on location in the city. She has continued to grow her resume working in the Production, Assistant Director, and Locations Departments on projects such as AMC’s ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’, ‘Split’, ‘Creed II’, ‘Glass’, ‘The Pale Blue Eye’, HBO’s ‘Mare of Easttown’, Amazon’s ‘A League of Their Own’ and Apple TV+ ‘Servant’.  

Altamuro graduated from Temple University.

CATHERINE WOLF MCGRATH – PRODUCER

CATHERINE WOLF MCGRATH started her career in development at 20th Century Fox, assisting on titles such as ‘Deadpool’, ‘Logan’, ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘War For Planet Of the Apes’.  She co-produced Apple TV’s series ‘Servant’, M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’ and directing duo Celine Held and Logan George’s upcoming ‘Into Caddo Lake’. 

Wolf McGrath is an MFA graduate from Loyola Marymount University, where she was awarded the Hollywood Foreign Press Grant for her thesis film.

NICHOLAS HUYNH – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Brooklyn based NICHOLAS HUYNH lends his detailed eye to production as Director of Photography. Huynh’s credits include Apple TV’s ‘Servant’, HBO’s ‘Veep’ , ‘It Follows’ and Academy Award nominated ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’. 

Huynh graduated from Florida State University.

ALYSSA DONOVAN-BROWNING – EDITOR

New Jersey native ALYSSA DONOVAN-BROWNING is an LA-based editor with industry wide experience. She started her career with 10 years of editing at MSNBC, notably on ‘The Eleventh Hour’ with Brian Williams. She most recently assisted editor Kevin Tent on Alexander Payne’s upcoming film, ‘The Holdovers’. 

Donavan-Browning is a graduate of Rutgers University.

PAIGE FETCHEN – COSTUME DESIGNER

PAIGE FETCHEN is a designer who was awarded the Textile Artist in Residence position at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, where she both designed and taught courses in a variety of textile based practices.  Upon returning to Philadelphia, she managed studio projects for the Fabric Workshop and Museum working with artists such as Janine Antoni, Ann Hamilton and Ursula Von Rydingsvard. She is currently working in technical design for Anthropologie and Free People and teaches wearable art and fashion related courses at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, University of the Arts, Lincoln University and Made Institute.

Fetchen received her B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. 

MATT SAUNDERS – PRODUCTION DESIGNER

MATT SAUNDERS is a scenic designer and a creator of new performance work based in Philadelphia. He is a founding member and Associate Artistic Director of the experimental theatre company New Paradise Laboratories. His past design work under NPL has included plays ‘The Fab 4 Reach the Pearly Gates’, performed at P.S. 122 in NYC as well as the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; ‘Prom’, a co-production with the Tony Award-Winning Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. His design for Facebook was selected for the United States’ professional pavilion at the prestigious Prague Quadrennial.

Outside of NPL, Saunders has designed hundreds of shows performed at prestigious theatre venues such as Mark Taper Forum, The Guthrie Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre. He is currently the Assistant Professor of Design in the Department of Theater at Swarthmore College.

Saunders is a 2014 Pew Fellow, a 2015 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University, and holds an MFA in Design from the Yale School of Drama. 

NARA SMITH – VFX

Philadelphia transplant NARA SMITH lends her expertise to production as a Visual Effects Supervisor. Her past credits include HBO’s ‘Mare of Easttown’ and ‘Lovecraft Country’ as well as Apple TV’s ‘Servant’ and Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’. She has also worked on notable feature titles ‘Respect’, ‘Old’, ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, ‘Stuber’ and Academy Award nominated ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’.

Smith graduated from the University of North Carolina/Asheville.

JODI RICE- ART DIRECTOR / SPECIAL EFFECTS COORDINATOR 

As a working artist in Philadelphia, Jodi specializes in sculpture, site-specific art installation and gallery curation. Her works includes music videos, shorts, multiple commercials, and most recently a pilot helmed by director Ridley Scott.

Rice graduated from the University of the Arts for Sculpture / Art Therapy.

JACK MANDHARDT – CONSTRUCTION COORDINATOR

Fishtown Native Jack Manhardt has been making saw dust and filling dumpsters for Philly based jawns since M. Night Shaymalan’s ‘The Village’. Combining his extensive carpentry knowledge with decades of experience building and running parades for Blaine Kerns Mardi Gras Productions world wide, Manhardt provides a unique perspective to the project. Manhardt has been to jail, but never prison. In his spare time he 3D prints ghosts and bakes. GO BIRDS.

 Mandhardt is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art class of 84 (SO punk rock).

DOUG JONES – GAFFER

Living just outside of Baltimore with his wife and daughter, Doug brings good vibes, dad jokes, and plenty of photons to set. Doug’s credits include Netflix series ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Stranger Things’, Apple TV’s ‘Servant’, and Showtime’s ‘The Good Lord Bird’.

KIMBERLY RIAL-STUART – KEY GRIP

Kimberly Rial-Stuart is a 26 year member of IATSE and has worked in theatre, film and, television since junior high school. She has extensive background in all aspects of set construction, rigging and, camera movement. Her most recent credits include Key Grip for the popular Apple series  ‘Servant’ as well as the feature film ‘Knock at the Cabin’.  Kim believes in promoting equity and diversity in the film industry; especially for all women.  Locally, she is committed to promoting interest in local elections and holds office on the district election board in South Philadelphia. She has a keen interest in sewing, photography, scuba diving, boat-building, sail-making, travel, art, and yoga.

Rial-Stewart graduated from Bryn Mawr college.