Featuring the Talents of over 30 Central Virginia Actors, Marquee Cinema at 5800 Southpoint Boulevard, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22407 will be showing the 2016-2017 works of Award Winning Filmmaker Wendy Latella at 10:30 AM. This event is free to the public and Mrs. Latella will be available afterwards for a Q&A session.

For more information, please contact Wendy Latella at 571-484-1917 or Wendy@ChallengeYourPerception.com .

Film industry Veterans and newcomers interested in trying their hand at film are encouraged to come. Mrs. Latella will be having sign-ups for 4 productions filming in the Central Virginia area this summer. A natural Leader and Team Player, Mrs. Latella’s sets are professional, fun, and educational. All films have been accepted to Film Festivals and/or Exhibition and Actors have received professional credits. Several previous Actors have gone on to receive their SAG cards and work in the film industry in Atlanta and New York.

Saturday’s production will include:

“Story of My Life”
After a bad accident, a young mother has to decide what is best for her family – to fight for her life or to let go. (short film)

“The Bath”
A humorous look at the bath time struggles every parent with toddlers face. (short film)

“Stephen’s Disney Dream”
Big-Hearted Character Actor Stephen Tutschings works hard and hones his skills as he chases his dream of being a Character Actor at Disney. (short documentary)

“Life in 5”
A 5-minute film following a woman from womb to next as she embraces all one life has to offer and experiences all the love of a lifetime. (short film)

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Mrs. Wendy A. Latella is currently the Lee’s Hill Commissioner for the Spotsylvania County Telecommunications Commission. She is pursuing a Masters in Digital Media Design from Harvard University via Extension Services.

Mrs. Latella began in the professional film and television industry in 1995 as a recurring Guest Star on Aaron Spelling’s “Savannah”. A graduate of Dacula High School in Dacula, Georgia, she graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University in 2000 with Bachelors of Science Degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice. With a focus on Child Psychology, she worked as a Counselor at the Gwinnett Regional Youth Detention center in Lawrenceville, Georgia and then as a Grief Counselor and Billing Associate at Peachtree Neurosurgery in Atlanta, Georgia.

After marrying her best friend, newly commissioned United States Army Officer Jason Latella in 2002, she left her position to support him at Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where she served as the Family Readiness Group Leader for his class. Their first duty station was with the Big Red One in Schweinfurt, Germany. Mrs. Latella served the unit as the Battalion Family Readiness Group Secretary and the community as the Schweinfurt Community Spouses’ Club Secretary and Bazaar Chairman, raising monies for emergency welfare assistance and scholarships, and as the Exceptional Family Member Coordinator.

Through her work, she saw a way to use her degrees to help the community’s struggling youth. Using her knowledge of psychology and her background in professional theatre, she developed a drama class for the American children in Europe. With the combination of creative writing, improvisation, scene studies, and a large performance showcasing their new-found talents, Mrs. Latella used a group counseling dynamic to help the participating youth work through their fears and frustrations brought on by living overseas in a community with a high Operational Tempo. Children participating in her groups thrived. For her efforts, Mrs. Latella was recognized by the United States Army with two Certificates of Appreciation for Patriotic Civilian Service (2006 and 2007).

During her time in Europe, Mrs. Latella volunteered with American Forces Network – Europe, Wuerzburg, giving support with radio and television news and broadcast production. More recently, she served the Central Virginia community as the Vice President of Programming for Central Virginia Television Network, the 501(c)3 public access voice of the community.

Mrs. Latella’s professional education includes Photography studies with Photography Pulitzer Prize Winner Greg Marinovich (Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts), Acting for the Camera (Alliance, Atlanta, Georgia), Acting for the Stage (Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia), Advanced Directing, Monologue Building, Vocal Coaching, and Directing Musicals (IMCOM-E AACT, Heidelberg, Germany), From Scratch to Script (The Barrow Group, New York City, New York), and Comedic Acting (Actors First, New York).

Her awards and honors include Official Selection – Story of My Life (2016, Inaugural Different Faces Different Voices Film Festival), Finalist – Story of My Life (2016, Inaugural Flicks 4 Chicks Film Contest), Best Choreography (2007, Tournament of Plays – Europe), Best Hair, Best Make-Up, Best Ensemble, and Best Musical (2007, Tournament of Plays – Europe, awards shared with the cast and crew of Bamberg Stable Theater’s production of “Little Women” the musical), Third Place (2007, DramSoc One Act Playwriting Competition, London, England), International Gold Award (2001, Healthcare Marketing Report’s Healthcare Advertising Awards), and induction into the Honorable Order of Molly Pitcher by the United Stated Field Artillery Association in 2006.

Mrs. Latella’s goal is to build Film and Television in the Central Virginia area through education and hands-on experiences.

Mrs. Wendy Latella currently lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia with her husband, United States Army Major Jason Latella of Atlanta, Georgia and her sons, George Vincent and Robert Anthony.