Los Angeles -based company Magic Hour Productions is pleased to announce the launch of its kickstarter campaign for its latest production, House of Smoke. Following in the historic tradition of quality in Russian cinema, yet bringing her own fresh sensibility to the art of film, Director Mariya Pyter has journeyed from her native St. Petersburg to L.A. and is making the movie that will be her calling card. Here’s a quick glance at what she’s got planned for her 1950’s themed psychological thriller, House of Smoke.

About House of Smoke

Based on the classic short story “The Dead Are Silent” by phycologist and author Arthur Schnitzler, House of Smoke is a 15-minute short film approached with feature-film savvy. The film is a highly intriguing and provocative story about a cheating wife, her husband, her lover, and a car ride gone wrong. It is written by Mariya and Kevin Kordes, based on the short story, The Dead Are Silent by Arthur Schnitzler. Pyter proudly notes that Schnitzler’s other works include Rhapsody: A Dream Novel, upon which Director Stanley Kubrick based the film Eyes Wide Shut.

Talented Cast and Crew

Pyter’s cast in House of Smoke will include Alexandra Anthony (Dark Skies, Big- Time Rush), Richard Halverson (Trumbo, Lost in Darkness), and Skip Pipo (Lady Windermere’s Fan, 5th Street). Behind the scenes, expereinced cinemographer Glen D. Miller (Titanic, Dogma) collaborates to bring the story to life.

About the Director

Mariya Pyter began her career in the film studios of Russia and after studying filmmaking at UCLA, now finds herself transported to a crossroads where one or two right moves and she could be working beside such abiding inspirations as Scorsese, or even his own mentor, the prolific Roger Corman. Potential investors and others wishing to get in on “House of Smoke” – including the aforementioned R. Corman – are invited to contact director Mariya Pyter at Kickstarter or mariyapyter@gmail.com

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the author

Mariya Pyter is a Russian director, screenwriter, and actress. She began her career in St. Petersburg. While in Russia, she worked in the film industry as an interviewer, presenter, assistant director and actress. As an actress in Hollywood, Pyter began her work by appearing in music videos by such artists as “Dagger to the Heart.” She was notable in the feature, “Play Jane Play,” and did a TV parody role in “The Walking Deader.” Mariya arrived in Los Angeles inspired by the tradition of America cinema. She studied filmmaking at UCLA and set about bringing a story by the writer Arthur Schnitzler to the screen. Another Schnitzler work, “Rhapsody: A Dream Novel,” was the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.” Set in the 1950’s, Pyter’s film adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s “The Dead Are Silent,” is a provocative psychological thriller. Now titled “House of Smoke,” the story centers on a cheating wife who flees for a new life with her lover, but plans go away when their car crashes on a rainy night.