Otessa Ghadar Honored as the DC Film Office July Filmmaker of the Month

Friday, July 1, 2011

Otessa Ghadar, creator and director of "Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden," is selected as the July 2011 Filmmaker of the month

The District of Columbia Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to announce Otessa Ghadar, creator and director of web series “Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden,” as its July Filmmaker of the Month.

Otessa Ghadar is the creator and director of web series "Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden," which follows the lives of D.C. teens growing up and getting down in the 1990's. Otessa completed her Graduate Film studies, at Columbia University’s Film school in NYC. "Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden" started as her MFA Thesis, and grew from there. Otessa now creates the show with the assistance of her mother and Production Designer, Lis de Tuerk Ghadar. Otessa is also the founder of 20/20 Productions, which produced the film.

The project is inspired by memories of Otessa’s own teenage years in D.C. — what she describes as “part recollection, part urban legend, and part pure fiction.” With a female driven production team, and a cast and crew comprised of all local area residents, "Orange Juice in Bishops Garden" brings fiction filmmaking out of Washington, D.C. in the form of cutting edge new media, streaming virally online.

Currently filming its fifth season, the series has won a 2011 Telly Award, two 2011 LA Web Series Festival Awards (for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Cinematography in a Drama Series), and received a 2011 Indie Intertube Ensemble Drama Award nomination.

The DC Film Office launched the Filmmaker of the Month initiative to feature a District-based filmmaker who exemplifies the vast amount of talent and creativity based here in the nation’s capital. The Filmmaker of the Month initiative is part of its mission to elevate the national and international profile of the city’s most talented filmmakers. Previous filmmakers honored include “Money Matters” director Ryan Richmond, “The West Wing” producer Jonathan Zurer, and Jezebel Filmworks founder Ada Babino.

You can visit the July Filmmaker of the Month section to learn more about Otessa.

Do you know a filmmaker you would like to see featured as the DC Film Office’s Filmmaker of the Month”? If so, please forward your suggestion to [email protected].