Face Value
TFI Suppport
Logline
Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 Vienna, was a Hollywood star – “the most beautiful girl in the world”, according to Ed Sullivan – the first woman to appear fully nude in a legitimate motion picture, the Czech film Ecstasy, and the inventor of a device that allowed frequency hopping. This visionary concept would supply the U.S. Army with the secure remote-control guidance system for torpedoes, and become the forerunner to all wireless communication today.
Gretchen Somerfeld
Producer/ Writer
Gretchen has written, directed, and produced a feature film and three shorts. All of the films have received worldwide distribution and have been shown at
numerous venues -- from the American Cinematheque to the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. She graduated from NYU film school, was the winner of the Independent Filmmakers Grant from the NEA, and was the honored recipient of the Disney/DGA Directors Fellowship. Gretchen has worked in film and television as a script supervisor, production manager and still photographer; she has directed theatre in New York and Los Angeles and is a member of the Writers/Directors Unit at The Actors Studio.
David Baxter
Producer
David Baxter received his degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and worked in corporate marketing before beginning his entertainment career as assistant to documentary director, Errol Morris. After moving from New York to Los Angeles, Baxter held several development positions and earned his master’s degree from UCLA’s Producer Program. While attending, he produced his first feature film, a romantic comedy called Shooting Lily that won the 1996 SXSW Film Festival. Baxter became a member of the WGA after selling Nuvolari, an epic racing car script, to 20th Century Fox. He is co-producer and co-story writer of Face Value, the 2004 Sloan grant winning screenplay about the life of actress/inventor Hedy Lamarr. Most recently Baxter formed Nimbus Pictures with entertainment publicist Lisa Taback with a mission to produce thought-provoking entertainment for the 21st century. Baxter is represented by the William Morris Agency.