UPDATE: Due to technical difficulties, Bullet of Madness will no longer be screening at the Aug. 19 ManaSota Films meet-up. Current plans are to return to the originally planned screening date at the October meeting of ManaSota Films. The remaining scheduled films will still screen as announced.

“I have been a prisoner for about three years,” said filmmaker JB Whirtley, the writer-director speaking from the sound booth where he’s made his home for the past couple weeks, dragging an inflatable mattress into the space and setting up camp as he puts the finishing touches on his long-awaited short film Bullet of Madness, to be screened for the first time tonight at the ManaSota Films monthly meet-up in Lakewood Ranch Cinemas, where local filmmakers get a spot on the big screen to show their work. Now the nerves set in. “It was hard to make the movie, but it’s probably going to be even harder to watch it,” said Whirtley, tired but in good cheer, “especially with a bunch of strangers.”

A dark comedy starring an unhinged plastic surgeon (played by ManaSota Films founder Mark Troy) tearing through the local criminal element in a mad quest for revenge, Bullet of Madness began in 2013 with an idea, an elaborate trailer and a trip to Canada to meet with Magnet Releasing, a studio haven for the offbeat and bizarre, especially within the world of genre filmmaking. Impressed, Magnet sent Whirtley home to make his short film and meet again after with possible talk of turning Bullet into a feature-length film. Three years later, Whirtley’s film clocks in at a cool twenty minutes of slick and demented action, but not without a few bumps in the road, such as switching crews and uprooting the production from Orlando to Bradenton.

“Me and the crew just did not jive,” said Whirtley, regarding the Orlando crew with a stylistic update of the classic ‘creative differences.’ “They were trying to make a different film than I was.” Shifting his focus to Bradenton, Whirtley enlisted the help of local filmmakers such as Trishul Thejasvi, founder of Orensis Films, producer and cinematographer for Bullet, and now a regular collaborator, and John O’Keefe, an actor who stepped into a co-producer role to keep the film moving as crews were assembled and sets rebuilt. On top of that, Whirtley met the demands of his regular job as assistant director for commercial work. “Any time I had a gig, I had to stop to make money,” said Whirtley. “And then when I had money, I had to reopen the production again and start shooting.” Putting the film together in bits and pieces, time ran long. “We shot whatever we could over the course of two years,” said Whirtley.

Film in hand, Whirtley remains in contact with Magnet, where he says relations are “cordial, but I still have other options on the table.” That being said, he doesn’t want to overstate his position. Magnet knows he has something, he says, but they haven’t seen the finished product and anything could happen. “It’s business,” he said. “Nothing’s carved in stone until there’s a contract.”

Bullet of Madness screens tonight at Lakewood Ranch Cinemas at the ManaSota Films meet-up, which begins at 8:15pm. Also screening will be At a Glance, a short film from Rory Smith about coffee shop conflict; Stephanie Davis and Cindy Krapfel’s Speed Dating; Heading Nowhere, a lengthier and seemingly absurdist short film from Keenan O’Reilly and more. Admission is free, but guests are encouraged to give back to the theater that hosts the community free of charge for the event by treating themselves at the concession stand. 

Pictured: (from left to right) Mark Troy, Trishul Thejasvi and JB Whirtley on the set of Bullet of Madness. Photo by: John O'Keefe.

Read the extended article on our film-dedicated blog, SRQBacklot

There’s nothing I love more than walking into a restaurant and being transported to another world. Beulah on Main Street, from the delightful owners of Flavio’s Brick Oven and Bar on Siesta Key, feels like the set of a gothic fairytale with charm and eccentricity to spare. I’m drawn to the colorful and beautifully lit bar, the corner inferno of the pizza oven, the stylishly mismatched mirrors, elaborate lamps and winking gargoyles. The outside patio and bar promise to be Downtown Sarasota’s sexiest new destination once the glorious October weather hits. There’s something beautiful to look at in every nook and cranny and once you’ve stopped exploring and picked a seat—there’s not a bad one in the house—you’ll be treated to the sight of plate after plate of gorgeous, fresh, delicious food. We enjoyed a delicate creamy burrata with fig balsamic before devouring a generous portion of grilled octopus over house made polenta. Try a frozen martini, finish with the tiramisu and notice how drab and uninspired the sidewalks downtown appear once you’ve departed the dazzling interior of Beulah. 

Beulah, 1766 Main Street, 941-906-2305

Pamela Yemma, current director of Sales and Marketing at Sarasota-based Yarnall Records Management, has been elected president of The Florida Chapter of the Association for Information and Image Management. Yemma has been actively involved in the chapter since 2007, previously serving on the board of directors for eight years, and also as director of Program Chair, director of New Membership and vice president. 

Yarnall Records Management

Platinum Athletics, a new cheer and tumbling facility in Sarasota, announced it will hold its first try-outs for the 2015-16 cheer season. The facility has USA All-Star Federation-certified staff for levels 1-5. 

Platinum Athletics, 941-377-2450

This week, SRQ Media is participating in the Good Wheels program, sponsored by Goodwill Manasota. As a master of partnerships in our community, Goodwill is pairing up to raise money and awareness for another worthy organization, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. On Thursday and Friday, SRQ team members will pedal to raise awareness and funds for Meals on Wheels. As part of a generous contribution from The Patterson Foundation, each new online donor’s gift to Good Wheels will be matched (up to $250 per donor, per organization). Your donation can do twice the amount of good when you give. Outside participation is encouraged! Stop by our offices from 3-5PM this Thursday and Friday for a chance to ride. If you're interested in supporting us or making a pledge for each mile we ride, contact Ashley Grant at Ashley.Grant@srqme.com.  

SRQ | The Magazine has extended the deadline for the first annual Building of the Year Competition! Debuting in the January 2016 edition of the magazine, Building of the Year is a formal competition that will introduce our loyal readers to some of our community's newest places to live, work and play. Buildings that have broken ground, are under construction or have been realized between January 2014 and December 2015 are eligible to submit in categories ranging from residential building to public building or space to best sustainable building. All entries will be judged by a panel of out-of-market experts on function, aesthetics, originality of concept, architecture, implementation and usability. The winners of each category will be announced in the January 2016 edition of SRQ in a special awards section. Submissions are being accepted now through September 25, 2015. Late registration is available until October 7, 2015. To enter or to find out more information, click here.