-Caveat Lector- The F Zone: Not since the Boston Tea Party has there been a tax event with as much impact as THF Pictures’ "The F Zone," a new, independent explosively dramatic action film about some of the horrors, strong arm tactics and ruthless behavior of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.... <http://www.thfpictures.com/f_zone_main_page.htm> BACKGROUND: The 16th Amendment states, " The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census of enumeration." In recent history the IRS targeted the entertainment industry for large scale tax changes. Specifically in the definitions of employee vs. independent contractor and the determination thereof. These changes were made by broadly interpreting existing tax laws and unfortunately came at the expense of small companies without the resources to fight the large levies placed on them by IRS and state agencies. The recent insurgence of patriot groups, militia and other similar groups is related to the rising discontent with the tax system as well as the federal government. These groups, in general, feel the government has become too powerful an entity in which the rights of the individual are continually eroded. Recent disclosures, such as the government's radiation experiments upon unwitting participants, the Iran-Contra drugs-for-weapons scandal, the leaving behind of American POW's in North Korea, or the CIA's fundraising by selling crack in our inner cities, has led to an ever increasing distrust of the American Government. And now, recent evidence has suggested that the sixteenth amendment to the Constitution, upon which all authority for modern taxation rests, was never legally ratified. The number of states that ratified it was less than the three-fourths margin needed to declare it an amendment, yet the acting Secretary of State in 1913 declared it ratified. Patriot groups have used this information, as well as an extensive knowledge of the laws, U.S. codes, and the Constitution, to "legally" avoid paying taxes. Multiple members of congress have made it their platform and vow to change the tax system and the IRS. One publication suggested that in the next year some 20 million citizens will have an adverse encounter with the IRS. SYNOPSIS: Producer Dennis Smith (William Harrity), though innocent of any wrongdoing, is financially ruined by a group of IRS agents intent on changing the tax standards for the entertainment industry. Led by agent Lothar Gunter (Lee West) they levy Dennis' accounts forcing him out of business. Dennis accepts help from tax attorney Loren Adams (Kelly Hunt), but without adequate funds to mount an opposition he must resort to her off the record advice which entails hiding his assets from seizure by the IRS. Angered by Dennis' evasiveness, Lothar and his marshals (F.G. Houston & Mark Hoadley) make life difficult for Dennis, who manages to stay one step ahead. Loren convinces Dennis that he must learn the knowledge necessary to protect himself, but she possesses alternative motives that are driven by circumstances that have led to her own loathing of the IRS. Loren seeks to convince Dennis to help her create a film that will question the validity of the federal authority for taxation, the sixteenth amendment. Dennis' initial reluctance changes as the pain of Loren's past is revealed. Loren reasons that by imparting the knowledge necessary to understand an injustice to the populace, change can occur via the will of the people. Dennis' consent leads to an interesting and tumultuous climax. PRODUCTION NOTES: Not since the Boston Tea Party has there been a tax event with as much impact as THF Pictures’ "The F Zone," a new, independent explosively dramatic action film about some of the horrors, strong arm tactics and ruthless behavior of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. All too often, in the opinion of this film, IRS policy is you’re guilty until proven innocent! "The F Zone" producers said they were motivated since the inception of their film to create an illumination about a common American injustice. And that’s why "The F Zone’s" everyperson protagonist, Dennis Smith (portrayed by filmmaker William Harrity), tosses prudence to the wind and fights the most awesome adversary of them all--the Internal Revenue Service. When Smith rebels by announcing to the IRS that he "refuses to pay the large levy imposed by them on him and his company" war breaks out between him and agent Lothar Gunter (Lee West), probably the most relentless pursuer since officer Javert in "Les Miserables" or Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive." Smith is motivated by the real-life facts that the sixteenth amendement to the Constitution, upon which all authority for modern taxation rests, was never legally ratified. The number of states that ratified it was less than the three-fourths needed to declare it an amendement, yet the then acting Secretary of State in 1913 declared it ratified. Patriot groups have used this information, as well as extensive knowledge of the laws, U.S. codes, and the Constitution, to "legally" avoid paying taxes. "The F Zone" is co-produced, co-written by and stars William Harrity. Director is Michael Hansel. Costarring are Kelly Hunt and Lee West. Also producing are Diane Wilson and Melanie Brown, who collaborated with Harrity on the screenplay. "The F Zone" story explodes into action when TV commerical producer Smith (Harrity) is financially crippled, forced out of business and pushed to the emotional edge by hounding agents of the Internal Revenue Service, led by Gunter. Cause of the conflict are changes in the tax standards for the entertainment industry. Brilliant tax attorney Loren Adams (Hunt) between falling in love with Smith, guides him into fighting the Goliath tax system by advising him to hide some of his surviving assets. She also prevails upon him to produce a film--not unlike "The F Zone" itself--that will expose IRS injustices to the world and advance a change in the tax system. It was his wife Nicole LeTendre who initially told actor-filmmaker Harrity about how her father had been hounded by the IRS throughout his entire adult life. Then Harrity remembered that his uncle cannot return to the United States because of an IRS dispute. LeTendre also met a friend of a friend who shocked the Harritys by revealing to them that he hadn’t paid federal taxes for five years. Harrity was intrigued enough with this initial information to embark on a vast research project about taxes and the IRS. He uncovered numerous case histories of federal abuses, improper harrassments, cars and houses needlessly seized. . .and of lives ruined. Harrity’s collection of vast amounts of IRS information and facts motivated him to create "The F Zone" screenplay, one with built-in strong dramatic entertainment values. Prior to this Harrity had been writing a script about doctors in an emergecy room (even before the popularity of "ER" and "Chicago Hope")--another subject close to his life since he is a former ER doctor himself who now is also a practicing anesthesiologist--when not writing, acting, producing or editing. Said Harrity: "In my heart I believe god heard the wailings of too many good people who from personal experience are opposed to methods of the IRS. Consider the recent Senate hearings as well as organizations that are surfacing daily such as CATS (Citizens for Alternative Tax System) and CSE (Citizens for a Sound Economy), the various patriot movements, political forces from representatives such as Dick Armey and Bill Archer, who are all part of a mounting wrath against an agency that has gone bad and is often out of control. " Harrity originally became interested in acting while attending Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit. While in medical school Harrity performed in "South Pacific" while cramming for surgery exams back stage. He did his internship in Los Angeles where a theatrical agent moved him around town. Weary about auditioning as an actor, Harrity started studying filmmaking at UCLA and the American Film Institute with the determination of one day making his own film. An interesting sidebar to his personal life is that he met his wife while removing her appendix as an intern. Harrity had planned also to direct "The F Zone." But when he became overwhelmed from wearing the many hats of co-writer, co-producer, star, editor and fund raiser he sought help elsewhere. It was then that he met and was impressed by Michael Hansel. Harrity quicky concluded that Hansel was brilliant and very knowledgeable about films. Although handicapped and confined to a wheel chair, Hansel, in the opinion of Harrity, "has great insights into working with actors." Following a 10-year career of acting and directing, "The F Zone" is Hansel’s theatrical film debut as a director. He studied acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory and trained in directing at the Film Industry Workshop at CBS-TV. Film production of "The F Zone" began in June and concluded four weeks later with all location work in the Los Angeles area and Mexico. What does filmmaker-actor Harrity personally think of the tax system? "While I reluctantly abide by it as do most solid citizens," he says, "I now believe all of us would be better served by replacing personal income taxes with a national sales tax." Between the making of "The F Zone" and acquiring some eight other independent films for international sales representation through his THF Pictures company that is run by Nicole LeTendre, Harrity continues to be a full time anesthesiologist. He is regularly on call for emergencies. The budget for "The F Zone" came mostly from Harrity, his family and aquaintances interested in a story where the I.R.S. is the "bad guy". Harrity’s dollars were originally set aside to buy a house. But the passion to do his own film caused him temporarily to postpone buying a house, using the money to produce the film. The Harritys have no regrets about that decision since 1999 now finds them with two sons, ages six and two, a bigger house than they would earlier have bought and a finished movie. During the filming Harrity’s wife served the production as assistant director and photographer. Casting of the film was accomplished by open audition calls as advertised in the actors’ trade paper, DramaLogue. Kelly Hunt, who portrays Loren Adams the tax attorney, was Harrity and Hansel’s first discovery. "Kelly and I had that instant chemistry," said Harrity. "It’s as if we had been friends for 20 years. She has that wonderful, unique ability to pump enormous life and energy into all her scenes. I’m convinced Kelly will be a major star." The tough IRS agent, Lother Gunter, who pursues Smith with relentless and ruthless passion went to actor Lee West. "We probably read 500 actors for the part of the revenue agent," said Harrity, "but the minute we saw and heard Lee West we knew we had the right person for that role by his sound, look and body language. We could now move on to filling assignments for the rest of the cast." Said Harrity about the film: "It’s about the little guy against the establishment along with a love story. The entire premise of our film is that an injustice may never exist without the knowledge to understand it. Once the knowledge is passed along, the injustice can be perceived. While being entertained, we’re hopeful audiences for this film will gain enough knowledge to question injustices in the tax system across other areas of life." Said Hansel: "This film is not a diatribe about the evils of government. To the contrary, our film is in keeping with the ideas our forefathers set up when they created this country. They felt that questioning the status quos was so important that the first amendment under The Bill of Rights was freedom of speech, press, and the right to petition, and that’s one amendement that should never be questioned." Several members of the cast and crew of "The F Zone" each had their own personal "horror" stories about the IRS. The film’s location manager, Darold Westbrook, remembers his mother having her car seized by an IRS agent even though it was her only means of getting to and from work. Assistant director Pierre Lorillard also had his car seized. Filming of "The F Zone" was done in and around Los Angeles on 15 diversified location sights. The Glasair plane, used in the film as one of the assets being hidden from the IRS, actually was built by filmmaker-actor Harrity. It took him seven years to build it in a hanger at a Southern California airport. Director of photography is Steve Adcock. Music is by Michael Shapiro, who took the film assignment as his first immediately following graduation from the University of Southern California. It was John Ottman, composer of the musical score for "The Usual Suspects" who recommended Shapiro. ABOUT THE ACTORS: WILLIAM HARRITY (Dennis) see 'About The Filmmakers' KELLY HUNT (Loren) has a long list of theater credits including the role of Laura in The Glass Menagerie and has been seen in the features Edge of Darkness and Street Hauntings. She holds a B.A. degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and trained with Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio. LEE WEST (Lothar) is frequently seen in film, theater and television. His feature credits include She's Having A Baby, Code of Silence and Dangerous Waters. Lee has a recurring role on The Bold & The Beautiful, and has also been seen in Young & The Restless, Days of Our Lives, Married With Children, Designing Women and has numerous co-starring roles in television films. Lee has a long list of off-Broadway and regional theater credits including roles in Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. F.G. HOUSTON (Marshal) is a regular performer in film, theater and television. He has a long list of television roles including Matlock, Coach, The Wonder Years, Married With Children, Webster and Knots Landing. F.G. has appeared in over 20 national commercials and over sixty industrial films. His feature credits include starring roles in Night of the Kickfighters and Night Raiders. MARK HOADLEY (Marshal) has been seen in numerous films such as Green Mantis, The Long Ride, Bob's Bungalow, The Journalist and The Pit. Mark is also known for his ability to choreograph stunt work, and he has worked as a stunt coordinator in many of the films in which he acted. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS: Director MICHAEL HANSEL makes his feature film debut with The F Zone. Born in Spokane, Washington, Michael has a background in both film and music. He has been acting and directing for more than 10 years. Early directing work includes a 30-minute short and numerous live musical comedy television programs. Other directing duties have included tutoring actors for stage and film. He studied acting at Stella Adler Conservatory and trained in directing under the Film Industry Workshop at CBS Television. He was awarded the School of Fine Arts Artistic Excellence Award and Senior Meritorious Award at Eastern Washington Interview. Writer/Producer/Actor/Editor WILLIAM HARRITY. The F Zone is his feature film debut. William is a member of the IFP/West group of filmmakers, and has studied acting for more than 10 years, including the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Film Industry Workshops, where he met director Michael Hansel. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. William's "day job" is as an M.D. anesthesiologist. Producer/Production Manager DIANE WILSON has been connected to both live theater and film/video production for over thirty years. She has worked at nearly every level of video and film production from crew member to producer, including director of photography on three cable television series/pilots and a documentary nature film. Diane is now a producer and co-owner of a corporate/educational video production company. She co-produced an educational series for national distribution and a training series for Farmers Insurance Company. Producer MELANIE L. BROWN has been in the video and film industry for twelve years. Melanie has owned and operated her own production company, Master Video Productions, for the past nine years. Melanie interned at KSBY in Santa Barbara, and has also worked as a news photographer/editor at KEYT in Santa Barbara. She has recently produced two of a ten part series titled Unfinished Stories which are being distributed by Barr Films. Director of Photography STEVE ADCOCK is originally from England. Steve arrived in the U.S. in 1986 and worked with Panavision in the rental and prep departments for two years. After leaving Panavision he went into production and has worked as a camera assistant in such films as Hunt for Red October, Days of Thunder, Basic Instinct, and Thelma and Louise. In 1992, Steve started working as Director of Photography on music videos, commercials and features such as Timelock, Must be the Music (1996 Sundance Film Festival Finalist), Don's Plum, The Silent Force, and Rough Trade. He continues to work on the camera crew for "A" features between work as Director of Photography, and has recently worked on Jade, Species, and Lethal Weapon III. Composer MICHAEL SHAPIRO. The F Zone his second feature film score. Mike works in Hollywood as a freelance composer and his clients have included MopTop Films, Iwerks, Metroff Media Makers, WQED/West, and Wild Track Productions. Mike also serves as a musical consultant for SuperNova Productions, a New York based multimedia firm. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, obtained his masters in music composition at New York University and studied music at the University of Southern California. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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