The Wind Blows Where It Wishes is perhaps writer-director John Gross’ most challenging and stimulating film yet, he tells the story of laconic young Hebrew-speaking art-world iconoclast Carla Durkow (Maya Baruch), who has come from Istanbul to present her film Farewell Mighty Spirit at a Philadelphia gallery. Before the film showing begins, Carla reveals herself to the stuffy, pretentious art crowd who have gathered as an enigmatic individual who would seem to hold the gathering for her screening in contempt. In the dubbed film within the film, the Grand Poet of the town of Santa Maria (William Cully Allen) has died and the townsfolk have gathered for the reading of the poet’s will, wherein the poet’s successor is named. The arrival of the town’s much disliked vulgarian philistine Raphaelo Algarosa (Christian Alsis) and his lackeys spurs a tense altercation. Events following the screening defy most anyone’s expectation. Featuring a spirited, excellent ensemble cast captured in exquisite color and black-and-white cinematography, The Wind Blows Where It Wishes is a truly fascinating venture into novel ways of telling stories on film.

2011 / 32 minutes / Color and Black & White / Canon 7D-SLR / 1.85:1
Written and Directed by John Gross; Produced by John Gross, Daniel Kremer, Ian McGuire; Director of Photography Eric Sciole; Gaffer Kenneth McGregor
Starring Maya Baruch (Carla Durkow), William Cully Allen (The Great Poet/Evagrios the Solitary), Christian Alsis (Raphaelo Algarosa), Emily Krause (Annette), Katya Quinn-Judge (Princess Adrian), Katie Rivera (Martha), Kenneth John McGregor (Roy)

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Twilight of the Idols is John Gross' follow-up to directing a trilogy of feature films back-to-back (in an impressive three-year time-span). This short film is a dark portrait of an oppressed football-fan inescapably trapped within a brooding, disenfranchised American landscape. The film tells the story of Rick, a blue-collar independent contractor who has fallen onto extremely dire economic hard times. The only thing that keeps him going is an intense love of his favorite hometown football team. As he rabidly awaits the Super Bowl at the end of the week, at which the Eagles are contestants, his ex-wife and son start collecting their own set of additional problems. Harold, his son, has been denied student loans for college and both of them pine for Rick’s lost presence at the dinner table, but Rick’s violent temper regarding his favorite team is somewhat frightening and it has alienated everyone from him. However, a cosmic, unexpected visit from an unlikely deity prod Rick to ask that vexing question of what is most important to him.

2009 / 28 minutes / Color / HD-24P with Letus / 1.85:1
Written and Directed by John Gross; Produced by Eric Sciole, Nao Tamekawa; Director of Photography Eric Sciole; Gaffer Colin Malone; Production Designer Cheryl Jenkins
Starring Kenneth John McGregor (Rick), Craig Fineburg (Harold), Sandy Mitchell (Mom), Orion Smith (James), Katya Quinn-Judge (Girl in Street)

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Jim and the Infidels is the tragicomic final entry in John Gross' trilogy about student filmmakers (following David Cronenberg Presents Wireless Internet and the epic Ben Fries the Slaves) is perhaps the culmination of the two previous works. It tells the story of Jim (David Coleman), an impetuous film student who, with the help of his girlfriend Laura (Brooke Somers), writes and directs a series of ambitious film projects, the most substantial of which is “The Story of Molly and Joshua”. Their problem, however, is to decide upon a suitable follow-up movie after the success of that film. The one-track-minded, stimulants-addicted Jim and the sensitive, introspective Laura think of a viable concept on which to hinge their new movie. While brainstorming Laura finds herself growing apart from Jim, but at the same time is inextricably drawn to him. When Jim and his new friends investigate adapting Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a decrepit abandoned building, Laura isolates herself from Jim and the shallow world she observes around her. Meanwhile, Jim and his “infidels” discover something highly unexpected awaiting them in the abandoned building…and their unpredictable adventure begins.

2008 / 109 minutes / Color / 24P / 1.85:1
Written and Directed by John Gross; Produced by Daniel Kremer and John Gross; Director of Photography Daniel Kremer; Gaffer Mark Patterson; Production Designer Nao Tamekawa
Starring David Coleman (Jim), Brooke Somers (Laura), Brian Urbiztondo (Brian), Mark Reardon (Ron), Christian Alsis (Mike), Billy Thompson (Brent), Joseph Restubog (Terry)

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Trailer for Jim and the Infidels from John Gross on Vimeo.

Ben Fries the Slaves

Ben Fries the Slaves is an epic-length comedy-drama about 14-year-old Ben Fries. He has recently composed a six-hour video epic about the life of Rimbaud (pronounced "Rambo"), the beloved movie action hero, consisting of over two-hundred episodes and weekend after weekend of shooting and editing mountains of footage. Ben has an entourage of college students who follow his every word and his every idea. He finds extraordinary images in the life of Rimbaud such as Rimbaud engaged in a game of chess with his master and Rimbaud experiencing torture lasting 600 years. Timmy Hause is a child prodigy artist who became known for his remarkable representations of figures like Dostoyevsky, St. Benedict and others. He begins a series of drawings in all media about Ben Fries—and soon after, Ben destroys his epic, disappearing in Venezuela to be presumed dead. College roommates Nikki and Julian, who have been involved with Ben and Timmy respectively, attempt to put together the pieces of the puzzle whilst trying to ward off (only to succumb to) the malicious agenda of the malevolent student filmmaker Rick Algarosa, who always expressed ill will for Ben Fries and the Rimbaud epic.

2007 / 164 minutes / Color / 1.33:1
Written and Directed by John Gross; Produced by Daniel Kremer and John Gross; Director of Photography Daniel Kremer
Starring Ben Fries (Ben), Katya Quinn-Judge (Julian), Brooke Somers (Nikki), Timothy Hause (Timmy), John Gross (Rick Algarosa), Daniel Kremer (Dan Kramer), Patricia Fries (Patti)

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David Cronenberg Presents Wireless Internet is an artfully gritty tribute to the video aesthetic and cinematic condemnation of the wireless age. It is also John Gross' feature-film debut. It tells the story of David Cronenberg (the well-known Canadian director’s film-student counterpart) and the creative process in the making of an ambitious “neorealist video” entitled "Wireless Internet"—and the ultimate toll it takes on his state of mind as the realities of the “wireless internet virus” morph into something well beyond the realm of simple fiction. Set to the music of A Silver Mt. Zion.

2006 / 78 minutes / Color / DV / 1.33:1
Written, Produced and Directed by John Gross
Starring Max Margulies (David Cronenberg), Maya Baruch (Maya)

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