Barry Hershey

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
When casting for my first film at USC School of Cinema, I had my first experience casting a female lead.  We placed an ad in Dramalogue and received hundreds of replies  in the form of photographs and resumes. We selected about 75 actresses and scheduled them for one-on-one auditions.

It was a remarkable experience. We interviewed each person and did scene work with many of them as we tried to select the best actress for the part.

Each actress had to both interact with the filmmakers and then assume a different persona for the film character she portrayed. Witnessing these transformations 4 to 5 times an hour for a couple of days had a powerful impact on a young, aspiring director.

When the two days of auditions were completed, I said that it would be interesting to make a film based on this experience. This idea, which percolated in the back of my mind for over two decades, eventually led to CASTING ABOUT.

BIOGRAPHY
BARRY HERSHEY - DIRECTOR
Barry previously directed and co-wrote THE EMPTY MIRROR, which premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, was released theatrically by Lions Gate Films, and broadcast on HBO. Universal Studios and Lions Gate Films released the film on home video and DVD. Barry previously directed a number of award-winning short films: ODYSSEY, FILMMAKER, UNTITLED 1987, LUCIFER: GOD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL ANGEL and SOUND OF PEACE. Among the many honors the films received are a Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival and a CINE Golden Eagle. Barry studied filmmaking at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Southern California, where he received his MFA in Cinema.

FILMOGRAPHY
CASTING ABOUT           2004
SOUND OF PEACE          1998
THE EMPTY MIRROR    1996
LUCIFER: GOD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL ANGEL  1991
UNTITLED 1987               1989
FILMMAKER                       1987
ODYSSEY                           1986