We are currently casting the full-length feature art film Remote, which will be directed by critically acclaimed visual artist Mika Rottenberg and multidisciplinary storyteller Mahyad Tousi. Mika is known for creating elaborate and imaginative short video installations as vehicles to explore ideas of class, labor, gender, and value. Mahyad, who is also writing, is the co-founder of BoomGen Studios and Starfish. The project is supported by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark and the London-based boundary-defying nonprofit Artangel. Both will screen the film premiere and exhibition, which will have an interactive online version and a cinematic version.

REMOTE is an experimental art film. Set in the near future of 2027, 5 women in different parts of the world are all quarantined still in a different pandemic. They all are connected online because they are fans of a South Korean dog grooming online show. While watching the show, they find a portal that unleashes an ancient Internet.

We are having an online open call so please feel free to share this casting with your friends, family, and community. Please note that we are open to actors, dancers, artists, non actors, and real people for all roles. All levels of acting experiences will be considered so those with no acting experience are encouraged to also participate. Auditioning is free and is of no cost to you. If you get cast for one of the roles, you will be paid when we begin shooting.

The film will be shot in Tivoli, NY tentatively in May 2021. Each role will shoot between 2-15 days. Casting is open to talent from the NYC metro area and anyone within less than 6 hours driving distance from Tivoli, NY, which is about 2 hours north of NYC. Production will run a COVID safe set and follow all safety protocols. All confirmed cast and crew will be required to test negative multiple times before filming. Each talent will be filmed on screen alone.

Press Announcement about the Project:
Mika Rottenberg Is Everywhere, Even Though She Is Just Working From Home

Project Details:
Project: Remote
Type: Full Feature Narrative/ Experimental Art Film
Status: SAG Modified Low Budget (Open to SAG members or Non Union talent)
Writer: Mahyad Tousi
Directors: Mika Rottenberg, Mahyad Tousi
Producers: Mika Rottenberg, Michael Goodin
Casting Director: Damian Bao
Shoot Location: Tivoli, NY
Shoot Dates: Tentatively May 2021 (Pending role, talent will be working between 2-15 days.)
Talent Rate: $300/day
Travel: For talent in the NYC metro area, travel to/from NYC will be provided. For talent outside NYC or for talent with a car, gas receipts will be reimbursed.
Lodging: Lodging will be provided.
Additional Notes: Casting is open to talent from the NYC metro area and anyone within less than 6 hours driving distance from Tivoli, NY (2 hours north of NYC). Production will run a COVID safe set and follow all safety protocols. All confirmed cast and crew will be required to test negative multiple times before filming. Each talent will be filmed on screen alone.

Synopsis: In the near future of 2027, 5 women in different parts of the world are all quarantined still in a different pandemic. They all are connected online because they are fans of a South Korean dog grooming online show. While watching the show, they find a portal that unleashes an ancient Internet. 

Casting Note: Female roles are open to cisgender female talent, trans women, non-binary, or genderfluid individuals. For authenticity, we are looking for native speakers who are immigrants  or 1st or 2nd generation Americans for most of the roles.

Roles:

NAYALA – Female, Age 35-65. African woman who lives in Brussels, Belgium. Architect who works from home. Speaks Oromo or another Afroasiatic language. (Originally, the script has Nayala written as someone from Ethiopia. Bonus points if potential talent can speak Oromo. However, we are open to talent whose family is from any of the countries in Africa. Writer will adapt the script to the ethnicity and heritage of whoever is cast. Casting is open to talent who are African immigrants or 1st or 2nd generation African Americans.)

HOST – Female. Age 25-45. Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, or Japanese woman. Professional dog groomer. She and her dog Yuki have an online show, where she shows viewers how to properly groom dogs. She is also the mother of a baby. Speaks Korean, Mandarin Chinese, or Japanese. (Casting is open to talent who are immigrants or 1st or 2nd generation Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, or Japanese Americans.)

ANU – Female. Age 25-45. South Asian woman based in the United States. English speaker. She is intense and single-minded, which is the opposite of her profile images. (Casting is open to talent who are immigrants or 1st or 2nd generation South Asian Americans.)

ANNIKA – Female. Age 18-85. Russian or Eastern European woman. Speaks Russian or another Slavic language. (Casting is open to talent who are immigrants or 1st or 2nd generation Americans.)

KAMI – Female. Age 18-85. Afro-Caribbean, Latinx, or South American woman. Speaks Spanish. (Casting is open to talent who are immigrants or 1st or 2nd generation Americans.)

KHEPRI – Female. Age 18-85. Middle Eastern, Persian or Arab woman. Speaks Hindi, Farsi, or Arabic. (Casting is open to talent who are immigrants or 1st or 2nd generation Americans.)

GRANDPA – Male. Age 60 or older. Grandfather who helps the Host care for her baby. He is a frail and petite gentleman. Speaks Korean, Mandarin Chinese, or Japanese. (Casting is open to talent who are immigrants or 1st generation Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, or Japanese Americans.)