Battling his fears of inadequacy and inability to survive the 'real' world, Luis Molina, a young urban artist, struggles with his addiction to crack cocaine. Questioning his capabilities, his way of life, even his very existence, he tries to find a way to hang on to his world. The visions that explode in his mind, find their way on to the page in drawings and words, as he reaches for salvation. A final desperate call to his brother as he flickers between reality and surreality, catapults him to a place of peace when he allows his inner strength to guide him. The light of understanding comes with the knowledge that we all have choices...

If we're lucky, the most important choices we make won't come too late.

LIFE'S BLOOD
Stars: Michael Horse, Alan Tafoya, introducing Tschetan as Luis.
Original score composed by Robert Mirabal and Paul Fowler.

Tschetan was born in Germany to a Tohono O'odham Yaqui Native American mother and a German father. He was raised in Germany until the age of four at which time he was to accompany his mother back to the Gila River reservation in Northern Arizona.

On the reservation he would stay until the age of fourteen. After Graduating High School he joined the U.S. military Naval division. It was during his 3 1/2 year tour throughout the Asia-Pacific, and stationed at Yokusuka, Japan, that he began painting professionally. "The military was interesting. They did not really understand I wanted to read and write constantly. We were sent to the Gulf where I refused to build bombs and work. So they asked me what I would do and I said I would paint murals for the ship."

A beautiful display of Tschetan's murals can be seen on the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, CV-63 in San Diego, California.

After the service, Tschetan lived in Santa Barbara, CA, where he continued painting and honing his skills. Here, he was successfully commissioned for two major pieces and also involved in several art shows. In 2006, Tschetan moved to Hollywood, California, where he has added music and acting to his repertoire of talents.

Michael Horse, of Yaqui, Mescalero Apache, Zuni, European and Hispanic descent, was born in a place he calls “near Tucson”. He comes from an artistically talented family of jewelers, potters and painters. As a young boy, he grew up in a cultural rich environment and was taught how important art is to the well being of the human spirit.

A true modern day renaissance man, Michael is a jeweler, actor, stunt man, sculptor, painter and activist. As an actor, he has appeared in many movies and on television, including “Twin Peaks,” “Passenger 57,” “Lakota Woman,” and the CBC Canadian series, “North of 60.” His works of art have been shown in galleries throughout the world, and are currently available at the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, the Eiteljorg Museum in Indiana, Kiva Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, and Gathering Tribes Gallery in Albany, California.

Alan Tafoya is a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and a decendant of Mangus Coloradas and the last Jicarilla Apache chief: Purfealur Tafoya. Alan is a two time SOF Combat Knife Champion, lifelong martial artist, singer/songwriter, and actor who has recently appeared on Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior Series “Apaches VS Gladiators” and will be on the series Special Ops 4/Discovery Military Channel in September 2009.

Film credits include: Unspeakable, The Lost Child, Groom Lake, Maniacts, Comanche Moon and Arrest & Trial.

With a basis of knowledge steeped in theatrical and performance art, Karen brings to the table a vast background in visual media. Experimentation with visual media began during her tenure as production manager for the non-profit, avant-garde West Bay Opera company where video projections and visual special effects were used to captivate, stimulate, and excite their audiences. From these creative sojourns it was an easy leap into the world of film.

As a partner in the independent film company, Ce Acatl Productions, Karen produced several film projects including the short film LIBERTAD, which won critical acclaim at festivals and aired on PBS. Through a partnership with Mission From Buddha Productions, Karen produced a three part series about the 100th/442nd Japanese-American infantry unit that fought in World War II. The short films “When We Were Warriors,” and “Forgotten Valor” where distributed to the educational market while the feature film “Only the Brave” is currently in DVD distribution. Karen made her directorial debut with the short feature THE OTHER SIDE in the summer of 2003.

Demonstrating her commitment to the development of future film makers, Karen served for seven years as Jury Chairperson for the Taos Talking Picture Festival's Best Short Film Award. In the process of creating insightful and exciting visual images and stories for the screen, Karen is committed to encouraging and supporting the talents of young writers, directors, and actors.

Creative energy and artistic vision are only part of Karen's contributions to Koncept Films. During her tenure with a top Hollywood film studio, Karen worked her way up to a Vice President position. The wealth of operational and managerial knowledge accumulated during her tenure at the studio provides significant benefit to the success of Koncept Films.

Terri Farley-Teruel, producer of Life’s Blood, comes from having directed an award winning feature film entitled “Beautiful Dreamer.” The film has garnered eleven Best Feature Awards and two Audience Awards. Terri also won Best First Time Director in Salento Italy at their festival.

She was the Manager of Feature Production Services for Universal Studios, where she served as a liaison between production companies and the studio for prep shoot and strike of physical production. During her ten years at Universal, Terri worked closely with the films producers and unit managers on such films as “The Lost World,” “Liar Liar,” “Amistad,” “Jurassic Park III,” “Oh Brother Where Art Thou,” “Cat in the Hat,” “Meet the Fockers,” and “Spiderman II.” As Manager of Feature Production Services, she boosted independent feature production business and awareness within the studio which enabled independent producers to shoot on the lot with indie budgets. Currently she works as a Production Representative for Universal’s Location and Production Services with the USH Publicity Department.

Farley-Teruel, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the UCLA Film School, has directed several short subject films, two of which, “Finding McQueen” and “Kaileen’s Gift”, have won dramatic awards. One project, “India Unveiled”, required her to travel to India where she served as both cinematographer and director.

Together with Mario Teruel, Terri has a production company, Thunder Canyon Productions, which is dedicated to the development and production of Feature, TV and Web based projects.

Michael Dwyer began his journey as a cinematographer in Japan on a travel documentary in 2001. Since then, he has shot both documentary and narrative films in over ten countries across six continents. Most recently, he was director of photography for a Thrive Foundation documentary on post-war youth resiliency, following characters in Jordan, Turkey, Bosnia and Kyrgyzstan. He is now wrapping principal photography on the PBS series “The Calling,” for which he traveled to American Samoa following an aspiring leader in the Christian faith.

In 2006, the Palm Springs Film Festival screened Fei-Fei Wang¹s (A.K.A DJ Fei-Fei) short film, “Unspoken,” which marked Dwyer¹s debut in narrative cinematography and won the University of Southern California¹s Jack Nicholson Award. Currently, you can see Dwyer¹s work on XBOX Live in director Peter Cornwell¹s “The Haunting in Connecticut,” and Lions Gate 2009 “Post Apocalyptic Pizza.” In April, the short film “Intersect,” starring Troian Bellisario (“JAG” “Quantum Leap”) and Yvonne Zima (“ER” “Heat”) will begin its tour on the festival circuit. “No Answer,” Dwyer's first independent feature, shot on Super 16mm in Los Angeles, will premiere later this year.

As a fourth generation Angelino, Dwyer takes pride in living in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, where he received a B.A. in Film Production. He has been a distinguished visitor at the University of California Santa Cruz and has taught video production at the 27th Street Learning Complex in South Los Angeles, home to one of two Green Charter Schools in the US.

Two-time GRAMMY winner Robert Mirabal is a Native American flute player and recording artist from Taos Pueblo, New Mexico. His flutes are world-renowned and have been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. An award-winning musician and leading proponent of world music, Mirabal performs worldwide, sharing flute songs, tribal rock, dance, and storytelling.

Mirabal has twice been named Native American Music Awards' Artist of the Year, and received the Songwriter of the Year award three times. He was featured in Grammy Award-winning album, “Sacred Ground-a Tribute to Mother Earth” in 2006 for Best Native American Music Album. He also won the 2008 Grammy for “Johnny Whitehorse Totemic Flute Chants.”

In 2006, Mirabal launched his own record label, Star Road Records, and released two CDs in its first year; “Pueblo Christmas,” a dozen classic Christmas Carols arranged for Native flute and cello; and “In the Blood,” a wholly unique mix of Native Roots, rock and Americana, awarded “Best International Album” at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. Robert’s first novel, “Running Alone in Photographs” was published in 2008.

Paul Fowler has degrees in voice, composition, and theater from Ithaca College, and a Masters of Music in composition from the University of Michigan. He studied composition with Michael Daugherty, Susan Botti, and Greg Woodward. His music has received the First Music Award, the ASCAP Young Composer Award, the Swan Composer Award (Honorable Mention), and the Louis Smadbeck Composition Award.

As a composer, Fowler explores symbols and stories from around the world to remind listeners of the universal experiences of the human spirit and its path through time. In his recent orchestral work, “Tapu’at,” Fowler takes an ancient Hopi labyrinth as his inspiration, which describes the emergence of one world - or life - into the next. He pairs this with the tremendous energy of the ensemble that commissioned the work: the New York Youth Symphony - a collection of young emerging artists, bringing about the next world of music.