Born and raised in Los Angeles, Lilly Scourtis Ayers is a Greek American writer and director whose music documentary Last Fast Ride has recently been announced to feature at the Slamdance Film Festival 2011.
Scourtis began working in music video production soon after graduating from UCLA; Tom Petty and Metallica where two of her first major artist clients.
Last Fast Ride – The Life, Love and Death of a Punk Goddess is Lilly’s first feature film; a documentary film about underground punk singer, Marian Anderson.
It is the first feature-length documentary about Anderson, often described as a singer, model, prostitute and drug addict, beautiful, talented, selfless and violent.
Plagued by sexual abuse, mental illness and self-destruction, Anderson’s story is a tale of hope, broken dreams and shattered endings.
Scourtis has also written a screenplay on Marian Anderson’s life to accompany the film. Last Fast Ride features footage of live performances, interviews with other artists including Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, and candid scenes depicting Anderson’s tragic life.
By combining these words with photographs and footage, Scourtis works alongside producer Shannon Factor to present the portrait of a damaged girl left fending for herself in an exploitative world. Narrated by punk-rock legend and actor, Henry Rollins, this film sounds nothing short of fascinating.
The Slamdance Festival received over 5,000 submissions this year. Its theme for 2011 is ‘All Is Not Lost’, which aptly represents today’s tough economic climate where fewer films are being picked up for distribution.
Last Fast Ride is up against some pretty tough competition, including Bhopali directed by Van Maximilian Carlson, Road Dogs by Shane Aquino, and Michael Barnett’s Superheroes.
Slamdance Film Festival 2011 runs from January 20 to 30 in Utah, United States
www.slamdance.org/festival
