Polonia brothers

Mark Polonia
Born (1968-09-30) September 30, 1968
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation Film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor
John Polonia
Born (1968-09-30)September 30, 1968
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States
Died February 25, 2008(2008-02-25) (aged 39)
United States
Occupation Film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor

Mark Polonia and John Polonia (born September 30, 1968) are twin brothers who founded Polonia Bros. Entertainment[1] and Cinegraphic Productions.[2] Between them they have written, directed and produced over 40 feature films, mostly in the genres of horror and sci fi, and are now low-budget film cult icons.[3][4]

John Polonia died suddenly at the age of 39 on February 25, 2008. Mark Polonia then continued to make films with childhood friend and longtime film collaborator Matt Satterly, through their production company Cinegraphic Productions.

Early days

The youngest of five siblings, the brothers were interested in film, and were making films, from a very early age. Their first commercial release was Splatter Farm, released on VHS by Donna Michele Productions in 1987,[5] a shot-on-video offering, written, acted, directed and filmed by the teenage brothers and a high school friend.

Career

Although the brothers had mixed feelings about this film in later years (according to their DVD commentary), in part because the initial release was a rough cut and not edited to their satisfaction, it contained many of the signature elements that would come to define the Polonias' work – a primitive production quality reflecting a very limited budget; the brothers themselves appearing in key roles; liberal use of people and places available to them through their day-to-day lives, and homage to the horror films they grew up with and loved.

In 1996 the brothers' alien invasion film Feeders was picked up by Blockbuster in the aftermath of the commercial success of Independence Day, and became Blockbuster's No. 1 independent-film rental for the year.[6] Starring John Polonia and fellow-B-movie maker Jon McBride (Cannibal Campout, Woodchipper Massacre) in their first foray together, this film about an invasion of Earth by small rubbery flesh-eating monsters with no mouths marked the Polonias' first wide distribution, and paved the way for future releases – perhaps 20 more of them before John's death in 2008.

Jon McBride became a regular collaborator with the brothers,[7] and over time a fairly extensive group of actors, technicians, special effects artists and others came to work repeatedly with the brothers on horror films that aimed to entertain at all costs. Killer piranhas, killer Easter bunnies, haunted houses, trips to Mars, assorted demons, all were covered in the course of several decades of film-making.

In 2007 they released a new and improved cut of Splatter farm, on DVD through Camp Motion Pictures.[8] The new version is missing a couple of the more outrageous scenes that made the original a 'cult classic', but is nonetheless a more professional-looking offering, easier to follow, and augmented by excellent and entertaining commentary and featurettes – which also have become trademarks of the brothers' DVD offerings.

Polonia films have drawn the ire of critics for their alleged 'amateur' qualities (more evident in the early works). Yet those same qualities are what draw their fans, and the fans are as passionate as the detractors.[9] Within the indie film community, the brothers were known for their kindness and generosity to aspiring film-makers.[10]

Polonia Brothers Entertainment and Cinegraphic Productions released Halloweenight, based on a screenplay by, and dedicated to the memory of, the late John Polonia, in October 2009.[11][12]

In 2010 Mark Polonia dissolved Cinegraphic Productions after the sudden passing of partner Matt Satterly to concentrate solely on the Polonia Bros Entertainment (PBE) brand.

Since his brother's passing in 2008 Mark Polonia has been steadily producing and directing new films with long-time collaborator Brett Piper.

Filmography

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.