In the confusion following a massive power outage, an awkward demolition derby driver vanishes, setting in motion a series of events affecting his pregnant girlfriend, his helplessly car-less father, a pack of wild boy scouts, a lactose intolerant roller rink employee, an elderly woman in search of her lost dog, and his best friend –
a ten-year-old girl named Turkeylegs.

Pieces of the mystery begin to come together as Turkeylegs sets out to find her missing friend. Cars drive circles in the dirt, a woman attends her own funeral, the sun rises sideways and an orange vehicle trades hands again and again. Everything eventully culminates in a massive demolition derby that throws all of the characters into different directions.

CAST BIOS

	WILL OLDHAM – Donald Will Oldham is an American songwriter, actor, and musician born in Louisville, Kentucky. His music is often (perhaps inappropriately) placed under the genre of "alternative country". Oldham has recorded under many names, including Palace, Palace Music, Palace Brothers, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and Superwolf. He often plays and records with other musicians, including Dave Pajo, Matt Sweeny, and his brothers Ned and Paul Oldham, but is generally the chief creator of the music. He has also been involved in musical projects and bands such as The Amalgamated Sons of Rest, The Anomoanon and The Boxhead Ensemble. He has also appeared in several films, including John Sayles’ 1987 film MATEWAN and OLD JOY, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
	KEN BYRNES – Mr. Turnupseed Ken Byrnes is a retired business executive. As Vice-President of Topps Chewing Gum (Bazooka & Baseball Cards), where he spent time with Willie Mays when the Say Hey kid visited the Topps factory. Since retiring Ken has learned to play the guitar and leads the NEW FOSSIL TRIO, which entertains at nursing homes and senior centers throughout Central Pennsylvania. Also post retirement, Ken got involved with theater, first as a playwright (six of his one act plays have been produced locally) and then as a stage actor. Two of Ken’s songs from a 1987 recording session are used in the soundtrack to THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE.
	SHEILA SCULLIN – Sadie Sheila Scullin had worked with many of the crew of THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE on prior short films before moving to Chicago, IL where she works as an actress and model. Although many of the roles in the film were written with specific actors in mind, the role of Sadie wasn’t cast until it was realized that Scullin had dated actor Rich Schreiber (Stool) for a lengthy period years before. The uncomfortableness of their relationship made the casting choice a perfect and rare fit.
	KATY HAYWOOD – Turkeylegs Katy Haywood is a newcomer to film, making THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE her first on-screen role. She's recently done live theatre, playing "Scout" in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Katy is a fifth grade student at Hoover Elementary School in Camp Hill, PA, where she starts each school day in front of the camera on the Hoover Morning Show. She loves to write and has already produced a one-act play called ALL THE SMALL THINGS. Katy was chosen to play the role of Turkeylegs after weeks of auditions held in multiple cities across the country.
	IVAN DIMITROV – Ivan As the award-winning founder of THE IVAN DIMITROV DANCE ENSEMBLE, Mr. Dimitrov has talken his unique style of Bulgarian dance around the world. As a native Bulgarian, he produced a weekly national Television show in Sofia and graduated from the National Academy of Dance Arts in Plovdiv. As an actor, Mr. Dimitrov appeared in Todd Rohal’s short film HILLBILLY ROBOT and the French-US feature co-production of EATING & WEEPING.
	CORY MCABEE – Spank Williams Cory McAbee is the writer, director and star of THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT, which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. He is also the lead singer and songwriter for the musical group THE BILLY NAYER SHOW. He has appeared in Scott Smith's CHARLIE THE OX, Kuntz & Maguire's THE ONION MOVIE, and Robert Edward's LAND OF THE BLIND starring Ralph Fiennes and Donald Sutherland. McAbee has completed his next feature-length screenplay entitled WEREWOLF HUNTERS OF THE MIDWEST.

CREW BIOS

TODD ROHAL – Writer/Director
Todd Rohal wrote and directed four short films before completing his first feature-length production of THE GUATEMALAN
HANDSHAKE. His short films, including KNUCKLEFACE JONES and HILLBILLY ROBOT, screened at SXSW, NY Underground,
Hamptons, Slamdance, Athens, Long Island and Maryland film festivals. At 19 he was nominated for a Student Academy Award and is a
recipient of a Princess Grace Foundation grant. His films have also screened at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Baltimore Museum of Art
and on AtomFilms.
In addition to creating his own films, Todd served as Director of Photography for episodic programs on Court TV and for independent
feature films and shorts. He worked as an editor for the Discovery Channel and PBS, and as a designer and producer for DVDs including
the underground classics HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT and THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Todd graduated from the Honors Tutorial Department of Ohio University with a BFA in Film, where
he met most of the cast and crew who contributed to the production of THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE.


NICK PANAGOPULOS – Executive Producer
Nick Panagopulos is the Founder, President and Executive Producer of BrainBox Productions, Inc., a media production and entertainment
company, based in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Under Panagopoulos’ leadership, BrainBox has grown from providing creative services for companies such as AT&T Broadband,
Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Taco Bell, and HBO to providing concept to completion entertainment programming for several major networks.
As Executive Producer, Panagopulos oversees all of BrainBox’s Broadcast Programming for such networks as Discovery Channel,
Discovery International, History Channel, Style, Court TV and HGTV.


MARISSA RONCA - Producer
As an independent producer, Marissa Ronca developed, wrote, and produced a wide-range of original programming for such networks as
Discovery, Home & Garden, and Court TV before coming onboard for THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE. Ronca was a Producer for
Discovery International's Production and Development group, during which time she supervised over 50 hours of programming across all of
Discovery's networks. Ronca has a background in post-production and has worked as an audio mixer/sound designer for National Geographic,
Discovery Channel, several non-profit organizations, and independent films. In 2002, Ronca co-produced/directed the short film DOG’S
NEXT FRIEND which enjoyed great success at documentary festivals across the US. Ronca currently works as a Development Executive
for TLC.


JASON ORFANON - Producer
Jason Orfanon is a producer and writer for National Geographic Television and Film. He has also written and produced programming for
Court TV and PBS, and works with zoos, aquariums, and insectariums around the country to create educational exhibits. Jason lives in
Washington, D.C.


RICHIE SHERMAN – Director of Photography
Richie Sherman’s professional cinematography experience includes three narrative feature films, two feature documentaries and over 40
shorts. This work has appeared in national and international festivals, been broadcast on such networks as the History Channel and PBS
and distributed through such venues as Blockbuster, Film Threat and Netflix. His own work, which emphasizes an expressionistic personal
approach to filmmaking, is likely to include hand-processed or digitally manipulated material. Currently, Richie is an Assistant Professor in
the Department of Film, Video and Media Studies at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA.


ALAN CANANT – Editor
As an editor, Alan Canant's films have screened at numerous festivals in several countries including the Tribeca, Avignon, and Arizona Film
Festivals. His work for television has appeared on A&E, BET, Discovery Channel, PBS, and many others. He currently lives in Brooklyn,
NY with his wife and two kids.


DAVID WINGO – Music
David Wingo created the soundtracks for David Gordon Green’s groundbreaking first feature GEORGE WASHINGTON. He continued to
work with Green on ALL THE REAL GIRLS and, along with composer Phillip Glass, on UNDERTOW. David is currently creating music
for Green’s current film, SNOW ANGELS.


W. CLAY – Music
In addition to creating the soundtrack to THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE, W. Clay is a film professor at West Valley College in
Saratoga, California. Clay has known director Todd Rohal for many years where they’ve worked together in many capacities including
camera departments, DVD design and print design.


GRETTA COHN – Music
Gretta Cohn has reined as indie rock’s most visible, fearless cellist since she joined up with Saddle Creek Records (Omaha, NE) in late 2000.
She transformed art/rock band Cursive, and was soon much in demand, going on to record and tour with label mates and friends, including
Bright Eyes, The Faint, Rilo Kiley and Thursday.