Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky of Pigeon Projects - The Patron Saints and Francine

Living comfortably at the margins of documentary and narrative cinema, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky of Pigeon Projects forgo conventional storytelling methods in order to accommodate stark imagery, elusive characters and a deadpan realism. Their recent documentary, The Patron Saints, is a disquieting and hyperrealistic glimpse into life at a nursing home.   Their first narrative feature, Francine, stars Academy Award winner Melissa Leo playing a woman struggling to find her place in a downtrodden lakeside town after leaving behind a life in prison. Brian and Melanie have shown their work at the Sundance, Rotterdam, Toronto, and Edinburgh film festivals and won awards at the European Media Art Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Athens International Film Festival.  Filmmaker Magazine has named Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky as one of "25 New Faces of Independent Film".