Dawna Lee Heising Interviews Director Richmond Riedel and Cast of Award-winning Film Target Practice

Intense Thriller Features Joey Lanai, Eric Dean, Aaron Hawk, Bill Elverman, Solomon Hoilett, Richard DeGuilio, Eltony Williams, Sean Christopher and Richmond Riedel

Richmond Riedel’s grimly realistic and timely film “Target Practice” explores the subject of military compounds training terrorists on American and Canadian soil.  Fast-paced and intense, “Target Practice” has appeared in 18 film festivals nationwide and had the distinction of premiering in two high-profile festivals in the Los Angeles area on the same night.  On July 25, 2008, “Target Practice” premiered at the 11th Annual Dances with Films Independent Film Festival (DWF) and at the fourth Annual Action on Film International Film Festival (AOF).   The film has won numerous awards so far, including:  2008 Action Film of the Year at AOF, Award of Excellence at the Accolade Film Awards, Best Action Feature at the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival, The Silver Screen Award at the Nevada Film Festival, 2nd Place Best Feature at the Appalachian Film Festival, and more.The writer, producer, director and editor of “Target Practice”, Riedel is the author of another dozen screenplays, having also written the original screenplay for the Indie film Charades, starring C. Thomas Howell, Karen Black, Erika Eleniak, James Russo, Jack Scalia and James Wilder.  Riedel, a veteran Hollywood editor, shows his manifest chops in Target Practice with a relentless pace and astute storytelling. As an assistant editor, Richmond's feature credits include the movies "Fracture," "The Break-Up," "Friday Night Lights," "The Last Shot," "The Recruit," "Hart's War," "Pay It Forward," "Frequency," Michael Mann's "The Insider," "Deep Impact," "John Carpenter's Vampires," "John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.," "Blue Chips," and "Rudy."

It was this extensive background in film editing and storytelling that Richmond was able to exploit while pulling off his directorial debut on "Target Practice," using the many cinematic techniques he had honed in the editing room in order to develop the film's complex, tormented characters, build and sustain the unrelenting tension, and stage the film's many taut, complicated action sequences. “Target Practice” is an intelligent but raw, visceral, extremely tense outdoor thriller with an emphasis on character as much as action.  The story line centers on five blue-collar friends on a weekend fishing trip—and the hell that’s unleashed upon these regular guys when they almost run into a car that’s been abandoned in the middle of an isolated mountain road.  Doing the right thing by stopping to see if anyone needs their help, they inadvertently stumble into the middle of an undercover operation involving a CIA agent and a hidden training camp for homegrown terrorists.  A bloody attack leaves Mark and a wounded Steve struggling to survive together, and Paul alone and on the run.  The seemingly weaker Mark asserts himself as a leader, much to Steve's surprise, and the bigoted Paul finds himself forced to work with a black CIA undercover agent, who has infiltrated the cell and is about to bring it down.

“The film is based on real-life, recent discoveries in both the U.S. and Canada,” says Riedel.  “It’s an independent film that I put together with my own financing, but it was a project that I felt very strongly about, as did all of the actors and others involved.”  Target Practice features Joey Lanai as Paul; Eric Dean as Mark; Aaron Hawk as Steve; Bill Elverman as Dave; Richard DeGuilio as Jeff; Solomon Hoilett as Ron; Eltony Williams as Albedeen, and Sean Christopher, stunt coordinator. Riedel himself plays one of the homegrown militants.  To see the EOE interview, please go to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0abE_t-GhoA

Target Practice is a Battlefish Productions presentation, released by Big Screen Entertainment Group. It is produced, directed, written and edited by Richmond Riedel, co-produced by Rebecca Bitner, and executive produced by Kimberley Kates.  The film website, including trailers, production stills, and cast and crew information, can be found at: http://targetpracticemovie.com