Christian de Rezendes
Co-Director, Co-Producer, Camera, Editor
Breaking Branches was created by filmmaker Christian de Rezendes in 1996. Once known mainly for event videography, our company’s present-day accomplishments include award winning and praised documentaries, corporate and non-profit videos, commercials and independently produced feature films. Our work has been acquired for DVD distribution, has been featured on TV stations throughout Southern New England and seen globally. Christian is an accomplished Director, Cinematographer and Editor. At the age of 21, his first documentary Branches ’93 (1996) received a Certificate of Merit from the Chicago International Film Festival. A few years later his family-inspired documentary Alzira's Story (2000) received the Silver Award from Worldfest-Houston, screened at the Video Lisboa Festival in Lisbon, Portugal and aired on PBS. His first feature Getting Out of Rhode Island (2003) an experimental improvisation filmed in 2 ½ hours), took home the honors of Best Feature and Best Director from the Black Point Film Festival in Lake Geneva, WI and is in distribution. In 2007 Christian directed and edited 41, a documentary on the life and prophetic work of Nick O'Neill, the youngest victim of the Rhode Island Nightclub fire that claimed 100 lives in February of 2003. The film is now distribution by Nehst Studios and has received critical praise from Film Threat. Most recently Christian directed, filmed and edited REVEALED: Portraits from Beneath One's Surface (2011) which premiered in Newport, RI and is now traveling the film festival circuit. This documentary short film focuses on unique portraits created by Photographer Scott Indermaur, who also served as Co-Producer. Additional projects include a dramatic short Duet (2010) and documentary shorts for Networks 2008 Timothy Philbrick and Richard Goulis, featured as a program of AS220 in Providence, Zach, a Film about Epilepsy (2009), produced by CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, PeaceLove is Possible about PeaceLove Studios in Pawtucket, RI, and Thinking Through the Drink, the behind-the-scenes film for a project collaboration between the RIDOT, URI Transportation Center, RI Film Collaborative, SENE Film Music and Arts Festival and Breaking Branches. Christian has also collaborated with other filmmakers as Cinematographer and/or Editor on films such as First Movement Form (2002), They Walk Among Us (2005), Solitaire (2008), Children of Providence (2009), A Tiger In the Dark: The Drew Evans Story (2009), and the documentary Masters of the Grind (2011) about the history of grind house genre filmmakers. Christian is also Associate Producer and Cinematographer on Life On the V: The Story of V66 (in post-production). The film focuses on the short-lived UHF music video station of Boston in the mid 1980s. He also serves as the Technical Director for the SENE Film, Music and Arts Festival, based in Providence. In addition to our website, you can visit our youtube channel to see more of our work. Christian is currently developing and filming new projects to be completed in 2011 and 2012. Stay tuned!
Chris O'Neill
Co-Director, Co-Producer, Camera
Chris O'Neill is a Boston-based filmmaker, theater director, educator, screenwriter/playwright, videographer/editor and graphic/web designer. He holds a BA in the Humanities from Providence College, an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College, and an MFA from CUNY-Brooklyn College in Directing.
He has directed dozens of stage plays throughout the Northeast since beginning
his career in 1999 and is one of the founders of Rhode Island Stage Ensemble
(RISE) and Encore Repertory. Recent credits include They Walk Among Us (World
Premiere), Joseph... Dreamcoat, A Christmas Carol, his original adaptation of
Miracle on 34th Street, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Why the Lord Come to Sand Mountain, The Mystery Plays and the Off-Off Broadway premiere of the original
short musical, The People Could Fly. He also Assistant Directed the World
Premiere of the musical Honor for Prospect Theater Company and the New York
premiere of his brother's play They Walk Among Us.
His feature films (created under his production label, Nicky's Counting
Productions) include
They Walk Among Us and the documentary 41 (co-directed
with Christian de Rezendes). Shorts and videos include Sweet Ride, Beyond the Fiddle and World Wide Web. He is currently in pre-pre-production for
his next feature, All Souls.
Kevin O'Neill
Additional Camera
Kevin O'Neill has been teaching Commercials, Scene Study and Monologues at Lisa Maile for over ten years. Prior to that he lived in Los Angeles for eight years where he worked in over 25 National commercials including, Century 21, Shower to Shower, Nabisco, Ford Ranger, Miller Light Beer, Compaq Computers, Jiffy Lube, Bacardi Mixers, AT&T, Titleist and Boston Market. He was also cast in roles in such shows as NBC's Hardball, USA's After the Shock, The Cape, Seaquest and Safe Harbor as well as roles in Independent films Nine Minutes, Butterfly Dreams, Saudade, Enid, Figment and Exposure.
Kevin has worked on stage with the likes of Vic Tayback and Charles Nelson Reilly. Since moving back to Florida he has worked on over a dozen national commercials including a recent big campaign for Grecian Five. He won "Best Actor in a Feature Film" from the FMPTA for his portrayal of Chris Reynolds in the film The Last Game as well as a "Crystal Reel Award" for his portrayal of Captain Coleman in the film Course of Action. He has guest-starred on the television series Sheena playing his first "Bad guy" role, Vinson. Most recent film work includes Dead by Friday, Second Coming, Delivery, The Price and TV Pilot Wingmen.