Script in Development: “Cigarette Candy”
Written by Jeff Sousa and Lauren Wolkstein
Logline: A newlywed Marine becomes caretaker to the Sergeant he shot in battle, but falls into an adrenaline-infused affair with the man’s rebellious teenage daughter.
"Cigarette Candy" Feature Screenplay Awards
2010 IFP/IFW Project Forum: Emerging Narrative Section
2010 Columbia University Screenplay Competition: Faculty Honors
August 12, 2010
by Nigel M. Smith
"The power of film lies in its ability to capture, forever, moments of unblinking truth. There are moments in film that capture this truth so quietly, and so concisely, that the shock of recognition causes a shift in our perspective. The power of seeing this truth is that in its revelation, hearts and minds are altered. At the end of her short film CIGARETTE CANDY, director Lauren Wolkstein challenges us with one of those revelatory moments."
July 21, 2010
by Barry Smoot
"The fact that Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker made its US premiere one year ago at SXSW upped the intrigue this year, prompting me to wonder if one of 2010's 134 features or 126 shorts would achieve that rarefied status... And as this is the second year that the winning shorts screened at SXSW qualify for consideration by the Academy Awards, Lauren Wolkstein's Cigarette Candy and Amy Grappell's documentary Quadrangle caught some attention."
March 27, 2010
by Steven Abrams
" Over 100 international shorts screened at the 19th annual Aspen Shortsfest, which ran from April 6-11, 2010 in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado. 'This year the variety and quality were high enough that we decided to add a night - and two programs - to showcase this bounty of new talent,' reported George Eldred, Program Director for Aspen Film, who added that there were a record 86 films in competition. ... Columbia University’s contributed Lauren Wolkstein’s stunning soldier’s homecoming story, Cigarette Candy, and Isold Uggadottir’s unflinching drama showcasing a female drug addict unraveling, Clean."
April 22, 2010
by Kim Adelman
April 19, 2010
poster design by
Yen Tan
April 19, 2010
poster design by
Zoe Van Brunt
“My father, Andrew I. Wolkstein, a colonel in the Air Force, was in charge of several teenage airmen when he served in Iraq,” Wolkstein said. “He witnessed firsthand how war not only affects the soldier, but the man inside the uniform..."
"...the films — by both men and women — address current issues, like war or immigration or the economy, has also shifted in recent years. There’s now a more personal approach to how the subject matter is addressed."
"'It’s really interesting how these current ideas are treated,' said Thielen. 'They really have an authenticity and an emotional resonance that you just don’t get when you read the newspaper or watch the news.' "
-- Damien Williamson, Aspen Daily News
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"The true standout, though, was 'Cigarette Candy' (dir. Lauren Wolkstein). It tells the story of a young Marine who has returned home from the war and is less than excited about his welcome home party. Actor Jonathan Orsini, who plays the troubled Marine, is a startling presence and gives one of the finest performances..."
-- Brian Kelley at Pop Syndicate
"Cigarette Candy was handed the Best Narrative Short top prize due to its intense reality. The film depicts a young soldier’s homecoming party, an occasion which should be joyous but turns out to be quite the opposite. Wolkstein does a brilliant job bringing the harsh realities of post-war mental distress to life through a fictional lens, and with the current trend of war-flicks succeeding on her side, it’s no wonder why critics are praising this film."
-- John Ross Harden at The Daily Texan
"... the winner for this jury was captivating, uncompromising Cigarette Candy the fourth short from director Lauren Wolkstein, who’s bold directing decisions coupled with a drum-tight screenplay from Jeff Sousa produced a tense, ambitious drama about a young Marine home from war and attending a neighborhood party in his honor. While friends and family shower him with attention, the shell-shocked warrior can’t seem to focus on anything but the mysterious, seductive charms of the rebellious Candy. We loved this film, in particular the astonishing performance of Jonathan Orsini."
-- Christian Gaines, IMDb (juror at SXSW 2010)
Cigarette Candy featured on page 34.
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