Blue Heron International Pictures LLC

Blue Heron International Pictures LLC
P.O. Box 214825
South Daytona, FL 32121
United States
bhfilms3@aol.com

About Us

WHO WE ARE

Gary Lester

Producer/Director

Gary Lester holds an associate of science degree in photography from Daytona Beach Community College and a bachelor's degree in photography from the University of Central Florida.

In addition to seven graduate courses in Motion Picture Production from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Gary also completed training at The Hollywood Film Institute in Los Angeles, where he earned a certificate of completion in motion picture production.

Gary is currently enrolled in visual arts graduate classes at Harvard.

Gary's film debut as an actor occurred in 2001 when he appeared in Flamingo Rising on The Hallmark Hall of Fame. The production aired on CBS and is available on VHS.

Gary is an award-winning director. His documentary films includeCourtney, Fuzzy Little People, Eyewitness To History, The Cleansing, Deliver Us From Evil, Bogart & Friends, Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo, and A Night With Johnny Duncan. He also directed the paranormal comedy Henry Blackhart Is Dead, and a short thriller, The Hit, starring Johnny Martino.

All of Gary's films have screened at film festivals ranging from Boca Raton, Florida to Busan, South Korea to Ontario, Canada. Three have won Best Documentary awards, Crystal Reels, Best Director awards, and one captured an Audience Choice award at the Daytona Beach Film Festival. On-line presskits for all films are available at the ultimate film festival website, Withoutabox.

In February 2008, Gary finished Deliver Us From Evil, his gripping story of two people who survived the Holocaust. On May 1, Israel 10 television broadcast the film as part of the nation's Holocaust remembrance events. In August, 2008, the film won the prestigious Crystal Reel Award from the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association.

During the summer of 2008, Gary released his docu-thriller, Henry Blackhart is Dead and his animal documentary, Bogart & Friends. His most recent Holocaust project -- Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo -- was released in March, 2009, and premiered at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.

The film went on to capture six Crystal Reel Awards from the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association, a Special Juror Mention from the West Hollywood International Film Festival, and a Best Director award at the Treasure Coast International Film Festival.

Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo has been translated into Hebrew, Russian and Polish, and has been seen by approximately eight million people worldwide. It has been broadcast annually since 2009 on Israeli network television, and screens regularly at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, as well as the Warsaw Zoo in Poland.

In 2012, Gary produced and directed a feature length animal documentary, Forever Friends, featuring animal-lover and former child star Beverly Washburn (Old Yeller, Shane).

He also worked as second unit director (USA) for the Spanish production of Corpse-Grinders 3.

In 2013, Gary was named CEO of LCM ENTERTAINMENT (Lights, Camera, Magic).

In 2016,Gary wrote, directed, and produced Lost Pet - a short film especially for the film festival circuit. He also was tapped by Nightveil Productions to play the comic book super-hero, Scarlet Scorpion, in Director Bill Black's screen version of that story.

Gary's official filmography is available on IMDb -- The Internet Movie Data Base.

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OUR COLLEAGUES

Beverly Washburn

Actress/Producer

Child super-star Beverly Washburn appeared in almost every classic television show in the 1950's, and has continued in her acting career up to the present day. Beverly also worked with all of the big directors in Hollywood: Cecil B. DeMille, George Stevens, Stanley Kramer, Frank Capra, and Ted V. Mikels.

With Blue Heron International Pictures, Beverly has appeared in several productions directed by Gary Lester. Her iconic film role will always be that of the little girl in the Walt Disney classic, Old Yeller.

Beverly is the inspiration for the Beverly Washburn Acts of Kindness Awards from Blue Heron Internaional Pictures.

Beverly in The Lone Ranger

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Alex Ringer

Producer

Alex Ringer worked with us as our associate producer in Israel on our first Holocaust film, Deliver Us From Evil.

Alex is also the producer of our latest award-winning Holocaust film, Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo. He has been responsible for airing our Holocaust documentaries on network television throughout Israel (NANA Channel 10), and has produced a Hebrew version of the Safe Haven DVD.

Against all odds, Alex was able to locate a survivor who spent part of his childhood in hiding at the Warsaw Zoo.

Alex resides in Nesher, Israel. He enjoys nature walks and trips throughout the region, when not working as a professional photographer and graphic art designer.

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Feliks Pastusiak

Producer

Feliks Pastusiak is our Warsaw-based producer of Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo.

Director Gary Lester with Producer Feliks Pastusiak in New York City

Feliks is one of Poland's busier producers. He has worked on a few major projects such as Steven Spielberg's Schindlers List , The Ogr, Proof of Life, Jacob the Liar, Aimee and Jaguar, and Roman Polanski's Holocaust film, The Pianist.

Feliks holds a diploma in geology from The Warsaw University.

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Anthony Reece

Narrator

Anthony Reece is the narrator of the Holocaust documentary Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo. In recent years, Anthony has produced, directed, or personally voiced hundreds of broadcast and e-learning projects.

As director of Voicetoons, Anthony has also produced and cast animations in more than 20 countries. Along with numerous radio, tv and commercial credits, past animation collaborations include his work on Jasper: The Story of a Mule, animated byBill Melendez of Peanuts fame, dozens of studio pilots such as the new Carter and Son, along withShipAntics from Boulder Media, (producers of Fosters Home to Imaginary Friends).

Anthony and Voicetoons have also directed and cast voices for gaming titles includingCreature Conflict, Bingwood, Frontline Dawn and more.

You can read more about our narrator Anthony Reece at his personal web site located at

http://www.anthonyreece.com/bio.html

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Richard BandComposer

Veteran film composer Richard Band has created the stirring music heard throughout the Safe Haven documentary.

Richard works out of Los Angeles , but grew up in Sweden, Paris , and Rome. He is the son of producer/director Albert Band (The Red Badge of Courage, Face of Fire), and the brother of producer Charles Band.

In addition to being an accomplished musician, Richard has produced 13 movies. He also has had film experience as an assistant director, unit production manager, and associate producer.

Richard s more than 75 film scores, especially his family and comedy films for Viacom and Paramount, are familiar to audiences world-wide.

Richard has recorded more than 12 film scores with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Rome Philharmonic.

In addition to movies, Richard scored multiple episodes of such popular television shows as Stargate SG-1, Walker: Texas Ranger, Seventh Heaven , and Disney s Sing Me A Song series.

In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy for the Dream In The Witch House episode of Showtimes Masters of Horror series. NBC chose Richard to provide the music for their acclaimed final tribute to The Bill Cosby Show.

His music is also featured on the interactive Star Trek game.

Safe Haven: The Warsaw Zoo is now included in Richard Bands impressive list of film score credits. It is hard to imagine Safe Haven without his eloquent sound-track.

To learn more, please visit Richard Band Music.

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Richard Lester