el·e·gant
adjective / pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner. pleasingly ingenious and simple.
Life is full of contradictions. It is equally beautiful and appalling, dignified and ridiculous, full of grace and twisted. All at once. We created Elegant Grotesque because we wanted to make art that reflects these complexities. We want to tell compelling stories that generate thought, stir emotions and start conversations. We are interested in all facets of humanity - history, psychology, ecstasy, nihilism, poetry, cultural influence - all the elements that come together to encapsulate life. We strive to challenge stereotypes and give voice to the marginalized through our storytelling. And we aim to do it by making bold stylistic choices, incorporating design and fashion, visual art and music.
gro·tesque
adjective / comically or repulsively ugly or distorted. incongruous or inappropriate to a shocking degree.
projects.
about.
sapna gandhi
founder
Gandhi is an actor, producer, and singer-songwriter who’s played a slew of ethnically ambiguous characters on stage, television and film. Among many other theater productions, as a member of San Francisco’s Jump! Theatre she wrote, produced, and starred (as an actor/singer/dancer) in the moody, mixed-media production “Terminally Female: A Cabaret” before migrating to LA. Television credits include roles on Bosch, Shameless, and The Fostersand a films she can be seen in include indie cult feature Dust Up and festival circuit darlings Thumper (premiered at Tribeca Film Festival) and In Absentia (Raindance, Remi Film Festival winner and more).
In an effort to negate being typecast, Gandhi co-wrote/co-produced/co-starred in Broad Strokes (5 Days. 5 Themes. 5 Directors. 40 Comedic Micro-shorts). Since then, she has produced several films and series, including the award winning Scrap (starring Anthony Rapp and Vivian Kerr), and the feature film Stranded On Earth (directed by Mike Bruce and featuring Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds). She also serves as Chief Marketing Officer of the LA based film collective and production company We Make Movies and is one half of the musical duo VATAVARAN. Gandhi was born in England, raised all over The States, holds degrees in English and Women’s Studies, and trained at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
eric michael kochmer
founder
Eric Michael Kochmer's educational background is uniquely in Experimental Theater, as he graduated with a BA in Theater from Marymount Manhattan College, and while there, mentored for a year under Elizabeth Swados at LaMama Theater. Coming from the theater, he has a very needed and positive can-do attitude when it comes to filmmaking.
Kochmer initially entered the film industry as an actor and has appeared in over 40 films. In 2009, Eric produced and starred in experimental filmmaker Owen Land's final feature film before he passed. Since 2010, Kochmer has been involved with the film collective and production company We Make Movies, Inc., of which he is VP of Content, and regularly consults on films, series, internet projects, and branded content as part of his work detail.
As a producer, line producer, and associate producer, Kochmer has worked on over 70 short films, numerous television episodes, and a handful of feature films. He made his directorial debut in 2014 with feature film Way Down In Chinatown and has since directed three more features, four series, and a variety of short films.
john t. mickevich
associate producer
Mickevich is a composer, writer, and director living in Los Angeles. After studying film scoring at Berklee College of Music, he became a filmmaker himself, creating dozens of short films with his comedy troupe The Monkey Box, composing all of the original music used. With internet views counting in the millions, his productions and scores have been showcased on CNN and the G4 Network, and have had front page features on YouTube and Yahoo!
His original score for the short JANITORS help propel it to an Internet Emmy Nomination and a Silver Ace award at the Las Vegas Film Festival. John is also a composer of concert-music pieces, including the critically acclaimed “Snow” (for ensemble and choir), and “Tranquility” (for solo piano). Recently, Mickevich created the music for the feature film VIRUS OF THE DEAD, the independent feature ABOUT STRANGERS, and the shorts BUCKY and PTA-HOLES. Along with Sapna Gandhi, John is one-half of the music and art duo VATAVARAN. www.JohnMickevich.com
