A Look at Josh Sternfeld’s Tribeca Film Festival Selection “Meskada”

On the heels of the Tribeca Film Festival, we bring you news that one of our own is claiming some artistic fame of her very own. As a loyal Haute Living reader, you’ve no doubt been following New York Society Editor Rachel Heller as she makes her way around the worlds of art, fashion, and philanthropy in the city that never sleeps. But Heller is a multifaceted individual, with a reach that extends deep into many projects. The latest to make the headlines comes from writer/director Josh Sternfeld, whose film Meskada, featuring Nick Stahl, Rachel Nichols, Kellan Lutz, Jonathan Tucker, was a Tribeca Film Festival 2010 selection.

Heller plays a field reporter in the film, which follows a small-town detective as he delves into a case involving the brutal murder of a boy in the peaceful, affluent town of Hilliard. As the clues lead Detective Cordin back to his own hometown, the plot follows him as he reconnects with old friends to solve the crime. Officially, it is described as, “A gripping crime drama in the tradition of No Country for Old Men and Mystic River, Meskada is also a poignant meditation on solidarity and salvation in modern-day America.”

In the press notes, Sternfeld gives us a peek inside his inspiration and rewards for this project. “From the time I was a little kid, I’ve been a huge fan of police dramas. I’ve always been drawn to TV shows and films like NYPD Blue, Se7en, Homicide, Serpico, and fascinated by the daily lives of detectives,” he says. “Meskada will always be special to me, for I know it was this screenplay that made me a writer. Although I made films before this one, and will continue to make them after it’s completed, the story of Meskada is also the story of my growth as an artist.

We at Haute Living are thrilled for Heller’s appearance, though it is certainly not her first time working in the arts. She has worked behind the scenes with writer/producer Rob Weiss on the HBO pilot and hit series How to Make It in America, in which she makes a cameo appearance, and is also the model for artist Vincent Giarrano’s one-man show at Susan Powell Fine Art in Madison, Conn., which debuts this Friday, May 7, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Related articles on HauteLiving.com:

• Made in Tribeca
• What’s Haute: Tribeca
• What Would You Do with 40 Acres and a Mule?
• The Many Muses of Vincent Giarrano