Intention Films and Media, an independent film company led by former Nassau County Film Commissioner (1988-2020), Debra Markowitz, and her partner, John Marean of Long Island, New York, is announcing that it is currently working on five independent feature films at various stages of production.
NEW YORK, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Intention Films and Media, an independent film company led by former Nassau County Film Commissioner (1988-2020), Debra Markowitz, and her partner, John Marean of Long Island, New York, is currently working on five independent feature films at various stages of production.
Wait List: A Love-ish Story is the story of a young man who has always had a crush on his childhood friend's mother. When he finds out she's gotten divorced, he decides to go for it. Wait List: A Love-ish Story has been acquired by IndieRights and is starting its distribution and publicity journey. This movie stars newcomers, actor/comedian Travis Grant, and Bec Fordyce. They are surrounded by a seasoned cast including Robert Clohessy and Abigail Hawk from Blue Bloods, Lukas Hassel from The Blacklist, Tara Westwood from The Grudge, and Kim Director from The Deuce and Inside Man. Travis Grant will be filming his first comedy special in November 2026.
Indie feature, From the Embers, starring Travis Grant, Julia Winer, and Michael Fedele, is nearing the end of filming and has already begun the editing process. From the Embers is based on Intention Films and Media's award-winning short film, Brimstone. From the Embers is the story of an idealistic college student studying the connection between trauma and addiction who finds herself intimately involved with one of her subjects, former heroin addict and child abuse survivor, David Herrick. While attempting to establish a relationship with David, she finds herself in a codependent partnership made more difficult when she finds herself pregnant.
IFaM's LGBTQIA+ feature film, Couple of Guys, follows the story of a newly divorced attorney who comes out and is ready to live it up, and who falls in love with a flirtatious rocker who is ready to settle down, and together, they try for a second chance at love. Couple of Guys features Sal Rendino (Billions), Lukas Hassel (Blacklist), Abigail Hawk (Blue Bloods), Ciaran Sheehan (Broadway's Phantom of the Opera), Deborah Twiss (Kick-Ass), and features supporting roles by Brian O'Halloran (Clerks), Kevin dotcom Brown (30 Rock), and Christian Keiber (Gotham). Couple of Guys is halfway through filming.
In development for 2027 is the Christmas film, Yule Tide. Produced by the production team of Intention Films and Media LLC and Michael Fedele, Yule Tide is the story of Christopher DiNitale, who, after losing his surviving parent at Christmas time, begrudgingly returns to his hometown to close his family's final chapter. Packing up his family home and his father's beloved fishing boat, Christopher revisits a place where he has yet to live down his reputation for being a troublemaker. Enter Maggie Cassidy, a schoolmate he barely remembers, but whom he hopes to convince that he's a changed man. A well-intentioned, but bad decision on Christopher's part, puts his freedom and his potential relationship with Maggie in jeopardy.
John Marean and Debra Markowitz have started planning out a feature horror film, Franklin (based on the Brimstone short and the From the Embers feature), which they hope to film in 2027/2028.
About Debra Markowitz, Writer, Director, Producer:
Debra Markowitz is an award-winning screenwriter, director, film consultant, casting director, novelist, and workshop instructor. She founded and led the Nassau County Film Commission for 33 years, boosting movie, TV, and commercial production in the county. Debra's films have screened at Academy Award-qualifying festivals. Her screenplays and films have won and been finalists for many awards. Her latest projects include Wait List: A Love-ish Story, From the Embers, and the LGBTQIA+ feature Couple of Guys. Her company is developing Yule Tides and Franklin. Debra hosts The Best of Intentions podcast, featuring guests from the independent film industry. She is President of the Long Island Film-TV Foundation, which runs the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE), now in its 29th year. More at www.IntentionFilmsandMedia.com.
About John Marean, Producer, Director of Photography:
John Marean, co-owner of Intention Films and Media, holds an MFA from Yale. He began as the Technical Director at the Hudson Guild Theater, served as Production Manager at Playwrights' Horizons/Scenic Central, and built sets for Nickelodeon and many productions. Since 1991, John has taught in New York City schools. In 2006, he became Technical Director for the Long Island Film/TV Foundation and LIIFE. He was Technical Director at LaGuardia High School ("Fame" school) in NYC from 2012–2019. Additionally, John has acted in independent films, winning awards for his role as Franklin Herrick in Brimstone. He also works as Director of Photography, writer, and in many other production roles.
PR/Media Contact: Nadine Jolson, Jolson CreativePR, [email protected] 310 614 3214
Media Contact
Debra Markowitz, Intention Films and Media LLC, 1 +1-631-482-7252, [email protected], www.intentionfilmsandmedia.com
Nadine Jolson, Jolson Creative PR, 1 +1 310-614-3214, [email protected], www.jolsoncreative.com
SOURCE Intention Films and Media LLC
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