Detroit, MI -
Jason Ahlquist, the director of Michigan-based Independent film
production, Winter Harvest announced it's principal cast and the
release of a teaser trailer on it's website today. The film, which has
been in pre-production since April of '09 is set to begin principal
photography in January of 2010.

The teaser trailer was released via various online venues, including
the production's website, Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. It features
the young characters Chad and Derek Titus explaining in a creepy way
the state of events that lead up to the story in Winter Harvest.

According
to Ahlquist, the leading role of Andrew Titus will be played by Scott
Norman who's prior credits include InZero and the lead in the upcoming
political thriller, "The Art of Power."

The
role of Andy's wife, Tammy will be played by Rochelle Clarke, who has
been seen in "Whip It!", "Escabana in Love" and George Clooney's new
film "Up in the Air."

Iago, Andy's friend and rival will be played by Brian Thibault, a graduate of Wayne State's theater department.

Of
interest is the fact that, the roles of Chad and Derek Titus will be
played by Ahlquist's own sons, Hunter X Ahlquist and Owen Warunek.

"I
was hesitant at first," Ahlquist admitted, "It sort of made sense since
when I was writing the screenplay with Karin, I was picturing their
faces as the characters. But I wasn't sure if they could carry such
major roles. So I had them read for Caleb (Gilbert), our casting
director. He gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up."

Warunek and Ahlquist can be seen in the teaser trailer.

Also
joining the cast are Caleb Gilbert (InZero), Jib Namprachan (Up in the
Air), Madison Ortiz (The Myth of the American Sleepover), Zoe Z
Ahlquist, Sabrina Vest (Necroland), Clarence Olinger (Necroland),
Charlotte Raine, Richard Prime, Michael Meike, David Gazoul and
Canadian actor O'Niel Dass.

Scott Norman as
Andrew Titus

Originally hailing from New York City, Scott Norman decided to study acting while looking for something to do other than teach English — 5 years in Japan had taken it's toll. The Gene Frankel Theatre and Film Workshop prepared him for auditions just about the same time that Michigan woman from his past came back in to his life. Choosing love before career turned out the be a good decision, since, after moving to Michigan, Scott has had the opportunity to work on some of the more respected stages and independent  film  projects in the Detroit Area. Better known projects include the "Detroit Unleaded" film short, the "In Zer0" series and film, and "The Art of Power", a feature film to be released in 2010. Scott is excited to be a part of the "Winter Harvest" project, and is looking forward to working with everyone to make it a success. Aside from acting, Scott's biggest thrills come from traveling, defying NYC traffic on the back of a bicycle, and spending time with his wife of 4 years.

Rochelle Clark as
Tammy Titus

Rochelle Clark is thrilled to be joining the cast and crew of Winter Harvest and can't wait to start filming. Recently Rochelle has appeared in several films shot in Michigan, including Whip It!, Saving Art House, and Up in the Air. Rochelle is also a professional stage manager for Performance Network and Williamston Theatre. And, when she's not doing all things film and theatre, you can find her with a guitar in hand with her Americana-duo group, The Potter's field.

Brian Thibault as
Iago

A graduate of the Wayne State Theatre Department, Brian Thibault has been acting professionally for 8 years.  Brian is a tremendous believer in the Detroit art community, and is ecstatic to see so much film being produced in this city.  He is very excited to work on Winter Harvest.

Charlotte Raine as
Gertrude

Caleb Gilbert as
Captain Ian

Caleb  holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Wayne State University. There he learned and honed his skills in the Stanislavski system of acting.  He received the Lily Tomlin Scholarship while in attendance. He also earned a Best Actor award for his portrayal of Frank Charles in Pearl Cleag's "Flyn' West" and a Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Renfield in Stephen Dietz's "Dracula".  Caleb's most current work is portraying the veteran courier "Cal" on the the Sci-Fi series InZerO.  He is also an accomplished Scottish Highland bagpiper and regularly perfoms with his band, The Black House Ceilidh, and as a guest artist with the celtic band Equinox amongst many others.

Clarence Olinger as
Corporal  Andreas Lang

Clarence began acting in high school theater and participating in drama team competitions.  His first television appearance was as a guest look-alike for Chuck Woolery on the "Home & Family Show" which aired in 1996 on the Family Channel.  Clarence got his first taste of film production portraying a Special Forces tactical officer in IronCore Media's webisode "Necroland II" and has recently appeared in the short film, "Coping."  When he is not acting, Clarence enjoys his most important role being a dad and spending quality time with his family.   

Jib Namprachan as
Aroon Bhuto

Jib was born, raised and spent 20 years of her early life in Thailand. Though she came to the US to continue her studies in the science field, her passion has also been in acting and performing. During Jib’s high school and college years, she was in numerous plays and skits. She first took acting classes at Lansing Community College in 2002 and Macomb Community College in 2007 and 2008. Jib actually began seriously pursuing her acting career in 2007 and she luckily landed a spot in a Budweiser American Ale commercial in 2008. She also enjoyed being an extra in ‘Up in the Air’ with George Clooney where she got to dress up as an American airline flight attendant. Jib was also a part of several Michigan independent films like, Qing Lou Nu, Zom-B-Gone and the Model Movie. After taking improv classes and performing at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle, she fell in love with improv. She finds it fun, fresh and energizing. Jib loves the shows that inspire her like “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and the classic comedy series, Seinfeld. Besides acting and experimenting with flesh-eating bacteria, she enjoys swimming, traveling and photography. She also has two crazy cats at home to relax with after a long, hard day.

Madison Ortiz as
Lucy

Madison Ortiz has appeared on stage, film and in print. Her first movie, The Myth of the American Sleepover, is in final production and set for release in the summer of 2010. Madison also models for runway, print and websites. She sings lead and back-up vocals for several professional area bands and has studied drums for several years. Madison was a member of her high school’s A’Cappella choir, winning various vocal awards.

Richard Prime as
Martin Titus

Richard Prime has always been interested in the world of film.  Winter harvest will be his first project which he is very excited about.  On the side he creates his own shorts, works on sfx and builds props Other then film, he is an avid con goer and cosplayer. He also enjoys being heavily involved in the steampunk world

Hunter X Ahlquist as
Derek Titus

Aside from an extra role in the original InZero, Hunter is a new actor. He enjoys Doctor Who (even the old ones), video games, dancing and silly walks. He also likes web design. His latest site is  www.gingerthecat.webs.com. Someday his cheap dad may spring for a real domain name.

Owen Warunek as
Chad Titus

One day Owen hopes to be floating in a cage surrounded by great white sharks . In other words, he hopes to be a marine biologist when he grows up. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games and loves horror movies. He has yet to find one too scary for him.

Sabrina Vest as
Lieutenant Octavia

Zoe Z Ahlquist as
Vina

Zoe was an extra in the original InZero short film and was on stage crew for her high school theater department. Zoe's number one passions are cooking and anime. 

Carl Wettle as
Marcus

Michael Meike as
Dion

Michael is a local Michigan actor who has been performing for over 15 years.  He is currently a full-time college student, and hopes to one day own and operate his own theatre.  This is his second independent film production and is looking forward to gaining more acting experience in front of a camera. 

O'Niel Dass as
Salaam Bhuto

David Gazoul as
Claudius