Erik Peter Carlson

Erik Peter Carlson's controversial filmmaking style has been illustrated by critics as one with a decidedly European flair; an Italian/German technique. EPC was born and raised in Upstate New York to a family of film enthusiasts. It was only natural for him to be intrigued by the medium at an early age. At the age of 10, he was introduced to a new technology of making movies with the Fisher Price PXL-2000 camcorder. This camera, which was marketed to and for teens, recorded five minute movies on audio cassette tapes. From this point on, EPC was rarely seen without a camcorder in his hands. During his early twenties, he was inspired to write and develop more serious projects. One of which was a full length documentary entitled 'Apartment F'. The film followed the life of a man who was just released from a mental institution. The documentary mainly explored how the townspeople reacted to the subject's release. Such themes that have resurfaced in EPC's later work. In his mid to late twenties, he spent the majority of his time writing screenplays that he never intended to make. He considered the writing of these scripts "therapy". During this time, an Los Angeles based production company immediately optioned one of his scripts for a period of two years. After two years, and no film made, Carlson decided to take back the rights to the material and develop the project himself. This film would eventually turn out to be 'The Toy Soldiers'. During the period of raising funds for his first feature 'Transatlantic Coffee', he wrote a sitcom pilot with co-writer Shane Carlson to be presented to cable and network executives. With the assistance of friend, Mark Doering Powell (10 Things I hate About You, Everyone Hates Chris and My Boys), EPC developed the project and raised the capital to shoot the pilot in January 2010. In the fall of 2010, he started production (Executive Producer/Writer/Director) on 'Transatlantic Coffee'. The film was completed in 2011, winning numerous awards and rave reviews at film festivals across the globe, including best picture, screenplay and director, actor and supporting actress. 'Transatlantic Coffee' opened in the fall of 2012. EPC's second writing/directing feature, 'The Toy Soldiers', a dramatic, epic coming-of-age picture, premiered in Hollywood at the Chinese Theaters on June 8, 2014 to a record breaking sold out audience. It was also invited for an October 2014 presentation at the prestigious Hollywood Film Festival. It released nationwide in the US on November 14th 2014 in AMC Theaters. Its original NC-17 MPAA rating brought incredible curiosity to the piece, which tackles everything from drugs and alcohol to school bullying and sexual orientation with an in-your-face directness not commonly seen in American cinema, and very rarely seen in any of the top American theater chains. This was a groundbreaking achievement not only for Carlson, but for independent cinema. 'The Toy Soldiers' was theatrically released with an MPAA rating of 'R' after one five second shot was removed. 'On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, the innocence of youth and family unravels.' Carlson has stated that 'The Toy Soldiers' will always be one of his most personal pieces. The screenplay was sought after by The Academy of Arts and Sciences to be a part of their permanent library for filmmakers and students worldwide. 'Wolf Mother', a crime drama about two outlaws looking to redeem themselves by solving a high-profile child abduction case, is now in production with Carlson as the producer/writer/director with an estimated 2016 release. Show less «