Los Angeles may be the epicenter of the U.S. film industry, but when you think about Woodland Hills, high-rise office buildings full of attorneys and insurance agents come to mind. But tucked away in a quiet stretch of Ventura Boulevard, two entertainment veterans are hoping to make a name for themselves. Darryl Anka and his wife Erica Jordan, two longtime local residents, operate Zia Films, a tiny production company with a big focus on science fiction. With $250,000 in financing cobbled together from the couple’s savings and investments from family and friends, Zia last year released “Dearly Departed.” It’s an 84-minute “documentary” that features interviews with actors playing the deceased, giving them a chance to tell their stories. Now, the pair are working on a new film called “Bashar: First Contact,” a documentary based on a true story about a man who, after an encounter with a UFO, believes he has become a “trance channel” for an extraterrestrial. The two have a crew of about 20 and expect to finish filming in the next month. “We both have a strong interest in metaphysical concepts,” Anka said. “I am passionate about creating these images and stories.” This focus on science fiction and the macabre has its roots in the beginning of Anka and Jordan’s relationship. The two met about 30 years ago at a seminar on the metaphysical and channeling – the idea a person can receive messages from the dead. They have been together since and married for 20 years, during which time Anka spent his career working in miniature effects, sets and design for such big Hollywood moneymakers as “Iron Man” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End.” But the 61-year-old craved artistic creativity. “This, to me, is the next logical step to telling the stories that I want to tell,” Anka said. Jordan handles the accounting and coordinating for Zia. She made her career as a jazz dancer and Pilates instructor and owns All About Pilates in Woodland Hills, which also serves as the film company’s headquarters. She said the company has turned a small profit on its first film, which is sold for $20 on the production company’s website. The couple is seeking to make it available for download through Amazon.com’s Instant Video service in the coming months. There are bigger dreams for the new film, which Zia hopes will win a slot at film festivals. That could pave the way for larger distribution and, one day, placement on cable TV. “It’s scary, certainly,” Jordan said. “But we’re going forward and pushing the envelope.” – Elliot Golan
Close Encounters In Valley
