About Sole Productions, Inc. - Genesis
Under the supervision of their founder, Robert Alaniz, Sole Productions has produced feature films since 2002.
Timeserver, Sole's first production, is the story of a middle-aged man who believes he can travel through time, rewriting his past to improve his present. From conception to first draft, Timeserver took Alaniz two years to write. The film premiered at the Rialto Theatre in Joliet, Illinois in October 2004.
The success of Timeserver paved the way for Sole Productions' next feature film, Barrymore's Dream. This psychological suspense thriller is about a man with astral projection. He uses his psychic ability to prevent what he believes will be the murder of the woman he loves. Barrymore's Dream premiered in November 2005 and went on to win the BEST FEATURE FILM award at the Route 66 Film Festival in Springfield, Illinois in 2007.
Next came Sole's first family film, Angels in Our Midst (formally titled Bitterblue), an inspirational story of divine intervention in the lives of three junior high students, and their coming of age after 9/11. On Angels in Our Midst, Alaniz worked with several teenage actors, offering them an educational experience in film and media production - an opportunity that would prove valuable should they decide to pursue an acting career in films. In April 2007, soon after its premiere in February, FOX News Chicago aired a feature story in prime time TV, following the hit show, American Idol. Reaction to Angels in Our Midst was well received as the film struck emotional chords with audiences everywhere. The film was later picked up for distribution by Bridgestone Multimedia Group and is still streaming on many streaming platforms.
In 2008, Sole Productions completed its fourth film, Barrymore’s Dream 2 - The Vision, a sequel to Barrymore's Dream that combines the paranormal with suspense, thrills, and humor. The music score is by Doug Adams, who worked with composer Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings). Shore is also the subject of Doug Adams' book, The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films: a Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore's Scores. Barrymore's Dream 2 - The Vision was the first Sole Productions film to premiere in both Joliet, again at the Rialto Theatre, and in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre, a well-known independent film venue.
For his next film, Alaniz created a comedy that would be Sole's fifth film, D.I.N.K.s (Double Income No Kids) the story of a childless freelance writer and his wife, living in a predominantly family-oriented Chicago suburb. When he decides to write about discrimination against married couples without children, he skyrockets to local fame and becomes the leader of a citywide D.I.N.K.s movement - one that suddenly lands him in court. D.I.N.K.s premiered in Chicago in 2011 and was an instant hit with audiences. The film went on to win the BEST COMEDY award at the 2012 Route 66 Film Festival in Springfield, Illinois. Robert then won the AUTUER AWARD for D.I.N.K.s at the Illinois International Film Festival later that year.
Carrying on his new-found flair for comedy, Alaniz wrote and directed his sixth feature film, You Don’t Say! The story involves a successful career woman who gets caught up in a comedic whirlwind of events, when a mystical necklace given to her as a gift from her boyfriend, may be causing her to uncontrollably speak her mind in the politically-correct world of corporate business. You Don't Say! was a hit with audiences and went on to win BEST COMEDY at both the 2013 Route 66 Film Festival and the 2014 Illinois International Film Festival. In addition the film picked up the AUDIENCE FAVORITE award at Route 66 Film Festival.
Alaniz's next film, Mind Over Mindy had drawn interest from Warner Brothers but was not picked up for distribution. The film told the story of Tom, a middle aged man, whose dreams of a breakup with Mindy, his teenage girlfriend, keeps interfering with all his relationships with women throughout his life until one day, Mindy magically appears from the past into the 21st century causing complications between Tom and his current fiancée. Mind Over Mindy was Sole's most popular film with audiences winning the BEST WINDY CITY FILM AWARD at the BLOW-UP INTERNATIONAL CHICAGO FILM FESTIVAL. Larry Thomas, best known for his role as the SOUP NAZI on the hit TV series SEINFELD, won BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR for his role in the film.
Sole Productions’ next three films focused on the faith-based genre. They were Heavens to Betsy, Heavens to Betsy 2 and Honest to God (2018-2022). These films feature stories focused on appealing to not just Christian audiences but mainstream ones as well. These films star the well-known TV and film actors Jim O’Heir (Parks & Recreation) and Larry Thomas (Seinfeld) and have won a total of four awards at popular Christian Film Festivals.
