The multi-award winning independent drama from MRM, Ava is a character study about grief, isolation, and finding hope.

The film is Unrated, and contains swearing, and themes of sexual violence and suicide.

The Cast

Ava - Lysia Mogford

Director, Actress, and Graduate of Temple University, Lysia has defined her career by her fearless exploration of comedy, tragedy, and everything in between, both on film and on stage.
Maggie - Olivia Gardella

At the time of shooting “Ava”, Olivia had not acted for several years as she worked on her degree. After Ava, she has begun to reenter the theatre and film scene, and has become an audience favorite.
Her performance in Ava earned her a “Best Actress” award from the ReadingFilm FEST.
Lexi - Annie Kitchell

A local theater staple in her teens and twenties, Annie was cast as Lexi based on her role in a 2018 production of “The Crucible”.
Ava's Father - Jody Reppert

Actor, father, teacher, and all-around great man. Jody joined the cast shortly before production began, after relating to his characters journey, and a long Zoom call with the director.
Diana - Amy Hudak

A veteran of the stage, Amy joined the cast shortly after the two leads were cast, after appearing in a video for “Agnes of God” for writer/director Martin R. McGowan.
Dean - Alexander Stunz

A theater actor known to the director, Stunz was brought into the cast just a few weeks before shooting began. He had wanted to work in film for some time, and “Ava” came along at the perfect time for him.
Dr. Enos - Steve Reazor

Theater veteran of more than three decades, Steve is also the only returning MRM actor in Ava, after a scene-stealing role in our previous film. Steve will also be playing a key role in the next MRM production.

The Crew

Writer/Director - Martin R. McGowan

A filmmaker at heart since he was nine years old, Marty began working on films at the age of 18 after purchasing his first camera. Nearly ten years later, MRM has been built as a label for what was once a one-man-band, and is now a strong core team.
Composer - Austin Harak

The longest MRM collaborator, Austin has scored every MRM film except for one. Ava is his first feature, and a huge accomplishment.
Austin is also composer of the multi-award-winning short Pressed.
Producer - Vero De Hart

College graduate, world traveler, and polyglot, Vero has been a part of the MRM films almost since the beginning, being shown early cuts and drafts of previous films.
Ava is their first feature film, and another great checkmark on their already impressive and diverse portfolio of work.
Producer - Dr. Santo D. Marabella

Filmmaker, stage veteran, and community pillar Santo D. Marabella joined Ava after a chance encounter, facilitated by Amy Hudak, when Marty was looking for information.
Santo, among MANY other things, is the founder of the ReadingFilm Office, ReadingFilmFEST, and runs an ongoing advice column called The Practical Prof.