Vineyard Productions' award-winning short film "Ash Wednesday" completed post-production in August of 1999. Writer/director Paul Martin, a member of the Directors Guild of America, made his directorial debut with this film shot at a private residence in San Jose, California.

"Ash Wednesday" intertwines three characters in a farcical tale of murder and mayhem the morning after a "helluva" Mardi Gras party. Roberto, a man suffering from one too many tequila shots, awakens with a massive hangover and finds himself in the middle of an ugly marital dispute. In his attempt to flee the confrontation, he trips over a dead body in the middle of the living room - the husband's alleged mistress. Kitchen utensils fly as each character tries to clear themselves of the crime before the police arrive.

"Ash Wednesday" was the recipient of San Jose's 1999 Joey Award of Excellence for Director and Short Subject, was selected as a finalist in the 2000 USA Short Film Festival. “Ash Wednesday" was subsequently accepted and screened at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival in April 2002 and won the Audience Choice Award at the Cedar Rapids International Film Festival in 2003.