For anyone interested in film and local artists, Live Arts is hosting a must-attend event. Sunday, February 11th at 6:30 pm, five local filmmakers, including two fourth-years at the University, are coming together to present their short films.
The formation of Reel Local seems to have been partly inspired by the success of a screening of Johnny St. Ours' short film theDISSENT last October.
According to Live Arts Marketing Director Chris Barrett, "The film was shown several times over the course of one evening, [and] was very well received. It also demonstrated how well-suited our performance spaces are to other forms of presentation, such as projection and digital media."
After theDISSENT screening, five filmmakers approached Live Arts with the idea of Reel Local, a concept which Live Arts greeted with open arms.
"The idea of multiple filmmakers is perfectly aligned with the Live Arts approach to community arts and theater," Barrett said.
One of the five filmmakers presenting Sunday will be Johnny St. Ours. He will be showing part of his film QUEST:le MANS. The entire film will tell the tale of Oliver Kuttner's attempt to create a racecar from the Ford GT super car. The audience will see the first chapter of the film, covering the background of Kuttner ambitions for the car and setting the stage for the long journey ahead.
Also exhibiting is Jim Zarling, a triple-threat actor, writer and director. He will show his three films Xtream Butter, Xtream Mayo and Preparation X. All three explore the genre of comedy as a medium for social criticism.
Two of U.Va.'s own will also be presenting their films. Han West, a media studies/English major and Boston native holds an impressive resumé. He worked on Swedish Auto, which played at last year's Virginia Film Festival, and national releases such as Evan Almighty and The Departed. He will be showing his short film, titled Happy Birthday, Grandma. The film, though originally intended as a personal gift to his grandmother that retells her life. The film has found an appreciative audience amongst family and strangers alike.
Fellow fourth-year and media studies major Romulo Alejandro will also be showing at a film Reel Local. Like West, Alejandro holds an impressive film resumé. A member of the Film Makers Society, he won the Audience Award in Virginia's 2006 Adrenaline Film Festival and was named Best in Show in the 2006 Salmagundi Film Festival. He also worked with high school students in the 2006 Adrenaline Film Project.
He will be screening two films, ROSKOSMOS and Three Chopt Road (which was co-directed by Eric Hurt). ROSKOSMOS tells the story of two Russian astronauts who experience problems returning to Earth and must deal with the terrifying possibility of never going home. The second film, Three Chopt Road is more of a traditional horror film, depicting the Charlottesville legend of a group of boy scouts who encounter some problems in the woods.
The final filmmaker is Charlottesville native Eric Hurt of Pillage and Plunder Pictures. He will be presenting the local band Beetnix's music video for their new song "Let's Go," which was shot at Zokalo. Also from Eric Hurt is the centerpiece of the Reel Local event: the film Spudnuts. A mockumentary, Spudnuts is about a group of high school students who get into deep water when the local donut shop of their documentary changes management in the midst of production.
When asked about a connecting theme throughout the event, Barret said, "Two elements seem especially prominent: the personal, and the passionate ... No matter the so-called subject, when a person gets to choose the setting, characters, dialogue, score and resolution of a situation, the story is ultimately about the storyteller."
And the underlying passion of the event is not confined to the filmmakers -- Reel Local is steeped in a passion for ars gratia artis. When asked why this event was important, Barrett said, "Too often, we are allowed or compelled to think of art as a product. One person gives a dollar to another person; that person allows access to some thing, crafted well or not, often by distant strangers. It becomes commerce. At Live Arts, art is first and foremost a personal physical and emotional exchange."
When asked what the audience should take away from Reel Local, he said, "Art is where you find it. And once you begin to look for it in earnest, you will find it everywhere." For the attendees on Sunday, hopefully art will be found in this group of promising films and exciting filmmakers.
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