Reconnecting at the Rome (Georgia, y’all!) International Film Festival
It’s that time of year where each step brings the welcome crinkling of leaves underfoot, sweaters are part of our everyday wardrobe, and the Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) gives us the creative inspiration we need to make it through winter.
Rome, Georgia has been a welcoming place to film in the Southeast, with the filming of Stranger Things and other indie projects, like Holy Irresistible. The festival leadership team has long supported Local Cinema Studios, including Seth Ingram (RIFF Creative Director and Associate Producer of Hero) and Katie Weatherford (RIFF Associate Producer and LCS Alum).
This year was extra special, as Hero had its Georgia premiere and several LCS alumni showcased films of their own. With the gathering of filmmakers— and collaborators—RIFF felt like a family reunion, with a lot to celebrate.
Hero Made Its Georgia Premiere—and won an award!
Hero played on Saturday afternoon to a crowded theater. The Local Cinema team was proud to share it with this community that is so special to us. After the screening, filmmakers took the stage for a talkback. While key cast members were missing to celebrate Hero at the AfroSouth Film Festival, there were plenty of representatives that gave a comprehensive view of the collaboration and heart that went into making the film.
Director Dustin Whitehead shares what makes Hero special—the authentically Southern story, the compassionate (local) community on set, and the unique soundtrack with music of Corey Harris and other Southeastern musicians that guided the main character forward.
Script Supervisor and Hiring Coordinator Lilly Heidari discussed what it meant to create a diverse set, “we were not necessarily looking for students with experience in film, but for people who were passionate about learning. This project would become their experience on set. We hired from several universities and it was on of the most diverse sets I’ve ever worked on. We were able to create something special in a collaborative way.”
“We were not necessarily looking for people with experience in film, but for people who were passionate about learning about film. This project would become their experience on set.”
Katie Weatherford, PA, shares her experience learning on the Hero film set, building a network that she continues to create with, and growing into a 2nd AD role on the next Local Cinema Studios film.
During the awards ceremony, the crowd—and especially our section—came up to their feet as Myles Isreal was awarded the final award of the evening for the screenwriting of Hero. We’re still coming down from the high of celebrating his—and the team’s collective—success.
The LCS Family Reunion
After the Hero screening, we took over the lounge for a Local Cinema Studios reception. Alumni from various projects mingled, getting to share their experiences with others from across the years. There was something electric about watching the filmmakers across the years come together as one Local Cinema Studios community.
College students wanting to work on future projects were able to learn firsthand about the Get on Set experience, and people of all ages shared pitches for Southern-based films they want to create. Future films will mark their genesis as conversations that took place at this event.
LCS Alumni Showcased Films at RIFF
Local Cinema Studios alumni Cassidy Burns (Production Design PA, Hero) and Katie Weatherford (Set PA, Hero and 2nd AD, The Grand Strand) directed short films that played at RIFF, collaborating with friends they met on LCS sets.
Watching LCS alumni continue on their film journeys after being part of Get on Set is a rewarding experience for our team. We celebrate their success and hope their time on a LCS set informed how they run their own productions and provided tools to use as they continue their filmmaking journey.
Beyond the films—we celebrate the connections that make Local Cinema Studios special. Katie’s film, The Murder Party: Offering Unconventional Solutions to Heartbreak, featured cast and crew that she met on previous LCS productions. The team already has several other projects in the works, and this is the magic of the Get on Set program. We prioritize getting to know crewmates as people, and artists, so students and professionals leave set with a network that they can continue to lean on throughout their careers.
Cassidy directed Blackout and The Last Witness, following up on her Emmy award winning film Hot Glass Alley.
Leaving with Inspiration
Ethan Hawke shared advice that still rings in our heads as we think of the 2024 project, one piece being: Cut the script before filming. He says, “Every deleted scene [in post production] is a failure, because it’s four hours that could have been spent on a scene that was in the film.” For indie projects such as ours, this is a huge time, energy, and cost savings. Thank you, Ethan, we will be taking your advice.
We admired his film, Wildcat, and were impressed with Henry Nelson’s film Asleep in My Palm, which also had a student-based crew and was filmed on a college campus (sound familiar?!).
While RIFF facilitated a reunion of LCS alumni from across the years, it also fostered a space for us to build new connections, develop perspectives as filmmakers, and leave with an overwhelming desire to create more films.